Wine-Blog
Welcome to the Sipped Reviews wine blog. The reviews you see here are partly appearing because we love to taste, tear apart and review wines. We taste a huge variety of wines from all over the place. We don’t really focus. If a great wine comes our way, we review it. So, what you see will seem completely random, these reviews come from an eagerness to continue exploring wine, viticulture, oenology, geology and climate. Every glass is an education.
Why ratings? I like to see a rating on a wine simply because it means someone else has taken the time to share their view, and also, I’m not blindly purchasing a wine. Now, I might not agree with the rating after I taste it, but at least I have some data to go on to give me some idea of the quality of the wine I’m thinking of purchasing. So, take it or leave it. Our ratings tend to be more conservative than others and, ALL of the wines rated here were purchased by us. None of these wines were gifts given to elicit a better rating. FYI.
Past Archives:
ARCHIVE #2: Reviews from February 23, 2024 to July 23, 2024
ARCHIVE #3: Reviews from July 23, 2024 to May 23, 2025
ARCHIVE #4: Reviews from May 24, 2025 to 12/11/20225
— Most Recent —
ARCHIVE #5: Reviews from December 11, 2025 to April 20, 2026
Wine
Vintner: Testarossa Winery
Description: Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: We have tried Rosella’s from so many wine makers. And it is — with a few exceptions — amazing. Gary and Rosella Franscioni are sitting on a gold mine here.
This wine has notes of black raspberry/strawberry Jello — that thickness is prevalent on the nose. Love this! There is pine, baking spice, wet soil and pomegranate as well.
The tannins are almost high. They stick to the teeth with berry flavors. The acidity is high, the finish long and the concentration and intensity nicely rich. The texture on the palate is thick. It has great balance. The richness needs that high acid, giving it a nice zip.
This is well worth the shipping. Get a bottle and try it. It is a great experience for anyone who has tried the Siduri, Walt or Clarice Rosella’s wines.
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/30/2026
Vintner: Testarossa Winery
Description: Doctor’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Pretty nose on this one. It is redolent of black raspberry, cherry, dusty soil, medicinal notes (it’s Doctor’s for crying out loud), baking spice, cocoa powder and white pepper. This is a monster of a nose with med+ intensity.
The palate shows ripe tannins that hit the teeth softly with blackberry notes. The finish is long, the intensity and concentration are high. This is pretty stuff. We love SLH.
This is a great effort with great fruit. Very cool tart palate with lots of red fruit balancing it out. It has pizzazz.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 5/28/2026
Vintner: Testarossa Winery
Description: Santa Lucia Highlands
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: The nose shows notes of vibrant cranberry, red cherry, raspberry and a hint of strawberry. There is a tang to this wine. It has lovely floral characteristics and an earthy, moist soil note.
The palate is rather intense. It has great concentration of fruit, long finish, med tannin and body. The acid it great and makes this wine shine with the cranberry on the palate.
A rather good show for Testarossa with this regional blend. We love the intense nose and the youthful acidic fruit on the palate. It is a pleasure to drink. We just had good flame grilled burgers and this wine complimented them well!
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 5/28/2026
Vintner: Testarossa Winery
Description: Santa Rita Hills
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Dried cherries and herbs and flowers, raspberry, dry soil and a hint of cocoa.
Acid it high, tannins, body, concentration and intensity are med. The fruit is a bit one dimensional on the palate. Finish is long though. The flavors are like potpourri.
This is a highly drinkable wine and would crave food rather than a lone sipper. This would rock burgers, simple, grilled meats or grilled cheese!
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Rating: 91
Date Tasted: 5/28/2026
Vintner: Beaulieu Vineyard
Description: The Renovation Limited Edition, Napa Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Red Wine
Notes: This wine has such lovely nose of cocoa, wet coffee grounds, potting soil, black cherry, blackberry, baked bread and burnt brown sugar.
Then on to the palate: high acid, med+ tannins and body. The concentration and intensity are high, and the finish is long.
Well, this is a really nice wine, created to be poured at the inauguration of the new BV tasting room to open in July. It is not George de Latour, but it is a really finely crafted red composed of 76% Cab Sauv and the rest Petit Verdot. If you can find this (and it will be hard) it is worth the $75 price.
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/27/2026
Vintner: BACA
Description: Double Dutch, Dusi Vineyard
Vintage: 2021
Varietal: Zinfandel
Notes: absolutely ripe on the nose with blackberry, raspberry, black cherry, cocoa, coffee, black plum and black pepper. Lush and concentrated.
The palate is almost off-dry due to the ripe fruit. The concentration is lovely. This has full body, high acid, long finish, med+ tannins and super peppery, blackberry fruit.
A great zin from Hall’s Baca label. If you open this bottle, be prepared to finish it.
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: Patz & Hall
Description: Gaps Crown Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Classic black raspberry, brioche, dusty dirt, blackberry, mineral, peach pit, nori, meat, pomegranate and cocoa. All of these are fine and concentrated.
It has great acidity, long finish, med body, med+ intensity and concentration. Med+ tannins.
A fine example of Gaps fruit and fine winemaking woven into one!
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: Elivette
Description: Spring Mountain Vineyard, Napa Valley
Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Red Blend
Notes: Got this off of last bottle. And we took this over to a dinner party last night. We did 4 pinots first and then had this with BBQ salmon.
Sheesh, what a wine! This is in the perfect sweet spot where fruit meets impeccable bottle aging. It has intense concentration and long finish. Acid is high and the tannins are still very prevalent. With this fruit profile and those characteristics, this will keep aging!
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: Ant Hill Farms
Description: Peters Vineyard, Sebastopol, Sonoma Coast
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Notes taken during dinner last night: Class pinot notes with med body, high acid, med+ intensity, concentration with a really long finish.
We have seen this wine on Wine Spies and Last bottle recently. Never actually pulled the trigger on any of it. So, glad a friend brought this over to try. Very worth while tasting!
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Rating: 93
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: Cirq Wine Company
Description: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Vintage: 2021
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: This review is based on basic notes we took while visiting friends. Needless to say, this wine is excellent. The scent and flavor notes are phreesia, potting soil, raspberry and black cherry.
The flavors are complex, well balanced and very concentrated. The acidity gives this wine a little playfulness. But the intensity holds it down with great grace.
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: The Rare Wine Co
Description: Historic Series
Vintage: NV
Varietal: Madeira
Notes: This was our first ever madeira. Our host opened this for us after dinner. We didn’t even have a reference point other than port to go on. And it does come across as a tawny port style. But it is very rich, smooth, powerfully flavored and mildly sweet.
We are going to rate this as a 96 even though it is our first.
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 5/23/2026
Vintner: Beaulieu Vineyard
Description: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Notes: Red plum, cinnamon, rhubarb, cocoa, red cherry, wood, graphite, apricot Danish and raspberry.
The palate his high tannins, high acid, med+ intensity, concentration, body and finish. Enough said. It has plenty to offer. It has balance and structure.
And here’s the thing: this is the supermarket BV offering. It runs about $40. It is a 2023 — being touted as possibly the vintage of the century so far. And this wine is sticking with that trend. A very nice effort for the store brand BV.
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Rating: 93
Date Tasted: 5/22/2026
Vintner: Siduri
Description: Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: This has some of those classic SLH pinot notes like raspberry, red cherry and strawberry. You even get that lovely Jello note. But this is really crisp with minerals, earthy notes and tartness on the nose. The nose is med+ in intensity.
The palate shines with medium tannins that are ripe with berry flavors. They stay on the palate for a good long time with the finish. Acidity is high as you would want. The body is not huge but appreciable. Concentration and intensity are med+.
This is a vivid wine with lots of zippy acid and minerals. The fruit almost keeps up, just about. This is Rosella’s for crying out loud. And it is lovely, lively and very different than the 2023. It is a must try.
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Rating: 92
Date Tasted: 5/21/2026
Vintner: Siduri
Description: John Sebastiano Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Cranberry, red cherry and dusty earth on the nose. On the palate it is pretty tart. The concentration and intensity of fruit is light. It has a long finish, however and the acidity gives it a vivacious feel. It feels fresh and light.
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Rating: 90
Date Tasted: 5/20/2026
Vintner: Siduri
Description: Seascape Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Raspberry and strawberry jam, brioche, spicy dry earth. The nose is not on the intense side.
But on the palate it is very concentrated and saturated with flavors. Good acidic tartness, long finish, full body and balanced fruit.
This wine has a lovely intensity on the palate. So much lovely fruit and tartness. It is just the thin nose that holds this back.
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Rating: 93
Date Tasted: 5/19/2026
Vintner: Holly’s Hill
Description: El Dorado
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Cinsaut
Notes: Think berry Danish. Oh, boy. What the hell are they doing with these wines. See below. It has brioche in it. It has stony minerals, tart and peach cobbler. Great big berry notes as well!
The palate has medium tannins, high acid, long finish, beautiful dark fruit, but bright as well. The concentration and intensity are incredible. It has a nice balance between the ripe fruit and tartness.
Once again, like the wine below, this is a wonderful character. It is a minor Rhone varietal that is usually used for blending. But Holly’s Hill does a California version that is so drinkable. It goes with spicy food like buffalo wines or teriyaki. Lovely wine.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 5/18/2026
Vintner: Holly’s Hill
Description: El Dorado
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Counoise
Notes: What did they do to this wine?! Wow. It is exceptional, especially compared to last year. It has so much rich fruit on the nose. Cocoa, raspberry, strawberry and red cherry. But these sound like Pinot characteristics — and believe me, this is not anything like a pinot. And yet, you get all these lovely fruit notes. But there is also a floral note like dianthus. And there is rose as well.
The tannins are med+, the finish is huge. The acidity is high, the fruit simple intense and concentrated. This is exceptional wine. It is a treat. But it also is a very California version of this old Rhone varietal. It is so worth trying.
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 5/18/2026
Vintner: Piaugier
Description: Sablet Cotes du Rhone Villages
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Red Rhone Wine
Notes: Red currant, black raspberry, strawberry and red cherry. But there is tart cranberry, classic garrigue spice, Rhone earth and baking spice. The nose is really concentrated.
The palate has just intense cherry/cranberry, fresh tartness. The acid it high, yes, but the fruit is exceptional. Everything is in balance. The finish is long, the body medium and the intensity med+. The tannins are ripe with berry flavors.
This is a treat at a great price from the village of Sablet. It is really nice to get some of these south Rhone village releases. This is one we would buy more of.
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Rating: 93
Date Tasted: 5/18/2026
Vintner: Chappellet
Description: Grower Collection Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: This wine has pronounced notes of cranberry, strawberry and red cherry. Dusty wood note, earth and minerality round out the nose with nice intensity. No searching around for the scents on this one.
Firm flavors of bright berry, dusty cocoa, brioche, balance beautifully with elemental minerality and high acid. Just a finely crafted, intense wine with medium concentration, medium tannins and full body. The finish, however, goes on for minutes.
This is a great effort from a great vineyard from a great winery.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 5/13/2026
Vintner: Fel (Cliff Lede)
Description: Savoy Vineyard, Anderson Valley
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: A couple years ago some friend took us to Cliff Lede Winery in Napa Valley. Let’s just say that Cabernet was very good, but we were surprised to see that Cliff was doing some Pinot Noir as well. And they were just as good as the Cabs.
This wine has a lovely, dusty berry nose with medium intensity. The flavors are also dusty with tannins and high acid. This wine can easily sit another 6 years. Seems like every Savoy pinot we have tried have been excellent. And it is a striking label as well.
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Rating: 92
Date Tasted: 5/10/2026
Vintner: Gary Farrell
Description: Terrade Promissio Vineyard, Sonoma County
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: The nose is pretty simple: cherry, strawberry, vanilla, dry earth and brioche.
The palate however is not simple. This wine blossoms when you really aspirate it. It is very acidic, with ample berry notes, sweet cherry, med concentration and intensity. The finish is tart cherry for a full minute. The tannins are ripe and sizzle on the tongue.
Gary is making some good wine. This wine feels young and may benefit from age to tone down the acidity, boost the fruit.
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Rating: 92
Date Tasted: 5/4/2026
Vintner: Walter Hansel
Description: The South Slope Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Cherry, strawberry, raspberry, a touch of smoke, wet soil, minerals and a little brioche.
The acidity and minerals on the palate make this come alive. The smoke comes through a bit on the palate but is almost pleasant. The finish is all fruit and long. The concentration and intensity are almost full.
This is a curious nut. Everything about it is pleasant. But wonder where the smoke came from.
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Rating: 93
Date Tasted: 5/4/2026
Vintner: Paul Hobbs
Description: West Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Notes of firm cranberry, bright cherry, raspberry, minerality and lime.
The palate is really elevated with the mineral and tart citrus acidity. But fruit keeps up with it. It has a candied raspberry loveliness. The finish goes on a while and the body is med+ with good intensity and concentration.
For a regional blend this is excellent. They’re growing some great fruit and making some even better wine.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 5/4/2026
Vintner: Lucia by Pisoni
Description: Estate Cuvee
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Black cherry, plum, black raspberry, cranberry, vanilla, lime leaf and peach pit. The nose is very intense.
But the palate is even more. It is just like heaven. So much raspberry, strawberry fruit in the finish. Very concentrated, just tart enough balancing with the intense fruit. Great body and medium tannins that hang around.
I’m going to buy more of this. It is very lovely.
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 5/3/2026
Vintner: Domaine de la Janasse
Description: Vieilles Vignes
Vintage: 2021
Varietal: Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Notes: This has every berry you can imagine on the nose plus some cocoa, bramble, Rhone dust, garrigue and some meatiness.
The palate is lovely. We love Domaine de la Janasse. It has high acid, long finish, full body, sticky tannins full of berry fruit. Concentration and intensity up the wazzu.
So, yah, this one is a keeper.
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Rating: 98
Date Tasted: 5/3/2026
Vintner: Modus Operandi Cellars
Description: Sonoma Coast
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: A very dark wine. Maybe extended maceration? It has a great nose of blackberry, cranberry, black cherry, spicy soil, tropical fruit.
It has medium tannins, a massive finish, great concentration and intensity. High acid and full body. The flavors are insane! I got this on Last Bottle! It was a silly price. And it’s lovely!
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 5/2/2026
Vintner: Spur Road
Description: Sonoma Coast
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Great notes of strawberry, raspberry and black cherry. It has a nice earthy nose like forest floor.
It has a chunky, berry tannic quality, nice berry concentration, lively cranberry acidity, medium body and a long finish. This is really nice. We picked this up in Napa today. We tried the 2022 as well. This was far superior. We love the firm tannins, rich berries and balanced acidity.
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Rating: 92
Date Tasted: 4/27/2026
Vintner: G by Alex Guarachi
Description: Atlas Peak, Napa Valley
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: Red Blend
Notes: The nose has intense cocoa, vanilla, blackberry, red plum and licorice. And like a good Atlas Peak wine it has a hint of wet potting soil.
The body is full, the finish is long. The tannins are medium and nearly silky. It is very concentrated with a very intense flavor of cocoa. At first, this unbalances the rest of the fine flavors on the palate. But after a good hour breathing, the blackberry emerges past the vanilla and cocoa. It is a find bottle of wine given the time.
And any good Atlas Peak wine is always a pleasure to try.
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Rating: 97
Date Tasted: 4/23/2026
Vintner: Dylan`s Ghost
Description: Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Notes: Blackberry, cocoa, dill, leather, licorice, black plum. It has a plush nose, velvety.
And the flavors and body are more than full. Some who like European style wines would say this is just a big, jammy, Napa wine. But this wine has so much to say for itself. To us, this is really lovely wine with huge intensity and concentration. It is following in the footsteps of many of the amazing 2023 cabs that we have tried already. And this is just the beginning.
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Rating: 98
Date Tasted: 4/23/2026
Vintner: Tongue Dancer
Description: Pinot de Ville, Sonoma Coast, 10th Anniversary Edition
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Just a classic. So rich on the nose with all the raspberry, strawberry and red cherry you can ask for. A hint of lime, juniper, pine and wet soil. A very enticing nose that goes beyond the standard pinot noir.
And the palate is perfectly balanced with fruit and acidity. A long finish, full body and super concentration. The tannins coat the teeth luxuriously.
This is the pinot we were hoping to find at Tongue Dancer. This is nice, collectible wine. It is plush and cohesive with interesting flavors that make you want another and another sip. You almost do not want to drink this with food. This wine wants to stand on its own!
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 4/23/2026
Vintner: Tongue Dancer
Description: Lakeview Vineyard, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: The nose is really interesting with notes of lemon meringue, cream cheese, strawberry, raspberry and soft earth.
The acidity is nice and high, balancing with the plentiful fruit. The body is med+ and the finish is long. The concentration and intensity are med+
It starts out so nice. But it fades in the glass very quickly. It becomes a bit weedy with oxygen.
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Rating: 89
Date Tasted: 4/22/2026
Vintner: Tongue Dancer
Description: West Sonoma Coast, Putnam Vineyard
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, bramble stems, lilac and forest floor.
A long, rich finish of floral and berry that has a texture like light Jello. The concentration and intensity are med+. The tannins are light, the body medium. This wine has a brambly roughness that is really pretty. This is the best kind of wine. It is interesting.
West Sonoma Coast is the newest AVA in Sonoma County. And the wines we have tried that are now designated at West Sonoma coast have been great. This one is fascinating and falls outside of the usual Pinot Noir profile. It is worth trying just for the experience.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 4/21/2026
Vintner: Tongue Dancer
Description: Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Nice nose with raspberry, candy red cherry and strawberry, wet soil, pencil lead and lilac.
The tannins are med+ with a thickness that coats the teeth with sweet fruit. The body is full, the finish is long, the concentration, intensity and finish are full/high. This has rather a nice texture with tactile berry fruit. It is nicely intense.
This is a nice Sonoma Coast blend. It is always nice to try the less expensive blends. Often, we like them the best. And the price is nice: $55.
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Rating: 94
Date Tasted: 4/20/2026
Vintner: Tongue Dancer
Description: Rambling Fox — Anderson Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: A classic Sonoma County nose with raspberry, strawberry, cherry, lilac perfume and earth. And the concentration of scents is very pleasing.
It has some nice medium tannins that coat the teeth with raspberry. Most of its attributes are medium. The finish has a 15 second length, but the concentration of fruit is very nice. The lilac is very pronounced and really pleasant.
We love the Tongue Dancer logos. It is great art that reminds one of Wind in the Willows characters. We have 6 wines to review and started with the most regional of them all. But the pricepoint on this one is great and worth the money ~$41.
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Rating: 92
Date Tasted: 4/20/2026
Vintner: Dehlinger Winery — Garbro Ranch
Description: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Vintage: 2024
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Notes: Firm notes of raspberry juice, red cherry, strawberry, wet soil, phreesia, perfume and cocoa.
The palate shows firm tannins, long berry finish, high acid balanced with concentrated flavors. The intensity is bordering on high.
We stopped and picked up a bottle at Dehlinger on Friday. The 2023 last year blew us away. And this new vintage is equally good, but higher in tannic body. And that plus the high acid and firm concentration of fruit should give it even more ability to age gracefully.
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Rating: 95
Date Tasted: 4/19/2026
Vintner: Rush Lattin Cellars
Description: Walla Walla Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Syrah
Notes: Bright black raspberry, blackberry, toasted meringue, black cherry, cocoa, coffee, lilac, leather and cinnamon.
The palate is ripe with silky tannins, cocoa, cinnamon and raspberry all in a long finish that goes on and on. The fruit concentration and intensity are over the top. The high acidity balances the fruit nicely. This is the Washington version of the best Hermitage from the Rhone.
Run, don’t walk and get some of this limited wine. Let it breath three hours at least to open up. But get a few bottles and try one again in 5 years, and another 10. Kudos to the wine making team!
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Rating: 98
Date Tasted: 4/18/2026
Vintner: Rush Lattin Cellars
Description: Columbia Valley
Vintage: 2023
Varietal: Syrah
Notes: Blackberry, nori, toasted meringue, black cherry, cocoa, coffee, lilac, game.
High acid, long umami finish, full body, dark fruited, leathery intensity and concentration. The tannins are silky but high. It has just incredible, plush, dark fruit with such concentration that this stands out from so many other Washington wines.
Strongly recommend decanting or open and leave for two to three hours let it fully open up. Larry is making some lovely, massive wines that would go great with steak or any grilled meats. We enjoyed this wine with garlic and lemon zest sauteed chard, BBQ salmon, spanakopita and tzatziki.
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Rating: 96
Date Tasted: 4/18/2026
