Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Zuccardi Polígonos del Valle de Uco — Tupungato Semillón 2021, El Peral, Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina 🇦🇷

Overview
100% Semillón from El Peral in Tupungato, grown around 1,200 meters above sea level. Part of Sebastián Zuccardi’s terroir-focused Polígonos project, the 2021 was fermented with native yeasts and both fermented and aged in large, untoasted French oak, with no malolactic fermentation, a fascinating combination that helps explain its texture without sacrificing freshness.

Aromas & Flavors
Lemon, ripe pear, green and yellow apple, white fruits, and subtle honeyed notes emerge with impressive aromatic generosity. There is also a quiet flinty character underneath the fruit that gives the wine another dimension.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, mellow, and beautifully smooth, with a soft creamy texture that initially feels almost understated. Fresh acidity gradually reveals itself underneath, giving the wine balance, energy, and a surprisingly persistent finish.

Food Pairings
Scallops, grilled white fish, roasted chicken, creamy risotto, ceviche, or richer seafood dishes. Its combination of texture and freshness gives it considerable flexibility at the table.

Verdict
A cerebral Argentine white that makes you think—and rethink—what the Southern Cone can do with Semillón. Expressive and generous without becoming loud, with a wonderful tension between softness, aromatic intensity, and freshness.

Did You Know?
This Semillón comes from El Peral in Tupungato, where Zuccardi’s Polígonos project explores individual Uco Valley villages through specific varieties. The 2021 growing season was comparatively cool and humid, allowing slow maturation while maintaining a strong balance between sugar and acidity.

🍷 Personal Pick
This one overdelivered beautifully. I loved the contrast between its delicate, almost mellow mouthfeel and the generosity of flavors and aromatics underneath. Smooth, expressive, and quietly complex, this is exactly the kind of cerebral white that keeps me exploring beyond Argentina’s obvious grapes. — 5 days ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Trader Joe’s – Grand Reserve Pinot Noir 2023
Carneros AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
An entry-level Pinot Noir from Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve series, designed to be approachable and wallet-friendly, yet sourced from Carneros, a region with a strong pedigree for Pinot Noir thanks to its cool climate influenced by the San Pablo Bay.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red cherry, cranberry, and a touch of strawberry compote. Subtle notes of baking spice and a faint hint of cola.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, soft tannins, and moderate acidity. Smooth and approachable, leaning more toward fruit-forward than earthy complexity.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, Margherita pizza, Mushroom risotto, Soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert.

Verdict
A casual, weeknight Pinot Noir that shows off the Carneros fruit in an uncomplicated way. Don’t expect Burgundian elegance or layered depth, instead, it’s a friendly, fruit-driven Pinot that hits the right notes for its price. Cheers! — a year ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.6

2021 vintage. Terra Solis Vineyard, Napa Valley Coombsville AVA. I was lucky enough to meet owner Frank W. Bishop ,Jr. , who generously offered me this bottle. He sells most of his grapes ( to some very famous names) and produces a tiny quantity under the Terra Solis label. A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coombsville AVA, that is cooler than the Valley floor AVAs because of its proximity to San Pablo Bay, which allows a later harvest and longer hangtime for the grapes. Deep dark red. Intense perfume with black fruit, spices, and toasty oak. In the mouth is beautifully balanced with layers of black fruit, fresh acidity, and relatively moderate alcohol ( abv. 14,2%). Personally, I would have preferred oak with a lighter toast, but that is obviously a stylisic choice, and the wine is excellent indeed. — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.1

A complex Chardonnay from renowned producer Steve Matthiasson. Sourced from Linda Vista vineyard, in the Oak Knoll District, at the southern end of the Napa valley. (Due to its proximity to the San Pablo Bay and the cool winds from the ocean, average summer temperatures are considerably cooler than in the upper valley, making it an ideal area for Chardonnay in Napa). Fermented and aged in neutral oak. Apples, melon, some buttery notes on the nose. Green apple on the palate. Fresh, good acidity. Slightly creamy, rounder and fruitier than the Chablis tasted next to it. Mineral, a hint of salinity
— 4 years ago

Mark Strawn

9.1

Don Lencho, Rancho Blanco, San Pablo Gujla’ — 5 years ago

Nicole Ruiz Hudson

8.9

Blackberry, boysenberry, plum, black cherry — all very bright—pepper, graphite, stone. Excellent paired with a burger.

Sample. — 6 years ago

Henry Fuseler

8.9

5/2026. Good medium bodied Cab Franc. Even fruit and slightly acidic. Paired well with the rib eye at Halls Chophouse. — 5 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.0

Very nice Uco valley cab. Balanced wine with elegant layers of fruit and beautiful hints of cassis. Low alcohol at 13.9. Fresh and screams to be paired with food. James Suckling 94 pts way out there. lol — 10 months ago

Des Adams

10

Beaver Lake Beer wine and spirits, $5 cooking wine sale. Better aerated — a year ago

Sergio L Figueiredo

9.0

Álcool 13,0%
Degustado na Vinícola — a year ago

Nicole Ruiz Hudson

8.9

Smoky red and black cherries, plums, chocolate and vanilla and a bit of tobacco and a smattering of to add a savory layer. Rich, but goes down smooth and easy. Holding up well with age as well. Tannins quite smooth at this point.

#sample — 3 years ago

Ericsson

9.2

Needs a straight decant or min of forty mins in the glass before it fully opens up to a beautiful exotic bouquet of red fruits, dark chocolate and roses. Cheers. — 4 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

9.4

San Pablo Bay on the nose — 5 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.6

Winery notes, Sun Chase Vineyard is planted on the west-facing hillside where the cool Petaluma Gap collides with Sonoma Mountain, this site overlooks a broad sweep of the county from the San Pablo Bay to north Santa Rosa. Our Chardonnay block with an east-west row aspect sits on a sun-drenched, rocky incline at 1000' where fruit yields are naturally limited with small clusters and aromatic fruit. Technical Notes: 76 clone, Whole-cluster pressing, 100% native yeast primary fermentation, 100% wild malolactic fermentation, 11 months in low toast, air-dry 3-year-old French oak, 25% new."
My notes , Aubert style without Aubert price. — 6 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

The first of four Chardonnay’s from around the world. This explosive Chardonnay comes from a vineyard at about 4300 feet in the shadow of the Andes. Minerally, crisp, clean and structured. — 10 months ago

with Skip, Chris and 2 others

"Odedi"

8.9

Deep ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Earthy nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate, and very velvety, with nice complexity.

Showing red cherries, currants, plums, chocolates, oak, herbs, spices, peppercorn and red chili peppers.

Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Single Vineyard red blend from Argentina is drinking nicely. Soft and smooth.

This 7 year old is earthy and a tad bitter on the finish. The Malbec is very dominant at this point.

Elegant and better with food. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 40% Malbec, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 16 months.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$40. — a year ago

Mark Osmers

9.1

Don’t brush off Merlot‘s. Especially if those Merlot’s are from Yountville, in Napa Valley. The climate in Yountville is particularly well-suited for grape growing. It sits in a sweet spot where it receives warm, sunny days perfect for ripening grapes, while cool evening breezes and fog from San Pablo Bay help too.
Let this wine open up and breathe for 2+ hours and you’ll be delighted with a similar complexity to a Cabernet, with Oakey notes and bright raspberry and plum flavors

An excellent choice from the same area as Stag Leap vineyards

Try it and tell me what you think — happy drinking! — a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

One of the few CA Chardonnay I enjoy. You can spend more on one, but for under $40, this works really well.

Arnot-Robert’s rides the fence of CA Chardonnay & White Burgundy nicely. Has a bit of Ca Chardonnay backbone with the creamy body of White Burgundy.

Nose does not show much at first. Green apple, pear, lemon, lime. White peach, caramel notes, cardamom, paraffin, cream, yellow & spring flowers.

The body is creamy with nice viscosity. Green apple, pear, lemon, lime. White peach, caramel notes, cardamom, paraffin, cream, very light honey notes, sea spray, light chalkiness, yellow & spring flowers. Excellent round acidity, beautiful, soft structure, well balanced and a pleasant finish.

A couple more years in bottle add a point or two & more complexity. .

A little history from their website. Watson Ranch Vineyard is perched on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay at the southernmost end of the Napa Valley. The ranch was named after early Napa attorney, Augustus Watson, who owned the property in the early 1900s. The adjacent property is an abandoned limestone quarry which historically employed over 300 people, mining material to make portland cement used to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. — 3 years ago

Kate

9.5

Notice that there are different cherry pie Pinot noir reviews. This has a black label on bottom. Not red. This is San Pablo bay block that I am reviewing. Cameros Napa valley 14.5% abv A bartender recommended and explained that there is one that is 2nd press and one that is 1st press. This one was $30 at Costco. I paid more at the bar for a bottle. I looked for this at total wine and didn’t find. Was excited to see this at Costco. It’s cherry and silky. This is not a by the glass wine at the restaurant. This is a bottle only wine. There is a less expensive cherry pie Pinot noir than this. Don’t confuse the two. — 5 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

👁This wine is pale ruby with a delicate haze.

👃On the nose, it offers medium(+) intensity of youthful aromas, including notes of ripe cherry, strawberry rhubarb, fresh raspberry, 🍒🍓 also tulip🌷, violet, red licorice, fennel, dill, nutmeg, and wet moss.

👄On the palate this wine is dry. It has med (+) acidity, a medium body, medium alcohol, medium tannins, and medium(+) intensity of flavors consistent with the nose. It also has a medium(+) finish. I find it has good complexity and balance. 👌👌

This wine was fermented with native, wild yeast in concrete or steel and then aged in neutral oak barrels for about six months. According to the @scribewinery website, it comes from "vineyards planted with equal parts of two California heritage clones ideal for the region’s dense clay: Martini and Pommard. The Martini grapes add spice and fresh, high tones complemented by the Pommard’s natural earthiness."

Scribe, Carneros, XII. Beauty Blue, Pinot Noir, Vintage 2018. ABV 13.5%.

Los Carneros, meaning 'the rams' in Spanish, is a unique wine region because it is shared between Sonoma County and Napa Valley. It is one of my favorite places in Califorina for Pinot Noir. With the coastal breezes and fog channeling inland from San Pablo Bay, the vines have a combination of sun and cooling moderators, to aid in both the ripening and the preservation of acidity / brightness of character, which can ultimately lead to a well-balanced, but also well-concentrated wine.

I picked this up at @france_44 and would definitely buy it again. — 5 years ago

with Deked1