Wines

96 Points! A powerful but sleek red that's so concentrated and focused, yet polished and satiny in texture. Rich, fine-grained tannins support black cherries, blackcurrants, iron, flowers and a hint of black-olive flavor. A serious, structured wine that needs a steak to pair with, or more years in the bottle to mature. Drinkable now and best from 2030. - JamesSuckling.com

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92 Points! Aromas of black berries, brambleberries, floral, orange peel, and wet earth. Medium body, creamy and round tannins and a refined finish. Delicious. Just yummy. 52% merlot, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, and 8% petit verdot. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! Winemaker (and vineyard manager) Daniel Estrin refers to the Jessie Vineyard Pinot as a velvet sledgehammer, saying ‘this site has power and intensity with smooth edges.’ Aromas kick off a sweet blue fruit note with turned earth and fresh herbs accented by plenty of violets. These east-facing slopes see no afternoon sun and retain great freshness. The palate reflects those lively blue fruits, showing real depth and texture. There is fresh mint and touches of balsamic and soy umami. Seriously structured to lay down for many years. - Decanter Magazine

94 Points! Scented nose with wild strawberries, spiced cherries, dried herbs, baking spices and a touch of leather. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Vivid red currant and succulent sour cherry character on the mid-palate. Juicy and focused with harmonious structure and a long, intense finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! The Louise Vineyard is about 10% warmer than Jessie, and it also sees less wind, so these vines have life a little easier and as such, you see that in the wine's opulence. Aromas of dark bramble berries, black plum skin, and touches of savoury spice. The palate shows flashes of black tea, clove and rose hips alongside early-season blackberries. This site has a lot of geological complexity, and this structured Pinot will go the distance. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! From a vineyard the Gerrie family planted in 1993 that sits around the winery, the 2022 Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard reveals a beautiful woodsy profile, with notes of mossy earth and higher-toned red fruit shining through, with cranberries, darker red fruits, and Asian spices. It has a chiseled structure, with fine compact tannins, a refreshing lift, and notes of tea leaf on its long finish. It’s going to age with grace over the coming 20 years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

97 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard comes from the only pre-existing vines the family acquired when they purchased the winery in 1992. A deeper magenta color, it’s perfumed with seductive notes of violets, black raspberries, sweet herbs, and forest earth. The palate offers plenty of purity, and it has a fantastic, savory finish, with ripe tannins and even acidity. It’s drinking well now, with a wide window for enjoying over the coming 15 or so years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

91 Points! Stone fruits and orchard fruits intermixed with sappy herbs emerge from the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc A.V.A Blend. Medium-bodied, bright, and racy on the palate, with elegant acidity and a clean finish, this 100% Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for drinking over the next 2-3 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

98+ Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 10% Cabernet Franc, has opened significantly since I tasted it in March of 2022. Deep ruby in color, its aromatics have become more layered, with ringing tones of violet complementing blueberry, black cherry and redcurrants, plus sparks of aniseed, prosciutto and desert herbs. The palate is plush and supple, offering alluring spicy accents and generous, yet never onerous, fruit. Refreshing bursts of acidity call you back to the glass, and it finishes with fantastic length. It blossoms considerably as it spends time in the glass, alluding to continued evolution in bottle. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

95 Points! The 1998 Maya (500 cases from a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc and 55% Cabernet Sauvignon) is an amazing effort, possessing multiple layers of fruit, sweet tannin, and no herbaceousness, astringency, or thinness. This is an amazing tour de force in winemaking for the vintage. It is loaded, with impeccable balance. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2002

98+ Points! Helms vineyard consists of five acres on gravelly loam, right on the northern edge of the Rutherford bench, planted in 1997 and 1998 to Cabernet Sauvignon clones See and 337. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged for 21 months in French oak barrels, 100% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with seductive scents of Morello cherries, blackcurrant pastilles and mulberries with hints of chocolate mint, violets and forest floor, plus a waft of cinnamon toast. Full-bodied, the palate has an ethereal weight, dancing with bright, vibrant black and blue fruits and a lively line of freshness, textured with beautifully ripe, velvety tannins, finishing long and mineral laced. Wow. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

99 Points! Sweet white chocolate with currant, plum and subtle hazelnut on the nose. Some other spices, such as nutmeg and cloves. Floral. Full-bodied with extremely fine tannins that go on and on. Beautiful center plate that is dense yet polished and fine and continues on. Exceptional. Fantastic finish. Drinkable now, but needs four or five years to show it’s true greatness. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The 2017 Pinot Noir Altamont is a wine of real breadth. Dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and hard candy all flesh out in the glass. Rich, plush and enveloping, the Altamont captures all of the natural intensity of the year. A touch of stems adds character, but is not especially evident. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Founded directly above the San Andreas Fault, DeRose Vineyards is located in one of the most active earthquake areasin the World. Furthermore, it is one of only a few wineries anywhere to have a major fissure dissecting its wine cellars. DeRose has vineyards on both sides of the infamous fault. Soils east of the break contain fragmented granite and crumbled sandstone while those on the west side are mostly granite and limestone. Some blocks lie precisely above the line, their tilled surfaces concealing the fissure far below. Cabernet Franc grows east of the fault in loosely packed loam where the drainage is excellent.

A temperamental grape variety in many locations, Cabernet Franc thrives on the DeRose estate, creating heavily extracted wines with wonderful viscosity. Winemaker Pat DeRose prunes each vine in the winter and later exposes the grapes to beneficial sunlight with careful leaf removal. Clusters are thinned after veraison to attain proper vine balance.

92 Points! Another wine from the producer’s 1915-1918 plantings, the 2020 Cabernet Pfeffer Dryfarmed Old Vines offers vanilla and raspberry highlights along a broad, generously full palate. The oak is present, adding a hint of char, but it’s integrated, and the tannins are softened by good acidity. There’s a touch of pink peppercorn on the finish. Drink now through 2030. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

DeRose has a handful of ”old-vine” varieties on its Cienega Valley estate, but none is more exotic that a 10-acre planting of Negrette. These vines are even rare in their native land of France where records show only 100 acres cultivated in the Toulouse region on the Garonne River. Adding to the mystique, the variety was called “Pinot St. George” until the BATF changed its official name effective with the ’97 vintage.

Planted on their own roots in the 1880s, the old vines are dry farmed in gray clay-loam soils that contain large chunks of dolomite. This shimmering white mineral is mostly calcium, an essential element of good soil. Relatively young
in geologic time, these loose soils allow vines to extend deep and wide in search of water and nutrients. Yields average one ton per acre.

Cienega Valley is an elevated pocket in the Gabilan Mountains 1,100 feet above sea level. The region’s warm, dry conditions are quite agreeable to the thin-skinned
Zinfandel grapes, enabling sound crops to be picked late in the year without the threat of bunch rot. The Gabilan Range is high enough to protect vines from direct contact with the cold coastal air, but low enough to allow breezes to mitigate the heat of summer afternoons. Rainfall averages 15 inches per year while fog is rare. This temperate climate is well suited to producing rich red wines.

DeRose has 15 acres of Zinfandel vines originally planted on their own roots in the late 1890s. Dry farmed on steep hillsides in Cienega Valley, the head-trained vines produce highly pigmented grapes inscribed with a spicy mountain terroir.

94 Points! The 2024 Red Wine Evangelho Vineyard is bold, juicy and wonderfully expressive right out of the gate. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, rose petal and pomegranate makes a strong first impression. Carignane is front and center in this gorgeous, engaging Contra Costa red. Readers will have a very hard time keeping their hands off of this. What a gem. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Own-rooted, 1890s-planted vines in over thirty feet of pure sand...

94 Points! Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged six months in stainless steel vats, the 2024 Chardonnay has a medium to light gold hue and offers exotic citrus, minty herbs, and subtle tropical flower notes that all define this clean, crisp, remarkably pure Chardonnay. It puts on weight and richness with time in the glass and is a terrific mix of both richness and freshness. This is a no-brainer purchase for those who love Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, and I love its purity. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This white’s sleek mix of ripe pear, ginger and pomelo flavors show striking restraint, coiled around a mouthwatering thread of acidity. Details of lime zest, white peppercorn and dried tarragon linger, along with a whiff of sea spray. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! This has a succulent texture, remaining pure and long throughout. Salinity, minerals and springtime blossoms stay taut alongside lemons and crunchy orchard fruit with a lingering kick of tactile melon pith. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Dynamic and fresh, with brisk apple, lemon blossom and kiwi flavors that speed along the sleek finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! A friendly, rounded and generous wine with ripe apple and pear flavors and light baking spice accents. Balancing acidity adds some lift on the palate, enhancing mineral and saline accents. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! The Roserock balances the ripeness of this wine with a great mineral freshness. From the Drouhin, Oregon founded Eola-Amity estate, balanced between oak and stainless steel, its aromas of sweet lemon pulp and flinty crushed stone. The palate continues with lithe green mangoes, sea salt and thirst-slaking lemon pith. - Decanter Magazine