Pepper Francisco

Rhys Vineyards

San Mateo County Pinot Noir 2014

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.

Beautiful nose of red fruits with light cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates, black pepper, tobacco leaf and wild flowers.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, black currants, cooked plums, cherries, cedar, spices, licorice, chocolates, light earth, herbs, tobacco leaf, dark coffee and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is gorgeous Pinot Noir from San Mateo country in California. Elegant and nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Soft and smooth, complex and engaging.

Good right out of the bottle and easy drinking.

This 12 year old Pinot Noir is still showing lots of fruits. Drinking at its peak, and will not get any better from this point.

A beautiful sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100.
— 3 days ago

Doug, Juan and 7 others liked this

Rhys Vineyards

Alpine Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016

Amazing. This is why you wait to drink these. — a month ago

Ridge Vineyards

Estate Monte Bello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

John Howard
9.4

Not as good as expected. A little tired. Nice tho. Day 3, so good! Time and air made this insane. Love, — 2 months ago

Ray, Dave and 13 others liked this
Pinotman /// Andreas

Pinotman /// Andreas

A little young for being tired? May be bottle variation?
John Howard

John Howard Influencer Badge

@Pinotman /// Andreas two days later, much much better! this one is really changed my mind on wines that need to be aged or need air or time, etc. rating is gonna go up a lot. So good!
John Howard

John Howard Influencer Badge

@Pinotman /// Andreas oh and I thought it might have been a storage problem… nope!

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Hermitage Syrah 2018

Splash decanted immediately before service; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of blackberry, fig, black pepper, bacon fat, lavender, aromatic wood resin, warm spices and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is already an absolute banger and hides its 15% alcohol as well as any wine I have ever encountered. I almost gasped when I saw the ABV on the label because I couldn’t believe it. This is beautifully balanced, and I feel privileged to try this wine in its relative youth. Drink now with a splash decant and through 2052+. Bottle No. 15902. — 6 months ago

Douglas, Jan and 8 others liked this

Alain Graillot

Crozes-Hermitage Syrah 2022

Such a beautiful wine leading with a zesty charge of cracked pepper, grilled citrus, and barnyard, while not shying away from fruitiness. Gains weight with air and a darker, more serious stewed intensity of fruit leather and earth. Drank with a friend who really appreciated it, and we both returned to our glasses repeatedly waxing poetic with our expressions. Purchased at Astor. — 8 months ago

Domaine Eden

Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir 2021

Medium ruby color. Aromas of curry, cardamom, cherry and strawberry. Strawberry flavors, toasted oak, raspberry and black tea. Very interesting Santa Cruz Mountain Pinot. Bottle #32187

🏅94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
🏅93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
— 9 months ago

Doug, Pinotman and 11 others liked this

Rhys Vineyards

Alpine Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

Halloween night - excellent. Tannins softened. Nice fruit still. Missing a little acidity. — 14 days ago

Ridge Vineyards

Estate Monte Bello Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Ridge Vineyards — Estate Chardonnay 2023
Monte Bello Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Chardonnay from Ridge’s Monte Bello Estate, high in the Santa Cruz Mountains and strongly influenced by the cool Pacific. The exceptionally long, cool 2023 growing season preserved freshness and varietal character, while barrel fermentation followed by nine months on the lees added texture and dimension. At 14.1% ABV, it carries surprising substance without sacrificing its cool-climate identity.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh lemon, yellow apple, pear, citrus blossom, and subtle stone fruit unfold gradually, joined by mineral notes, gentle vanilla, and restrained barrel nuances. Air brings out additional layers without turning the wine overtly oaky.

Mouthfeel
Beautifully texturized yet remarkably fresh. Bright acidity provides tension while lees aging gives the mid-palate a gentle creaminess and polished weight. It keeps evolving after opening, moving between delicacy, mineral energy, and increasingly expressive fruit.

Food Pairings
Excellent alone, but equally comfortable with scallops, lobster, grilled halibut, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, or richer seafood preparations. Its combination of acidity and texture lets it pivot effortlessly between sipping and serious cuisine.

Verdict
A fascinating expression of mountain-grown California Chardonnay. Delicate yet substantial, refreshing yet textural, it demonstrates how a cool Pacific-influenced site can deliver ripeness without sacrificing precision or energy.

Did You Know?
Monte Bello sits high above Silicon Valley on the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge, with vineyards exposed to significant Pacific influence. Ridge notes that 2023 was one of its longest and coolest recent growing seasons; the extended harvest helped preserve acidity while allowing slow flavor development—the tension you can genuinely feel in this Chardonnay.

🍷 Personal Pick
This sits comfortably among my favorite coastal-influenced Northern California Chardonnays. What gets me is the evolution: refreshing and delicate at first, then progressively more textural and expressive as it opens. It has enough finesse to enjoy completely on its own and enough structure to sit beside fine cuisine. That versatility, without losing its cool-climate personality, is what makes this one special.
— 2 months ago

Tom, Bob and 2 others liked this

Rhys Vineyards

Horseshoe Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017

From 375, along with 2017 Horseshoe Chard — 2 months ago

Mount Eden Vineyards

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Zach D
9.1

Pours a purple hue with some fading at the rim; aromas of black and red fruit; raspberry, blackberry, some dark cherry, and cassis; palate with good acidity, congruent with the nose; there is a bit of vanilla clove baking spice oak on the palate. Alcohol is moderate at 13.5; I like the wine, and I don’t drink a whole lot of American wines. The oak influence should be more delicate in my opinion, as the fruit is pretty elegant. It overwhelms a bit, and holds it back. I have doubts that this aspect will improve with bottle age, but I have another couple bottles and will leave in the cellar as an experiment. — 3 months ago

Dave, Joel and 5 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

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@Zach D Cautiously optimistic that overt oak will completely fade into the background in 7-8 years and the wine will truly blossom.

Domaine Jamet

Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2010

Anti-roast, all tart cherry and white pepper, gentle tannin, faint horse hair. Wow. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister, Tom and 4 others liked this
romo

romo Premium Badge

Anti-roast, all tart cherry and white pepper, gentle tannin, faint horse hair. Wow.

Cline Cellars

Ancient Vines Contra Costa County Mourvèdre 2022

Lot of dark fruit: blackberries, blueberries, and a tinge of spice. Dark, the wine smells like it tastes. Good value. — 8 months ago

Dave, Tom and 1 other liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Seriously, has there ever been a disappointing red wine from Contra Costa? Every red vine there is over 100 years old on ungrafted roots in 20 feet of pure sand. What kind of jerk can fuck that up?

Mount Eden Vineyards

Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir 2015

Plenty of dark cherries that was right on the edge of being over top. Yet the mouthfeel and overall impression I had was that it had a sort of elegance to it. — a month ago

Scott@Mister, Joel and 3 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

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This is not sucking. Power. Balance. Elegance. Quiescent. Throwing all four directions out there simultaneously. And succeeding!

Thierry Allemand

Cornas Reynard (R) Syrah 2017

Another great one from the the master showing an elegant, silky mouthfeel with dark cherry, berry fruit, pepper, olive, iodine, licorice, savory spices, violet & tobacco — 14 days ago

Joel, Joe and 11 others liked this

Rhys Vineyards

Horseshoe Vineyard Chardonnay 2021

California eureka tasting. Single vineyard. V clean — 2 months ago

Domaine Eden

Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This is a wonderful expression of Santa Cruz Mountain Cab, caught in a state of absolute grace. I might be lucky with the specific bottle but it's really shining through like a mini superstar. Small red and black fruits are still preserved in a dusty state, in harmony with the emerging leather, pipe tobacco, and graphite, strikingat great balance between freshness and complexity. The nose is giving a preview of the palate, where the canines show completely evolved, silkyyet substantial. Again, lucky me, because it's in a state of grace. — 2 months ago

Tom, Dave and 9 others liked this

L'Ecole No. 41

Apogee Pepper Bridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016

Oak still not integrated. Good grapes though. — 5 months ago

Sarah Bignami
with Sarah
Doug, Ceccherini and 1 other liked this

Mount Eden Vineyards

Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay 2018

Golden color. Green apple and vanilla (light oak) on the palate. Age worthy. April 2026. — 7 months ago

Sandlands

Contra Costa County Carignane 2024

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2024 CCC pours a deep, ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity, with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with attractive, fresh notes of crunchy blackberries, black plum, lavender pastilles, Kiwi fruit, black pepper, crushed rock and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and mineral laden. So fresh and easy to love. Drink now through 2034. — 7 months ago

"Odedi", Tom and 7 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

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Love those old CCC vines!
Jay Kline

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@Tom Casagrande same brother, same.