MacRostie Winery and Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2018, California

Light yellow in color with a golden tint.

Nose of citrus, lemons, apples, spices, toasted oak, light vegetables and earth.

Medium bodied with medium acidity and smooth.

Dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, river rocks, bitter herbs, spices, black pepper and light oak.

Spicy finish with limes.

This is a very nice Chardonnay from Russian River Valley. Spicy and interesting. Nicely balanced and elegant, with soft earth notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and gets more complex as it opens up.

A little high in alcohol, but not noticeable at all. Good by itself and with food.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses by the lake.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$36.

Foyt Family Wines Meritage No 72 2016 Sonoma County, California

Time to add some Merlot to our life, on this #MerlotThursday. This Meritage blend will have to do.

This is a very tasty red blend from Sonoma County. Nicely balanced, spicy and tangy with a nice mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn, graphite and dark coffee.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

Good by itself or with food. I let it open up in a decanter for 3 hours.

Should age nicely in the next 5 years.

Paired very nicely with the Camembert cheese.

A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$38.

RD Winery Hundred Knot Grenache 2019 Sonoma Valley, California

Purple in color with a wide reddish rim.

Sweet nose of cherries, blueberries, sweet strawberries, licorice, oak, tobacco, vanilla, chocolates, spices and black pepper.

Medium bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, red currants, oak, tobacco, earth, spices, licorice, peppercorn, chocolates and coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable Grenache from Sonoma Valley. Nicely balanced and fruit forward. Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

Showing mild complexity with a nice, soft mouthfeel. Light and engaging and a good summer wine. A nice light chill would be a good idea.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and brings in more structure.

Alcohol is nicely integrated already, so watch out.

Would be nice to see how this evolves in the next 3 years.

I had it by the pool with some dried meats, fresh berries and cheeses.

A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months (20% new).

15% alcohol by Volume.

91 points.

$53.

New Napa Winery

Maritana Vineyards Dutton Ranch Chardonnay 2017, Russian River Valley, California

Light yellow in color with a golden hue.

Light nose of citrus, vanilla, light oak, spices and yellow apples.

Full bodied, buttery and soft, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with light oak and vanilla, citrus, lemons, grapefruits, herbs, earth, spices and white pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with bitter almonds and black pepper.

This is a very nice and elegant Chardonnay from Russian River Valley. Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel.

This oaky Chardonnay, is not the “in your face” kind of wine, and even better with food.

This Single Vineyard is a good quality wine, that will age nicely in the next 5 years.

I paired it with cheeses, and it worked very nicely with the Swiss cheese and the double cream Brie cheese.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$90.

Meadowcroft Wines Louvau Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Dry Creek Valley, California

Ruby in color with medium intensity and a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, black plums, cherries, earth, oak, spices, bell pepper, liquorice, tobacco, diet cola, dark chocolates, dark coffee and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, vegetables, spices, oak, light vanilla, coke, peppercorn, earth, leather, tobacco leaf, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead dark coffee.

Spicy finish with nice length and fine grained tannins.

This is an earthy Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley. Tasty and elegant.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet is tangy with mild complexity a a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and interesting.

Showing lots of earth notes and drinks like a South African Cabernet.

As it opens up, the earth notes calm down and more fruits show up. Definitely more fruit forward after 2 hours of airtime, so if that’s what you like, give it time.

This is a good quality wine that is still young, but already enjoyable. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

I paired it with Brie cheese and light appetizers.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$65.

Maritana Vineyards Le Russe Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018, California

Ruby in color with a wide reddish/ cloudy rim and medium-plus intensity.

Strong nose of bing cherry, oak, licorice, blueberries, light earth, chocolates, tobacco and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, oak, smoke, licorice, spices, light vanilla, tobacco, earth, milk chocolate and black pepper.

Nice finish with spices and tangy cherries.

This is a good quality Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley. Very enjoyable on its own.

Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Exactly what you expect from a good Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

Well balanced with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and good by itself or with food.

Easy drinking with high alcohol, so watch out. Soft and elegant yet rich and engaging.

Would benefit from a few more years of bottle time.

Wine Enthusiasts 92 points.

I preferred it with a light chill, and paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55.

Vincity Wines Vinatlas 2014, California

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a tasty one from California.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim. A very pretty color.

Fruity nose with blueberries, plums, currants, light cedar, vanilla, light earth, licorice, black pepper, spices and chocolates.

Medium plus in body and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, sweet strawberries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, coffee, dark chocolates, light earth and peppercorn.

Medium plus in finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend. Drinking very nicely now, and will continue in the next 5 years.

This 6 year old is showing nice complexity and balance, with a very enjoyable mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, but gets more complex as it opens up. I let it decant for 2 hours.

A good quality wine. Delicious, interesting and engaging.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with meats, cheeses and light appetizers. Was really nice with the Italian salami.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are grown in Napa County and Sonoma County.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.

Maritana Vineyards Russian River Valley La Riviere Chardonnay 2018, California

Pale straw in color with a golden hue.

Strong nose of citrus, vanilla, spices, oak, yellow apples, pears and white pepper.

Full bodied, buttery and smooth, with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with citrus, melons, apples, light grapefruits, spices, hazelnuts, oak, vanilla and peppercorn.

Nice length on the finish with spices and almonds.

This is a very tasty Chardonnay from Russian River Valley.

Spicy and intriguing. Interesting with a buttery, smooth mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and Oaky.

Right out of the bottle, it is in your face kind of wine, but as it opens up, it calms down a bit with less oak and vanilla notes, so give it 20 minutes.

Will be nice to see how this evolves in 5 to 7 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a cheese plate.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55.

Notre Vue Estate GSM Rosé 2019 Chalk Hill, California

Pretty salmon in color.

Nose of citrus, limes, light raspberries, spices, earth, vegetables and minerals.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity, crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, herbs, spices and white pepper.

Nice finish with spices and almonds.

This is a very enjoyable Rosé from Chalk Hill, Sonoma County. Fruit forward and refreshing with nice complexity.

Nicely balanced with a buttery mouthfeel. Better when properly chilled.

Good by itself or with food. I had it by the pool with soft cheeses.

A blend of 34% Grenache, 33% Syrah and 33% Mourvedre.

12.7% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$29.

Oakwild Ranch Winery Toboni Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2016, California

Reddish in color with a wide reddish rim and medium plus intensity. Very pretty.

On the nose bing cherries, blueberries, spices, light oak, light red candy, earth and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with bing cherries, raspberries, blueberries, light wood, light earth, spices and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 4 year old Pinot Noir from Sonoma County is drinking very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Fruit forward and easy drinking with a spicy finish. Fun wine and very tasty now. Alcohol is nicely integrated by now.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next 3 to 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle. I gave it a light chill and had it by the pool. Paired nicely with a Double cream Brie cheese.

100% Pinot Noir grapes from a Single Vineyard. A small production of only 92 cases. Aged in 30% new oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$45.