2019 Bedrock Carignan, Sonoma County ($32.00, 14.5%). The deep violet, magenta coloration has not changed since release, trim and clean. Meadow scrub and flowers lead into blueberry, blackberry fruit in the nose, slightly tarry, remains primary without much sepeartion. Medium-bodied, smooth and glides with ease across the palate. Acidity is adequate, lower general weight helps avoid any sense of structure lacking. Lavender nuances, the blueberry flavors really come to the fore. Tartness at just the right level. Quite enjoying this, regret opening it for a family dinner, hah. Grapes sourced primarily from Teldeschi Ranch (Dry Creek Valley) remainder Bedrock Vineyard (Sonoma Valley).
2020 Bedrock Carignan, Contra Costa County, Evangelho Vineyard ($32.00, 14.5%). Quite dark purple core, easily opaque, the rims an equally dense scarlet, could pass for a Cabernet. Nose of wet wool, pressed flowers, lavender, and white grapefruit, the fullness not quite able to keep alcoholic fumes at bay, puts a damper on the blue to black berry scents. In the mouth it’s full-bodied with no heat so the overall plushness has no natural adversary. The fruit is sweet, gets restrained by a steady tannic undercurrent. Molasses, grill smoke notes. Sappy finish extends nicely. Very similar experience to previous bottle December 2025, assume on a nice plateau. I would need to really be convinced that “change” is in its future so drink up and have some fun.
2015 Once & Future Mourvèdre/Mataro, Contra Costa County, Oakley Road Vineyard ($35.00, 14.0%). Purple core flirts with opacity, no saturation, full scarlet rims, does not look particularly aged. Smoky, close to oily nose, smells like you could light it with a match (no, not alcoholic, hah), dense raspberry, blackberry fruit sweeps this away, dried garden herbs, damp leather, throws its weight into your nostrils with bad intent. Medium-bodied, smooth and polished, plenty of flow here. Acidity holds the contours in place. Cranberry, rhubarb, blueberry fruit. Honey accents. Gives you more of a Mourvèdre “feel” here, country wine style rather than overproduced, honest. This has been a great wine since the outset, this bottle no different.
2016 Halcón Mendocino County, Yorkville Highlands, “Esquito” ($32.00, 14.2%). The purple has washed into a dried blood red to crimson cast, full rims, spotlessly clean. Nose of wet wool and scrub, I’d guess a higher percentage of Mourvèdre, maraschino cherry, raspberry jam, has a meaty dimension, not much lift but avoids a heavy feel. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied and comes across as having lost substantial weight, particularly at the finish. The youthful tannin mostly resolved, more than enough left for structure. The mixed berry, cherry fruit not as sweet as the nose leads you to believe. Savory herbs, trace of that meatiness and iodine. Citrus tang at the end. Time to drink up. 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah. (Composite Cork)
2015 Once & Future Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, Teldeschi Vineyard, “Frank’s Block” ($42.00, 15.0%). Darkening sufficiently that it’s a matter of opinion how dark the purple has become, rims bricking red but that isn’t very different from release. Perhaps the nose has shed enough density to allow the alcohol to come through more prominently, eucalyptus, mint and whipped cream, cherry and blackberry all the way to golden raisin, surprisingly not hinting at tertiary development. Full-bodied, firm handshake, tannin more grippy than drying. Given this, fluidity is fine. Tart red to blue fruits, fresher than in the nose. Smoky with heightened citrus bite. Finishes short but did younger too. Coin flip but going with better on release. Includes small percentage of Carignane and Alicante Bouschet.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Temperance Hill Vineyard ($45.00, 13.7%). Scarlet-purple, dark enough that it doesn’t look all that transparent while the liquid is spotless. Spicy nose, orange pekoe tea, cola, hint of brine, the cherry, blackberry fruit persists until it all finally dissolves. Full-bodied, soft and hugs the contours of your mouth. Even spicier here. More tea leaf unto sweet maduro cigar leaf. Plenty of fruit, dipping down through the finish. Citrus more mixed, no particular one pronounced. Slightly more tannin than acidity yet both negligible to my palate. Conveys a sense of completeness, better than the bottle I had in November 2025.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge ($29.00, 13.0%). Color darkening with some more scarlet blended into the violet, rims still have brightness, clarity is fine. Dusty nose, almost sandy, lemon zest, ripe red cherry, strawberry fruit scents, ginger spice, gets appreciably fuller with air. Medium-bodied plus through the mouth entry and loses weight moving forward. Feels like the tannin makes it uneven. The red to bluish berry fruit run a little out of steam at the end. Leaves stone, dry earth in the forefront. This was plump on release back in early 2020, has thinned down and the tannin resolved some. To my taste just past peak, no need to hold further.
2019 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, “Tardive” ($25.00, 11.5%). Flat yellow hay with a soft glow, no visible sign of aging. Lemony nose, sprinkled with powdered sugar, minty, melon to pear scents, round and expands steadily in the nostrils. Medium-bodied, more density than weight per se. Averrage acidity. Tangy even as the citrus doesn’t seem to take up undue space. The fruit begins to get tropical then pulls back. Creamier finish which is short, my most obvious complaint. Overall, indeed has not changed much since release late 2021. Maybe the fruit losing some grip. (Composite Cork)
2024 Weis Vineyards Pinot Noir, Finger Lakes ($29.99, 12.5%). Violet to a darker ruby, minimal change core to rims, pleasing shine. Smoky, close to tarry nose, damp minerally earth under an August sun, focused pungency, the red to blue berry fruit sufficient, garden herbs, overall neutral (which is a compliment). Light-bodied, soft and round mouth feel, acidity and tannin hands off. Here you get some oak, albeit per the winery it’s 12 months in neutral French oak. Certainly not the way reds like this were artificially inflated to achieve body. Fruit tart, more general spiciness. Herbaceous in an offhand way, not a focus. Again I’d call it neutral, sacrificing some distinct personality to strive for “transparency.” Better than I expected. (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2013 Bernard Gripa Syrah, Rhône, Saint-Joseph, “Le Berceau” ($57.99, 13.5%). Dusky blackish purple core with broad bricking rims, clear, good+ shine. Horse sweat, saltlick, and tar at first frame the nose, strong white grapefruit note blasts this to the side, difficult for any blackberry, blueberry scents to gain consistent traction. Close to full-bodied, glides along effortlessly, hard to find meaningful tannin or acidity yet doesn’t slouch. Crazy amount of white pepper. Then olive paste, more grapefruit. Fruit fares much better here, nowhere near trailing off. The secondary cum tertiary flavors are quite satisfactory. However, leaves an impression of “slickness” rather than a wine of terroir or some such stuff. I’d happily drink it again.
2010 Franck Balthazar Syrah, Rhône, Cornas, “Cuvée Casimir Balthazar” ($42.99, 13.0%). The brilliant surface shine masks the blackish purple of the core, the rims still a nice ruby color. The nose is focused but not quite tight, iodine, olives, bell pepper, mineral dust, ripe bounce in the cherry, raspberry fruit, opens pretty quickly. Medium-bodied, nicely tart, gets you awake right off. Damp campfire smoke, pork cracklings, saltlick. Acidity shows verve throughout. Herbaceous finish, grapefruit, heightened as it sheds some body. Fruit steady enough but unlikely to make it longer term. I’d call it ready.
2022 Nicolas Idiart Pinot Noir, Loire, Sancerre, “Le Tazonner” ($24.99, 13.0%). Pale ruby, squeaky clean and fully transparent, pretty. Delicate nose of ginger spice, red berry fruit, dusty pebbles, not much more, sort of expected a little citrus. Light-bodied, arguably too tannic for its weight. The fruit makes it to the finish in one piece. More dustiness, definitely has a dry texture. More smoky than spicy. Consistent maybe to a fault as it becomes monochrome and you start to tune out. Otherwise, no flaws, perfectly acceptable. (Composite Cork: Diam8)
2019 RemĂ Leroy Chardonnay, Champagne, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature ($70.99, 12.0%). Darker gold with excellent effervesce, average brightness. Broad, brisk nose comprised of lemon, chalk, pear and apple skin, tiny, tiny amount of brioche. Full-bodied, sterner than the nose suggests, the acidity at more than plus level. Highly lemony. Saline too, close to savory. Hard to register the fruit. Given the tongue squeeze does have a longish finish. I would not bet on much development. (Disgorged March 2023)
2004 Eric Texier Syrah/Sérine, Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Brézème, Domaine de Pergault ($31.99, 12.5%). Good clarity, middle-aged purple to fading ruby. Woolly, forest floor scrub infused nose, something like menthol or camphor, the cherry, plum scents have a roasted edge, gets meaty with air, thyme, overall unbalanced. Medium-bodied, loses weight at the finish. Sour acidity during the mouth entry. Tart raspberry, cranberry, blueberry fruit. Iodine, more fallen forest wood. FWIW not heat damaged since purchase, more so concentrated by age.
2023 Domaine de l’Ecu Melon de Bourgogne, Loire, Vin de France, “Granite” ($28.99, 12.0%). Dullish glow, washed out yellow straw which do extend into the rims. Blunt nose of squeezed lemon, slate and, duh, granite, tenuous peach to apricot scents, comes across as somewhat vinous, hard to find a clear message. Full-bodied, way too big. Not clumsy but not nimble either. Saline, lemon to lime citrus. Peach, pear, melon, green apple fruit. Acidity is so-so. Disappointing.
2024 Abbona Dolcetto, Piedmont, Dolcetto di Dogliani, “Papà Celso” ($24.99, 14.0%). Gently glowing ruby-magenta, the very picture of youth, unblemished, good shine. The alcohol does destabilize the nose some, however, the thrust of the cranberry, blueberry carves this away, minerally earth, pressed flowers, wears its fullness confidently. Medium-bodied, general firmness lends additional presence. No surprise that there’s no lack of acidity and tannin. That noted, they don’t sap the fun out of the fruit. More citrusy here, the florality fresher. Tangy, lively, all the things like that. without sacrificing palate traction. Layered earthiness. Manages to be a serious wine without taking itself seriously. Which can end up in a lot of fun.
2024 Le Pupille Sangiovese, Tuscany, Morellino di Scansano ($16.99, 13.5%). Moves more from a washed out purple to stronger scarlet hue, full to the rims, shine good. Wiry nose of sour cherries, olive pits, damp leather, and a growing herbaceous streak, it’s been a very long time since I have had a Morellino di Scansano but seems to track. Medium-bodied, plush, soft and expansive mouth feel. The cherry, plum fruit gosh darn sweet. Smoky, tarry, retains that berbaceous streak. Notes of incense. Tannin very low, acidity marginally better. Built for hearty consumption with the non-geeks. Serves that purpose well. (Composite Cork)
2023 Bodegas Nekeas Grenache Blanc, Navarra, “25 Vendimias” ($17.99, 13.0%). Worn gold, semi-flat yet has decent glass presence. Oily nose, wet sauna stones, molten rubber, no problem getting right in there, lemon curd, green apple, pine scrub, more jabs than hugs so hard to get a full handle on it. Medium-bodied, acidity gives it a wiry, sinewy feel rather than pulled taut. Citrus heavy. Orange blossom. Melon, pear, apple. In some ways bares the faintest resemblance to the nose. The finish comes closest with warm minerally, stony earth. Strikes me as hollow. The nose was interesting, the rest pedestrian.