Jay Kline

9.1

My first bottle of the 2019 Contra Costa County “Red Table Wine”. The “Red Table Wine” designation from Sandlands is a bottling that I look forward to with each Sandlands release.

This years version from CCC pours a very pretty translucent ruby with a magenta rim and medium viscosity. Medium+ intensity. Initially, I found the nose to be a little reductive but the wine really begins to express itself and come alive after about 20 minutes of air. As with previous iterations, there’s an overwhelming impression of freshness. An extremely bright mixed fruits set with red, blue and black fruits, red and purple flowers and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Again freshness is everywhere. Confirming the mixed fruits which comes across extremely bright and almost crunchy. The wine is spicy with lovely minerals with an almost crushed gravel characteristic too. Finish is medium+ and works so well with a variety of meals. The body seems to gain some weight with air. Good now but probably better in 2025. 65% Carignan and 35% Mataro. 11 barrels produced. — 4 years ago

Hayden B. Oothout

9.5

Outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon from a reputable Santa Cruz vineyard. Double decanted for an hour. This vintage is light but bold at the same time. Only clocking in at 13.1%. It is thin on the palette but structured. Good tannin structure, light red fruit, minimal oak and charming acidity. After 10 years in the bottle, this vintage is just waking up. Luckily I have 2 more bottles in my cellar. After the first glass, your palette really adjusts to the light but subtle flavors. Don’t drink this after a big, bold wine. This should be the first wine you consume. Drink now with decanting or age for 20 more years. — 6 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.2

Clear, light lemon yellow

Clean, medium intense notes of white floral, stones, clay, lemon, beeswax. Soft and pretty nose.

Dry, medium acid body and alcohol (13.2% ABV). Flavors of lemon, mild apricot, mineral. Finish is a medium+

Very good, and would love to revisit this vintage in the future. Brie & apricot pizza.

Would be interested to see a Roussanne+Marsanne collaboration with Donkey & Goat (Skin Fermented Marsanne)

NOTES: “Most of the wine was fermented and aged in a clay Amphorae with the remainder in barrel.” — 7 years ago

Christine Wallin

9.1

I’ll have the whole bottle, please. — 8 years ago

Brandyn Pryce

9.2

1000Dhs bottle of New Zealand Sav blanc. Grassy, crisp, fresh, light fruits. Smooth, then sour. Thank you Aaron — 9 years ago

Daniel Steilen

9.1

Delicious. Vibrant, sweet cherry to dark cherry flavors and nice structure but a bit too much of a hint of oak (?). Could use a could of years in bottle to integrate further. — 9 years ago

with Aneessa

Marshall Todd Herron DPM

9.0

This is a wonderful wine from Mount Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is the little brother of Mount Eden and is called Domaine Eden. It is a blend of 75% Cab, 14% Merlot, 6% Cab Franc, 4% petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec aged two years in French Oak. I had no idea Saratoga had wine this good!!!!! It is labeled as a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. The cork was a bit uneven with absorption. The color is opaque! The bouquet is purple violets and ripe figs on the tree. The initial palate is weak. An almost sweet blueberry, fig, and possible elderberry beginning finishing with a buttery dry middle of the tongue tart blast of black cherry. Maybe some tree bark and moss. No spice. No acid. Very simple. Almost bland, but a good 30 dollar bottle of wine. — 9 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Wanting to open one of these for a friend who is a fan, I pop and poured half the bottle, then corked and enjoyed the rest later in the evening.

I had the D&R Rodnick Mourvèdre early this year and was a bit underwhelmed. This Evangelho was much more lively, fresh and floral. This reflects much more of the D&R style (carbonic flair, crunchy bright fruits) than it does varietal (not meaty/savory in any way). Translucent purple in the glass with violets and sweet carbonic aromatics. The palate sports underripe blue and black fruits up front but the finish turns very herb crusted black cherry and dried cranberry. Zippy acidity. Fun and easy to drink. — 4 years ago

Anthony De Blasi

9.2

Upgrade to 9.2 after one year. Gigantic evolution between uncorking and pouring the last drop (+/- 5 hours). Everything is getting clear. So probably in one year just perfect. And guess what: as always it will be my last bottle...🤦‍♂️ — 7 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.2

Clear medium ruby-garnet on sight.
Northern Rhone-esque pleasure on the nose. Clean, med+ red and black raspeberry, with green peppercorn and barrel notes. Nose is greater than medium(-) acid driven body, which matches scent observations. Tiny black sediment specs in the bottom of glass. Long finish. Drink over the next three years.

Very tasty, and am impressed how the wine has evolved from initial release. — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

“Don’t worry, my friends don’t like wine”, extra bottle number two for Thanksgiving. Floral. — 8 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.5

Ridge Wine Dinner. I brought this cloaked in a brown bag to share with the Ridge winemaker. He guessed late 80s which shows how long these wines can age. From a well stored bottle with an in to the neck fill. Old tawny color, translucent and clean. Linear nose with currant, saddle leather, old wood and dirty gravel stone. Perfectly balanced in the mouth with fruit that is slightly faded, but matched well with fully resolved tannins. With several hours of air a richness in the fruit developed that was extraordinary. Yet still some acidity and structure remains so this should stay in a nice drinking window for the foreseeable future. Winemaker Eric explained that based on inspection of the glass, the bottle I brought was one of the '78 MBs that was not rebottled due to a malo issue after initial bottling, which might explain how fresh it is versus other '78 MBs he said. — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Tasted side by side with the 2013 Lineage. Tough battle but bottle age has definitely helped this bottling. Mix of deep garnet and ruby red. Straight from opening there were lots of savory elements mixed in with red and black berries. Some floral notes too like roses. As it opened up over the two hour period there was petroleum, dark cocoa and cinnamon. Over the evening, additional notes of dark ripe fruits and even more spices, even slightly savory ones. So balanced for how young this is. Started out with heavy tannins (8/10) but mellowed and rounded out to a solid moderate tannins (6.5/10) over the two and a half hour decant. Rounded medium plus body that will develop further with time. Started off with some darker cherries and light greenery with a bit of leather. Even a bit of spices. Great acidity giving this strong backbone and a semi-dry long finish. This will be singing given another five years and drink will over the next twelve. Tons of potential and very surprised by this caliber of wine coming out of Livermore Valley. Great job Steven! — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Tom Inners

9.4

Still young for my tastes but checking in on a go-to producer. Killer with King Crab Salad sandwiches 🥪

This bottle was a bit slow out the gate and needed some air to reveal the magic inside. This bottle was a pick up from Corti Bros when passing through Sacramento via Tahoe.
Finesse, and beautifully prolific white wine structure all the way throughout.

Santa Cruz Mts represent! — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.4

Nose has blackberry jam spread on older, tanned leather, under-ripe cherry, green CT Valley tobacco, ripe blueberry, whole vanilla bean and wet soil.

Palate has dried blackberry, ripe black cherry, slight oak barrel notes, unsweetened blueberry jam with just a touch of (alcohol, only 13.3%) heat on a long, satisfying finish. Tannins are mostly resolved, can hold this bottle until a 30th birthday under proper storage conditions, but our last bottle.

Beautiful wine, fantastically paired with a Belgian-style beef stew over top of Parmesan polenta. — 6 years ago

Mike Evans

9.3

Ripe Meyer lemon and minerals with great acidic cut with a tart finish. Outstanding and much fresher than the last bottle I had. — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

History begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor in San Fran’s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains, planting vineyards and built a winery, 1892 was the first vintage. Straw with ripe fruit nose, fresh and clean. Flavors of apple, apricot and melon with citrus notes and smoky oak. Lingering finish ending with a bit more oak than fruit at start of bottle but calmed down with the last glass. — 8 years ago

M

9.1

Earthy mushroom and cherry-berry bouquet. Tasting: Mostly cherry--a splash of blackberry, black tea, with limestone and oak on the finish, the latter sweetened a bit by the fruit. Well balanced tannins. In general, I am not a fan of straight merlot--and this bottle has not changed my opinion, but Ridge knows how to make it elegant. — 8 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.1

Blackberry, raspberry, rhubarb, dried flowers, fine tannin. This needed some air - will give my last bottle a few more years! — 9 years ago

Scott

9.0

Beaujolais-like in style with less round fruit. Dryer and velvet smooth but oh so easy on the palette. Vanilla and soft caramel hints. Enjoy with friends or you may finish the bottle yourself. — 9 years ago