Oak Hills Winery & Vineyards

Shaw and Smith

M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2021

Barb and I first tasted this wine at the winery in a structured tasting, as the 2019 vintage on 31 March 2021 and it was very impressive. A couple of years later I bought 6 bottles of the 2021 and this is the 2nd of those 6. Made by the dream team of Michael Hill-Smith (Australia’s first MW), David LeMire MW plus winemakers Martin Shaw and Adam Wadewitz. Appley notes, noticeable funk. More detailed notes over the course of the next 4 bottles in the next few years. A class act from the Adelaide Hills. — a day ago

Jeroen, Anthony and 5 others liked this

Trefethen Family Vineyards

Oak Knoll District Chardonnay 2023

Pale lemon in color with a golden tint.

Light nose of green apples, lemons, spices and minerals.

Medium-bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemons, green apples, light grapefruits, minerals, light wood and herbs.

Tangy finish with limes and grapefruits.

This is a tasty and easy drinking Chardonnay from Napa Valley. Elegant and fruit forward with nice complexity. Tangy and entertaining.

Feels more like a California Pinot Gris, and better when properly chilled.

Wine Spectator 90 points.

Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. Paired nicely with my salad and fish and chips.

100% Chardonnay grapes were aged for 9 months in (10% new) oak barrels.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$25.
— a month ago

Doug, Tom and 4 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Great improvement from the last btl. Unfortunately my last & not on the top of my list to replace. — a month ago

David, Dave and 4 others liked this

Domaine Drouhin

RoseRock Pinot Noir 2024

This was nice, very drinkable, crowd pleaser. Berry fruit, minerals, hint of forest, but overall fruit forward. — 2 months ago

Randy Boesch
with Randy
Matt, Tom and 2 others liked this

Sandhi Wines

Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2022

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a pale straw color with medium viscosity: no signs of sediment/particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of green apple, white tree flowers, a hint of freshly struck match, lemon curd and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and full of minerals with a creamy texture. The alcohol is medium.

Initial conclusions: this could be Chardonnay, Albariño or Pinot Gris from France, the US, Spain or Italy. This is giving me Chardonnay vibes and while my first thought was Chablis, this has the markers of a Sashi Morman wine. So I’m going with that. Final conclusion: this is Chardonnay, from the US, Oregon, Eola-Amity Hills, 2022 and because I said it, Evening Land. LOL! Do I get credit for calling the winemaker and not the winery? Scoring points for sure. Tasty stuff in the style I’ve come to expect. Drink now through 2032.
— 3 months ago

Paul, Sagee and 12 others liked this

Sea Smoke

Ten Estate Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2023

Dark garnet color with a ruby core. Aromas of dark berry fruit, forest floor, lavender and smokey vanilla. Flavors of black cherry, blueberry and blackberry fruit with additional flavors of black licorice, baking spices, savory herbs and roasted nuts. That smokey/oaky vanilla flavor extends to the long and silky finish. More weight, heft, power and concentration than your typical Pinot Noir. The bright acidity balances this wine beautifully. Outstanding! Thanks to Kase and Petey for bringing this wine on our 2026 Cape May, NJ vacation. — 19 days ago

Bob, Joel and 4 others liked this

Sea Smoke

Ten California Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2019

Very smooth. Not as big of a Pinot as I would have thought. — a month ago

Scott@Mister and Shay liked this

Sea Smoke

Southing Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

delicious biodynamic Sta Rita pinot. tons of salinity and characteristic terroir. — a month ago

Silver Oak

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

2007 vintage. Nice fill. Used a Durand to open but good cork nonetheless. Decanted and tasted after 15 minutes. JFC...does the oak ever die on this nonsense? Tried to bushwhack through it without success. Even the Alexander Valley product has the good sense to have the oak minimized/integrated/drop off after a decade. Not the case here. There's a reason why I haven't even considered carrying this on a wine list since the late 90's. This go round didn't exactly convert my opinion. 8.16.26. — a month ago

Ted, Tom and 9 others liked this

Liquid Farm

Golden Slope Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2019

LF always impresses — 2 months ago

Eric, Douglas and 12 others liked this

Blankiet Estate

Paradise Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Red fruits galore

Very open after short decant.

Quite soft tannins
— 2 months ago

Tom, Scott@Mister and 1 other liked this

Liquid Farm

White Hill Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2024

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90min. The 2024 “White Hill” pours a pale straw color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with bright notes of star fruit, passion fruit, stone fruits, lemons, a touch of freshly struck matchstick, some white flowers and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and slightly saline. I love the character of these wines. Really tasty stuff. Drink now through 2034+. — 3 months ago

Zach, Tom and 12 others liked this

Dusky Goose

Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2013

It is an amazingly delightful wine great character, incredible back and finish you just rub your tongue in the roof your mouth and taste all the different flavors wonderful 9.5 — 6 days ago

Grgich Hills Estate

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (83%) with some Merlot (11%), Cabernet Franc (5%) and Petite Verdot (1%) blended in. Dark ruby color. Aromas of black fruit, intense graphite and dried herbs and red/purple flowers. Flavors of black and red berries/currants/plums, dark cocoa, black licorice and woody herbs. Slight touch of vanilla on the long and expressive finish. Bright acidity and smooth tannins. Elegant, nicely structured and quite savory. Medium-plus body and well balanced. Well crafted and wonderful complexity. Best with a decant. Big hit at a business dinner. Enjoyed at Frescos in Lincoln, RI. — 7 days ago

Bob, Paul and 4 others liked this

Grgich Hills Estate

Napa Valley Zinfandel 2020

2020 vintage. Grapes from 2020 that actually survived and missed the Napa fires/smoke taint. Medium-heavy bod. This was lip-smacking delicious. Nice acidity/tannins mated with balanced fruit offerings. Don't need a Zin currently on the list but it is on the short list just in case. Resto pricing was approx and completely fair $29 USD a bottle. 8.26.26. — a month ago

Bob, Ted and 10 others liked this

Brewer-Clifton

Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2023

2023 vintage. Popping, with fruit and structure and delicate flourishes. Tasted with Greg Brewer winemaker/founder. 7.29.26. — 2 months ago

Ted, Tom and 8 others liked this

Cristom

Eileen Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir 2025

Yum. Just delicious. Served it with ribeyes cooked sous vide and finished on the grill, and roasted gnocchi and mushrooms. The wine’s silky tannins and fresh red cherry sat naturally with the earthy minerality of the roasted mushrooms, while the wine’s acidity stayed bright enough to cut through the gnocchi’s richness without claiming the stage. In its early window, the Pinot was all finesse and poise, letting the steak and vegetables breathe rather than dominating — 2 months ago

Thomas

Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2023

2023 vintage. FLB jetsam. Decanted and tasted after 30 minutes and 1 hour. Medium/medium-heavy body. Dark color. Round impressions. Pleasant berry escapades on the back end with spritzes of rhubarb. This was waay too young and could definitely use 2-3 years to dump the baby fat and reapply. Nicely made. Just needs more time to reveal all the wonders within. 6.26.26. — 3 months ago

Doug, Ted and 7 others liked this

Grgich Hills Estate

Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023

2023 vintage. Crisp apricot and pear aromas on the nose, light oak taste on the palette, decent finish. Great afternoon wine with cheese, salami, and hummus. — 4 months ago