Centennial Mountain NV Solera II Red Blend Sonoma County ($69)

 This Centennial Mountain project from the folks at Rhys is a fascinating one. They're growing some grapes from Sicily that have never been grown in California (Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappucino, and Carricante) as well as some other Italian varieties like Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Primitivo on a high-altitude ridge in Sonoma County. The wines that I have tried are quite good for the most part. This red blend is made from all of the red grapes grown at the property, and while I can't dig up a lot of detailed notes on the wine (I think it was a fairly limited wine club wine), I can say that it is delicious and an interesting departure from most high-end California red wine. It is a medium-weight red with lovely herb, wild strawberry and plum notes, silky on the palate, and very fruit-forward with a great range of red fruit. The finish is soft and bright. It actually reminds me a bit of a really good Sicilian Frappato, or maybe a Cerasuolo di Vittoria, but that Frappato isn't in the mix. At any rate, it's delicous, and well worth trying if you're looking for something a bit different. (94 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

Davis Estates 2024 Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley ($58)

This is a lovely, summery white that has a bit of ripe guava on the nose, and very direct lemon-lime and grapefruit flavors on the palate. It is very zesty, downright racy in fact, and made primarily in stainless steel with a bit of neutral oak. It would be great with oysters or ceviche. 1,473 cases produced. Recommended. (92 Points)

  

Roblar 2024 Reserve Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara County ($60)

This wine is a genuine stunner. It lands in the glass with a shimmering green-gold note reminiscent of Chablis. And I'm not saying it is Chablis, because it's not, but it certainly has some traits in common. It is zesty, crisp, and laser-focused. The new oak in the mix is comparatively reserved. The bright green apple, pear, pineapple, kaffir lime leaf, and lemon zest notes are genuinely beguiling and direct and have great intensity. This is a perfect Chardonnay to serve with seafood, and it shows a remarkably confident point of view from winemaker Max Marshak. Even more importantly, it just works. Lovely and highly recommended. (95 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

 

Refugio Ranch 2025 Tiradora Sauvignon Blanc Santa Ynez Valley ($50)

 The price creep of prime Sauvignon Blanc is getting a bit cringey, but there's no doubt that the quality of California Sauvignon Blanc has grown leaps and bounds in the last 15 or 20 years. Here's another great example. It's fresh and zesty with deep kiwi fruit, melon, white grapefruit and grass flavors. It's got great varietal character, isn't over-worked, and it sure was great with a cod ceviche. Frankly, it's hard to put down. (92 Points) 

- Tim Teichgraeber 

 

Starfield Vineyards 2023 Grenache El Dorado County, CA ($42)

I was not familiar with Starfield until relatively recently despite having a pretty good rapport with El Dorado County and the Sierra Foothills, and I have to say that this wine is really impressing me. So many California wineries over-work Grenache and try to make it inky and dark. This beaming, lucid, fresh version of Grenache is really impressive. It leads with fresh wild strawberry fruit, builds with a bit of cinnamon and spice, and finishes with a lovely violet and blueberry vibrance. This wine just gets Grenache's fruit-forward nature right where so many wineries get it wrong. It's a wine with tremendous finesse. I somehow chose to serve it with Mexican food (enmoladas if you must know) and it was nothing less than a perfect match. Props to winemaker Rob Sinton. This is a refined, addictive, incredibly food-friendly wine. (93 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

 

Auteur 2024 Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir West Sonoma Coast ($115)

 Wow. This is a stunner. This cold-climate Sonoma Pinot has ebullient blueberry, tangerine, cherry and raspberry fruit that's on the one hand pretty decadent, but it's also bright, fresh and shimmering and the oak is beautifully integrated and subtle. The wine's class is immediately apparent. Steve Campbell farms this rugged site located near Annapolis, three miles from the Pacific, at an elevation of between 750 and 850 feet, which is often above the fog line, providing cool maritime breezes as well as a good dose of sun for much of the summer. Absolutely stellar and highly recommended. (97 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber 

Roblar 2021 "Grace and Grit" Gold Collection (BDX Blend) Santa Ynez Valley, CA ($98)

This is another banger from Roblar. The color is pretty saturated, as expected, but the wine shows freshness right off-the-bat. There are violet, blueberry and rose notes on the nose, deep blueberry, black currant and black cherry fruit flavors, and just a hint of cinnamon. This wine is very fruit-forward and deep, but lithe on the palate, and doesn't register a lot of new oak, which doesn't bother me in the least. I like it just like this, and I think it will actually age rather gracefully for a solid ten years. Well done. (95 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber