California Wine

Winemaker Description

Kith & Kin, Old English for “Friends & Family”, is a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from all corners of the Napa Valley but with its heart rooted in Rutherford. This wine is approachable in its youth, with balanced tannins and a fruit-forward character. The vast majority of fruit comes from our estate, supplemented by a limited amount from Napa Valley growers.

Beautifully complex and rich aromatics of bright cassis and ripe red fruit jump out of the glass upon the first encounter. This wine opens with bright raspberry, softening through the mid-palate with notes of toffee, cocoa, and crème brulee. The soft and smooth mouth feel paired with fine-grained tannins effortlessly round out this young and serious, yet remarkably approachable Cabernet.

Expert Reviews

Winemaker Description

Varietal Composition 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay

Schramsberg Brut Rosé is fruitful, complex and dry, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an apéritif. The character of the wine is most strongly influenced by bright, flavorful Pinot Noir grown along the coast from southern Mendocino County to northern Marin County. A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and subtle color to this vibrant sparkling wine. Chardonnay gives spice, structure and length on the palate.

Hand picking, careful handling and gentle pressing produce a wine of delicacy, aromatic purity and depth. Following the fall harvest and fermentation of the base wines, extensive tasting trials are carried out in the spring to create a polished blend reflective of the vintage. The finished blend undergoes a second fermentation in bottle before aging on its yeast lees for about two years, just enough to achieve refined effervescence and toastiness without diminishing its refreshing, vibrant appeal.

Enjoy this rich, delicious sparkler on almost any occasion: at your favorite restaurant, a special dinner at home, at a beach picnic or a backyard barbecue. A very versatile wine; try it with sushi, salmon, rock shrimp, pizza, roast chicken, BBQ ribs, caprese and Panzanella salads, red berry tarts, and an array of cheeses, charcuterie, nuts and fresh fruit.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Generous yet steely at the core, with fragrant raspberry, rose petal and gingerbread accents that dance on the long, zesty finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (2020). 

Winemaker Description

We embraced the structure up front when making this wine because we wanted a strong phenolic profile to bind with and stabilize the tannin. Baking spices (clove and cinnamon) with a kiss of oak.

Ripe black fruit on the palate, black currant and blackberry. A hint of vanilla and smooth tannins on the plush finish.

Winemaker Description

Vivid notes of black raspberry, fresh pomegranate juice, with wild blueberry, sassafras, subtle licorice, toasted oak an earthy backbone, and grippy tannins. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2023 

90 Points James Suckling | A light and fresh pinot that has real pinot character, with sliced strawberry and citrus notes. Light-bodied, clean and an attractive.

Winemaker Description

Peay Vineyards is a first-generation family winery. Husband and wife, Nick Peay & Vanessa Wong, grow and make the wine and brother, Andy Peay, and his wife Ami, sell the wine and run the business.

All wines are made from grapes grown on our 53-acre estate vineyard located above a river gorge in the far northwestern corner of the Sonoma Coast, 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean at Sea Ranch. We sit in the chilly inversion layer with fog and wind from the Ocean maintaining cool temperatures with plenty of sunlight.

The Scallop Shelf has evolved over the last 15 years into the most mineral-driven and understated of our Pinot noirs. The 2021 is perfectly proportioned and harmonious with aromas of sassafras, wet slate, and apple skin with a floral and savory note popping in and out. The elements of the wine are already remarkably well-integrated with notes of cedar, forest floor, and ras el hanout spice framing the fruit. The finish is bright and the flavors go on and on. A wonderful Scallop Shelf from a superb vintage.

Winemaker Vanessa Wong left her position as winemaker at Peter Michael Winery in 2001 to launch Peay Vineyards. Formerly she worked at Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Domaine Jean Gros and Hirsch Winery.

We farm organically and maintain our licenses for fish friendly farming and integrated pest management. The health of our vineyard dictates these approaches to farming and making wine. We also run on bio-diesel at the vineyard and solar power at both the vineyard and winery.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points | More mineral aromas emerge in the 2021 Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf, with notes of wet stone, black raspberry, and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied and more tension driven, it’s taut with orange zest, clove, and gravelly, saline earth. It’s going to need time to unpack. Drink 2026-2046. (2021). 

Robert Parker 96 Points | The 2021 Estate Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf is delicate and perfumed this year. Pale ruby-purple in the glass it has pretty scents of red licorice and raspberry lavender and saline with mushroom undertones. The medium-bodied palate has a frame of chalky tannins and fireworks of fresh acidity. Despite its lifted character it's bursting with floral fruit and has a long perfumed finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle to unwind. (2021). 

Vinous 96 Points | I tasted many Peay wines during my last visit and the months preceding. The Peay team led by brothers Andy and Nick Peay and winemaker Vanessa Wong turned out an absolutely brilliant set of 2021s. Every wine is a joy to taste. The 2021 Pinot Noir Scallop Shelf offers a more linear mineral-driven expression of the estate. Most of this fruit is Pommard clone but that is not especially evident. Red-toned fruit chalk mint white pepper and slate lend brightness. This linear focused Pinot bristles with saline energy and tension. Give it time.

Winemaker Description

Made for sharing. Crafted using unique growing techniques and state-of-the-art technology for winemaking, this California wine is made with high-quality grapes from the Lodi region. With a well-balanced acidity, this red merlot wine features beautifully integrated tannins that create complexity and structure. 

Rich aromas of blackberry, cherry, chocolate and red berries complement an enticing ripe plum, toasty mocha oak and cherry cola flavor. This full-bodied Woodbridge merlot wine has a soft and versatile style that pairs well with hearty pasta with Bolognese sauce, grilled steak, lamb, pork chops and hamburgers.

For best taste and quality, store this bottle of wine at room temperature and chill before serving. Please enjoy our wines responsibly. © 2021 Woodbridge Winery, Acampo, CA

Winemaker Description

There is so much perfume in this wine: fresh flowers and lavender are bolstered by ripe plum, sandalwood and cherry compote. There’s also an incredibly appealing note of Earl Grey or bergamot that lifts the entire aromatic profile. Lingering behind the fruit is where the action starts as black pepper, vanilla, crushed rock and soy are revealed.

Farming requires optimism. That’s especially true in viticulture, given the timeline to transition bare ground into a finished wine.

At a minimum, it takes three years from gently hand-planting each individual vine to the first harvest. However, that initial crop is quite small and it will be another two to three years before the vines really hit their stride. After harvest, fruit destined for the Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon will spend an additional two years in barrel before bottle aging in our cellar prior to release. At best, it’s six solid years of farming, winemaking and cellaring before we can pull that first cork. That type of commitment requires a fundamental belief in ourselves, our work and our mission.

We have to believe that going the extra mile, pushing a little harder and accounting for every small detail is not only worth it, but will be appreciated years from now. Moreover, we have to be curious, creative and daring for the future of each wine and the land we steward. In short, we have to believe that the future will be better and we cherish our small contribution.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

James Suckling 92 Points | A chardonnay with excellent quality for the money with a phenolic tension and mineral and flint undertones. Serious and dry.

Winemaker Description 

 The 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is bright, forward, balanced and approachable. Enticing aromas of red apple, spice, nectarine, and baked bread lead into a broad textured, and creamy palate. With its cool-climate influences, this chardonnay has remarkable varietal intensity, balanced acidity and mineral notes that complement the flavors of fresh peach and honey.

Winemaker Description

This new bottling is from a vineyard site on old, deep volcanic soils and an elevation of 2900’. Tightly spaced, head trained vines planted on an old apple orchard just east of Placerville. Whole cluster fermented and aged in a combination of puncheons and tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a mere 20ppm of sulfites.

The aromatic character of this wine shows what are, for me, classic El Dorado County Mourvèdre plum & citrus peel aromas. There’s a note of freshly tilled soil in there as well, common from these volcanic soils. Plum skin flavors, savory, thyme, mushroom and a bright acidity.  Everything wraps up in a long finish with fine tannins. Suitable for a wide variety of meals.

This wine is sourced from some of our finest Cabernet vineyards in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties. Bright cherry and currant aromas are echoed in the elegant flavors, that are accented by vanilla, cedar and anise notes. A mouth-filling wine, this Cabernet is amazingly soft and drinkable. Grilled or sauteed steaks with peppercorns and hearty stews fare well with this lush, young wine. Great with cheeses as well! Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description 

Sourced from some of California's finest, sun-drenched vineyards, our Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and full-bodied with characteristics of ripe dark fruit such as blackberry and plum. It has hints of oak and vanilla with a velvety finish.

Winemaker Description 

The Spanish term “Las Alturas” means “the heights,” a fitting name for this vineyard located on one of the highest grape-growing benches in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA up to 1,200 feet. At this elevation, the sunny but very cool climate creates a wine bearing all the hallmarks of this coastal region: robust, expressive, full-bodied, and balanced by a firm acidity

We harvested early in the morning so the fruit would arrive at the winery while the grapes were still cool to preserve the vineyard-fresh flavors. After destemming (but not crushing) the berries, we cold-soaked the fruit for up to two weeks to soften the skins and allow for ideal extraction. During fermentation in a combination of closed and open-top stainless steel fermenters, we used both punch-downs and pump-overs to extract color and tannins, and also to control temperatures and maximize flavors. We aged the wine in 100% French oak (60% new) for up to nine months. After the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, we racked it twice before making the final blend.

Rich crimson in color with fragrant aromas of bing cherry, dried fig, black cassis and hints of rich dark chocolate. Bold and elegant on the palate with marionberry pie, boysenberry preserves, dark plum, and subtle notes of mocha. Balanced and structured, this wine has beautiful acidity that lingers through to a long, mouthwatering finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points | Deep and dark aromas of black cherry, sandalwood and incense make for a heady nose on this bottling. The palate is big and bold, loaded with ripe black cherry and boysenberry flavors, as peppery, incense-like spices add complexity and the texture stays lusciously creamy.

Winemaker Description

Smoke, tar, and char on the nose along with stewed plums, blackberries, and figs. The palate is softer on the tongue than the nose might suggest. Berries and figs come through with a little black pepper and cinnamon. Woody tannins settle into the sides of the tongues and linger a little with a background of umami. Pair with game meats, bbq, honeyed hams, and dark chocolate.

Winemaker Description 

Aromas of Bing cherry and raspberry compote lead into hints of violet and orange peel. Delicate notes of cinnamon and anise frame the flavors of pomegranate and a subtle mint. Fine-grained, firm tannins provide structure while the acidity provides for a beautifully juicy finish. Versatility in pairing makes this wine a great choice for any occasion!

Winemaker Description

Medium-bodied with juicy flavors of berry and black cherry with soft tannins for a smooth finish. Enjoy with wild mushroom risotto or slow-cooked beef stew.

Winemaker Description

Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Estate Pinot Noir Ama features pure, layered aromas of rhubarb, tart dried red cherries, burnt orange peel, blueberries and violet with tones of conifer and forest floor, continuing to offer new aromatic nuances with each return to the glass. The medium-bodied palate is bright and chalky, with youthfully coiled fruits and a long, spicy finish.

Expert Review

Robert Parker 94 Points | Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Estate Pinot Noir Ama features pure, layered aromas of rhubarb, tart dried red cherries, burnt orange peel, blueberries and violet with tones of conifer and forest floor, continuing to offer new aromatic nuances with each return to the glass. The medium-bodied palate is bright and chalky, with youthfully coiled fruits and a long, spicy finish. (2019). 

Winemaker Description 

Delicate & refreshingly sweet with flavors of honeydew, lemongrass & peaches. Great with spicy or sweet fare - rolls made with hot peppers or chile oils, or those with fruit - a great finisher - refreshing - not too sweet!

Winemaker Description

This one-time moonshine producing site, deep in the Sonoma Coast hills, was planted by Charlie Chenoweth to a large array of high quality Pinot Noir selections, which adds complexity and depth. Energetic, fruity top notes swirl around aromas of raspberry tea, clove, carnation blossom and sassafras. Extraordinarily concentrated and rich, this wine is at once chewy and thick while maintaining an energy and freshness that speaks to the coolness and long ripening of Bootlegger’s Hill.

Expert Reviews

Wine Advocate 93+ Points | Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Bootlegger's Hill opens with notes of black cherries, warm plums and wild blueberries with touches of Indian spices, fertile loam and fungi. Medium-bodied, it offers black berries and earth notions in the mouth, with a firm, fine-grained frame and long, earthy finish. 494 cases produced. Drinking 2018 -2030 — Lisa Perrotti-Brown.

Winemaker Description

Our second coolest micro-climate is our five-acre Gravelly Meadow vineyard. Originally a pre-historic river bed, this stony, gravelly soil drains rapidly and the vines struggle for moisture.

Gravelly Meadow is our lowest yielding vineyard. The wines are described as "earthy, cedary, jammy and ripe blackberry with a spicy expansive finish.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2019 

Joe Czerwinski writes:  Whitehall Lane's 2019 Merlot Napa Valley actually contains 87% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Slightly candied cherry notes mark the nose, framed by vanilla and touches of dried tobacco, while the medium to full-bodied palate is succulent and juicy, textured without being overly rich or tannic.  Drinking 2022 to 2030.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 90

James Suckling writes:  Vibrant, fruity nose of ripe plums, raspberries, mulberries, licorice and nutmeg. Some chocolate orange, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy tannins. Plush, round and succulent. Drink or hold.  - Wine Spectator 91

Tim Fish writes:  Refined and structured, with expressive red currant, toasty mocha and tomato leaf tones that gather tension and polish toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029.  - Wine Spectator 91

Winemaker Description 

This Merlot offers notes of raspberry croissant, red currants, cocoa powder, and layers of graphite. The palate showcases fine, firm tannins alongside chocolate cherry lollipop, red plums, dried goji berries, and toasted brioche. It is supple in texture and shows attractive depth on the finish. Winemaker Description. 

 

Winemaker Description 

ZERO SUGAR. LOW CARB. ALL WINE

The Simple Grape uses high quality, sustainably grown California grapes to craft wines without added sugars or artificial ingredients. The Simple Grape aims to be radically transparent. All the information you need is on the front label, so you can feel good enjoying a glass while knowing exactly what is in the bottle.

Per 5oz glass: Sugar - 0 .05g | Carbs - 2.5g | Calories - 118 | Alcohol - 13.5%

Delicate notes of floral, green apple and stone fruit (apricot, pear) evolve into fresh, clean finish with beautiful concentration and balanced acidity.

Ideal for afternoon sipping, this wine is a great match for salads, crudité platters, sushi, oysters or chilled shellfish. It also is sturdy enough to work with roasted chicken and pan seared fish.

Pinot Grigio yields fresh, crisp, supple wines with genuine charm. The long, cool California growing season is ideally suited for the development of delicate aromas and fresh acidity. Pinot Grigio yields fresh, crisp, supple wines with genuine charm.

The long, cool California growing season is ideally suited for the development of delicate aromas and fresh acidity. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Matthew Luczy of the Wine Advocate writes 92 Points | The 2022 Chardonnay Vino de los Ranchos is sourced from own-rooted vines planted in 1973. The nose is poised and elegant, with inviting aromas of orchard fruits, toasted marshmallows, nougat and praline. The palate is energetic and laser-like in focus, leading to a crunchy, salivating finish that adds weightlessly rich depth and additional saline character with extended aeration.  Drinking 2022 to 2030.

Winemaker Description 

Think citrus flowers, orange meringue, salted almonds with bright acidity.
This wine is produced from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard, planted in the Santa Maria Valley in 1973 on its own roots. It is farmed organically. The grapes are picked based on natural acidity, flavors, and visual signs in the vineyard. 

Once in the cellar the grapes are pressed, juice collected and barreled down to ferment with native yeast in old french oak barrels. The wine is aged on its lees for 17 months before being racked for the first time to bottle, unfined & unfiltered. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2018 

Wine & Spirits Magazine 93 Points | Meghan Zobeck makes this wine with cabernet from Burgess’s Sorenson Vineyard, a west-facing parcel on Howell Mountain, blending in a small amount of petit verdot and malbec from Haymaker, an eastfacing vineyard slightly higher in elevation. Aged mostly in neutral French oak barrels (15 percent were new), this developed a textural grace without the weight of oak tannins, feeling airy in its richness. There’s darkness to the fruit and a marrow-bone savor, ending light and breezy.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2018

The Wine Enthusiast 97 Points | This is an incredibly dynamic, complex and yet utterly delicious bottling. Aromas of roasted cherry, iodine, iron, bay leaf, sage and mushroomy meats envelop the nose. The palate is rich in texture and flavors yet fierce with acidity, combining opulent berries, toasted sage and gamy meats into a head-spinning sip.

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points |  One of the darker hued wines in the lineup, the 2018 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard is tighter and more wound up, with a laser-like sense of precision in its white pepper, crushed stone, and tart stone and black raspberry fruits. The purity of fruit here is top notch, as is the overall balance, and this medium-bodied 2018 is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and cruise for a decade.

Vinous 94 Points | The 2018 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard is a dense, savory wine that captures the essence of this marginal, cold-climate site. All of the power and energy is directed inward in this decidedly intense, searing wine. Crushed rose petal, bright red/purplish fruit, chalk, dried herbs and floral notes linger. I can't wait to see how this ages. 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

The Wine Advocate 95+ Points |  A whopping 94% Cabernet Sauvignon but not labeled as such, Alpha Omega's 2021 ERA Red Wine is the 2,380-case flagship of the winery. As you might expect, it's dark, nearly impenetrable in color, with similarly opaque aromas that hint at camphor, creosote, cedar and cassis. Weighing in at 14.8% alcohol (on the label), it's very nearly full-bodied, with ample concentration, ripe but dense tannins and a lingering but somewhat astringent finish. Give this one some time in the cellar.

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | Juicy and richly interwoven with a fresh underlay of acidity, this powerhouse blend is substantially etched in cassis, plum and red currant. The oak and tannin are equally substantial and present, contributing weight, breadth and length. This will do well to cellar; enjoy best from 2027-2032.

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points | The flagship 2021 ERA (which is also the largest production release of these top cuvées) checks in 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec that was brought up in 50% new French oak. It's a more inward, concentrated 2021 revealing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as rocking black raspberry and blueberry fruits supported by background spicy oak, violets, and chalky minerality. This concentrated, medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced 2021 shows the slightly toned-down style of all these latest 2021s, yet it excels on its purity and finesse. It's going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age yet evolve for 15-20 years.

 

Expert Review - Vintage 2013

Wine Spectator | A whiff of cider in the aroma flags this as a stylistic statement, with notes of apple skin, dried fig and spice. 

Winemaker Description 

The Pinot Noir for this method champenoise sparkling wine 'Sea Spray' from Sea Smoke is the result of a careful cluster selection from their estate vineyard. The grapes were gently pressed following an evening in our cold room, then transferred to stainless tanks to begin a long, cool fermentation, which was completed in once-used and neutral French oak barrels. Following six months of sur lie aging in barrel, the wine was bottle aged an additional 16 months en tirage prior to disgorging. The wine was finished with no dosage, to preserve its finesse. The nuanced nose expresses cranberries, lavender, fresh bread and lemon curd. The wine enters the palate with energetic freshness and finishes with delightful length.

Winemaker Description 

The original. Medium-bodied with black cherry, cola, strawberry, plum, and soft tannins. No wonder this Pinot is a favorite. Showing a fine combination of ripe, red fruit and sweet oak, this medium bodied Mark West Pinot Noir stays right in there as a fine example of the varietal.

Winemaker Description 

This Merlot has a classic varietal nose of tart cherries, toasty oak and smoke. A medium plum color, it is very dry with herbal and red fruit flavors, light to medium tannins.

Winemaker Description 

Our medium-bodied Hearty Burgundy combines mouth-watering richness with flavors ranging from dark berry to red plum. Be it a quiet chat on the back porch or a surprise visit from the neighbors, its a wine that pairs perfectly with the everyday moments of life.