Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Delicious throughout. The 2016 Contra Costa County pours a deep, slightly hazy garnet/purple with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart, mostly black and blue fruit: blackberries, blueberries, plums, Montmorency cherry, purple flowers, black pepper, dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. I’m very happy to have holed away some bottles from the first few years of Sandlands. Not only do I believe these older vintages are showing well, but I also believe his newer vintages will be even better. Drink now through 2031. — 4 months ago

romo

9.2

Proper mineral and fruit balance. Pleasant tension and a fine finish. — 5 months ago

Jean-Phillippe Landry

9.1

Dark cherries, soft, lovely and long taste — 7 months ago

Brad Jensen

8.9

Deep red, slightly coppery color under light, it’s young but after some decanting time it starts to open up. Nose is still restrained long after opening, but starting to show some fruit and herbaceous funk as it releases its hold. Raspberries, sherry, black cherry and wet mossy forest floor on the nose so far. Tannins are pretty prominent, dry and chalky, with a full body and long lingering finish where the jammy raspberries shine more as the song ends, even becomes a little ripe tomato as the song fades. Super young, but a great pairing for the pork belly and risotto we had for Valentine’s Day dinner and it shows a lot of promise. — 9 months ago

LaShondra Berman

8.9

Spiced jam with a hint of floral notes. Layered and hard to nail down the exact bouquet, but it’s delicious. — 3 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.4

OMG! Lean and sharp as a light-saber. The wine is med brick in the glass… light and lively in the mouth. It dances across your palate. Caressing all the corners and crevices. A dichotomy of lightness in weight snd power in black fruited ripeness. Way too young but great with baby portobellos and dry aged prime rib from Publican Meats…Covid Christmas II sucks apart from family, but we’re spoiling ourselves… successfully as it happens. Life’s too damn short to drink shit wine…,Cheers! — 4 years ago

Francis le cave

9.3

Sweet spot — 5 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.4

Somewhat of a dessert wine and post dinner vino. This wine held up with great fruit and complexity. Really nice follow on to 25 year old CdP and high end champagne. Held its own with good concentration and depth. — 5 months ago

Todd Anderson

9.2

I really enjoyed this bottle. It evolved steadily, improving, over a few hours. I had it on pizza night but it could easily pair well with heartier fare. Enjoy now or over the next 5+ years. — 5 months ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.2

A big wine in a big bottle that made a big group of friends very happy. The 2017 Evangelho Heritage (from magnum) is energetic with loads of sweet dark fruit. It doesn’t lack zing even though this year’s blend is short in Carignan — there are nice balancing acids and mild tannins. It is richer and riper than many vintages but still vibrant. — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Consistent throughout. The 2023 “Contra Costa County” pours, a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe mixed bramble fruit: blackberries, Marionberries, raspberries, black pepper, orange zest, menthol, and gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose where the orange citrus notes show a bit more prominently. The finish is medium+, bright and refreshing. 9 barrels produced. Drink now through 2038.  — 7 months ago

Jeffrey Woo

9.2

Gold hue. Aromas and flavors of apple, apricot, bell pepper, lemon, and petrol, with a hint of grass and creamy notes. Medium body with medium-plus acidity. Silky and rounded mouthfeel. Complex bouquet. Elegant and balanced, with a lasting finish. — 2 years ago

Neal Ferry

8.9

Lots of Fruit — 4 years ago

with TwiLea

Matt

9.0

No formal notes. Sweet mix of black/red fruit, ripe yet assertive tannins, nice mid-palate juice, leathery. Structured and quiet now, shows potential. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Consistent throughout, but this really needed air in order to get going. Initially, this was quite wound up and somewhat backward. However, after about an hour in the glass, a real beauty emerged. The 2017 Costa del Salmino Riserva pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe, mostly red fruit: raspberries, strawberry, Morello cherry, red flowers, red rope, licorice, talcum powder, dried green herbs, new leather and cedar box. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and chock full of savory minerals. I mean…this bordering bone broth levels of savory, lol. My opinion: these need time to show their best. Drink 2027 through 2047. — 5 months ago

Beth Hamilton

9.0

Tastes better and more expensive than your average prosecco — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

I didn’t decant this and the opening night glass still showed it had legs.

Birth year wine.

When we can back to it at the end of the night, it had added weight and complexity. Definitely a heady wine & a special experience.

Happy Birthday to me! — 7 months ago

Scott Koles

9.2

A bit past its prime but otherwise still smooth, earthy, and delicious. — 9 months ago

Kristen Grimes

9.6

Very fruity. Black cherry and blackberry aromas and some notes of cinnamon, then balanced fruit and baking spices that tingle the tongue and linger on. What Goes with That: Fall Sweets Class, pairing: pumpkin pie. — 3 years ago

Eric

9.0

Funky Cab Franc different compared to the traditional Loire Valley. Funky and different in all the best ways though. Refreshing and takes a slight chill well. — 4 years ago