PRESS

2023

90 Points - Wine & Spirits Magazine, Year's Best California Chardonnay

90 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate, 7/23/2020

Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Bacigalupi is spicy on the nose with cranberries, blackberries, licorice, dried citrus peel, scorched earth and Angostura bitters aromas. The medium-bodied palate is bright, lifted and spicy, a tad hollow through the middle, with a soft, grainy frame and long, juicy finish. 440 cases produced."
- Erin Brooks

92 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate, 7/23/2020

"Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Calesa is closed on the nose to begin, offering hints of blood orange peel, dusty earth, iodine and nori with a core of smoked cranberries. The palate is medium-bodied, spicy, open and fresh, with a gentle frame and spicy finish. 369 cases produced."
- Erin Brooks

91 Points - Wine & Spirits Magazine, Year's Best California Chardonnay

"2018 Russian River Valley Dutton Ranch Chardonnay Oak presents the fruit of this wine, launching it from a backdrop of toasted hazelnut and brown butter into deep flavors of yellow plum and candied citrus rind. While rich, it’s also clean, the flavors mouthwatering as they open, with racy acidity. Built to drink now, in the company of grilled salmon."
- Reviewed by Joshua Greene.

90 Points - 2019 World Wine Championships

"Pale steely orange color. Aromas and flavors of toffee, baked plum, golden apple, strawberry preserves, white rose, and limestone with a silky, vibrant, fruity light-to-medium body and a smooth, involved, medium-long finish conveying nuances of grapefruit marmalade with no oak flavor. A mineral-driven rose with mouthwatering acidity; distinctive."
- Jerald O’Kennard

Gold Medal, 2019 World Wine Championships

91 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate, 12/13/2018

“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon delivers crème de cassis, stewed plums and baked cherries notions with wafts of damp earth and spearmint. Full-bodied, concentrated and giving up some spicy raisin cake notes among the black fruits on the palate, it has a chewy frame and a lively herbal lift on the finish.”
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown

91 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate, 12/29/2018

“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Syrah opens with perfumed notes of violets, cracked black pepper, underbrush and rose hip tea over a core of plum preserves and black cherry compote. Full-bodied with rm, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, it is packed with perfumed black fruits, nishing long and peppery.”
- Lisa Perrotti-Brown

92 Points - Wine Enthusiast, 12/31/2015

“With Kirk Venge as winemaker and Beckstoffer grapes at its core, this intriguing new project is out the gates with a rocking wine, a compelling and complex mix of lemongrass and hard lemon candy that gets more inviting in the glass. Light-bodied, crisp and focused, it offers a twist of New Zealand-like grass that never gets out of hand, becoming a delight on the palate instead.”
- Virginie Boone

Silver Medal, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

95 Points - Wine Advocate, December 2015

“An absolutely brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon from southern Napa Valley and the Oak Knoll area, this 2013 tips the scales at 15% alcohol. It has a dense purple color, a gorgeous nose of crème de cassis, graphite, blackberry and a touch of oak and a full-bodied, opulent, voluptuous texture, great purity and a stunning finish. This is sensational stuff and a terrific 2013. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.”
- Robert Parker

90 Points - Wine Advocate, December 2015

“The inky ruby/purple-colored 2013 Syrah has a stunning nose of crushed blackberries, black raspberries and licorice. It is juicy, full-bodied, pure and quite elegant for its 14.5% natural alcohol. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.”
- Robert Parker

90 Points - Wine Enthusiast, 2/1/2016

“Inky, rich and dense, this wine has an abundance of red and black berry pie going on that makes it decadently inviting. Thick on the palate, it's ready to pair with saucy cuts of meat, its background note of smoke the ideal way to bring out charred flavors in a food.”
- Virginie Boone

Silver Medal, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast, 3/1/2016

“Lemon meringue and custard provide decadence to this vineyard-designated wine, the site planted to decades-old vines. It becomes sublime as it opens, spicy and soft in quince and Asian pear. The finish returns to the opening theme, delivering a punch of caramel.”
- Virginie Boone

Double Gold Medal, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

90 Points - Wine Enthusiast,2/1/2016

“While soft and approachable, this wine also offers a density of black currant and cherry that gives significant power and juicy exuberance. Sizable tannins risk overtaking the fruit, but never do, with the oak imparting a jolt of smokiness on the finish.”
- Virginie Boone

Gold Medal, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

91 Points - Wine Enthusiast, 2/1/2016

“The first Pinot Noir release from this producer, this is a velvety-smooth, exotic and charming wine, light on the palate despite a concentration of ripe, rich fruit. Kirsch, cherry, raspberry and cinnamon combine to make the wine invitingly lush and plush.”
- Virginie Boone

Gold Medal, 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition