Wine Reviews

95

T. Berkley 2022 Big Ranch Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Oak Knoll District, Napa ($75)

Dried lavender, Italian herbs, and soy sauce deliver texture, dimension, and an arsenal of ripe blue fruit. A stream of blackberry-cocoa meets up with lush tannins, saturating the palate.

93

T. Berkley 2022 Norgard Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Mendocino, CA ($35)

Fresh linen, tangerine, and salty minerality expand on the palate. Acidity weaves its way through an inner richness that levels out with honeyed peaches on the finish.

93

Terlato Vineyards 2023 Pinot Grigio, Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, Italy ($26)

Minerality is as striking on the nose as on the palate. Gem-like citrus notes combine with honeysuckle, almonds, and cinnamon-apple. Fuller bodied than most Pinot Grigio’s from this region, and delectable, with a bite of juicy pear on the finish.

97

Three Sticks 2022 Pinot Noir, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Sonoma Coast ($75)

From one of Sonoma Coast’s most prestigious sites, this wind tunnel of a vineyard sees a plethora of fog along its rugged terrain and is one of the Price Family’s Heritage Vineyards. Cherries and sugar beets burst with a juicy flow. Its velvet mouthfeel is entrancing, and powers notes of chocolate and ripe plum, amped by a fine acidity.

92

Tooth and Nail 2022 Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($20)

Deep color, well-extracted, with nicely nuanced aromas and flavors of black fruit, dark cherry, mocha, and roasted coffee, with a well-integrated smoke note. Full and weighty on the palate, seamlessly smooth, and supremely balanced with good length and soft tannins. Aged in (25% new) French oak for 15 months. Outstanding value.

92

Trivento 2022 Golden Reserve Malbec, Luján de Cayo, Mendoza, Argentina ($21)

Bright boysenberry sets an animated tone for this pretty red. Velvet-lined tannins create a slick mouthfeel, sparked by white pepper and enlivened by hibiscus.

91

Trivento 2023 Reserve Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($12)

Offering excellent quality and versatility in its price range, this draws all its strengths from fruit that was well grown and then left well enough alone. Exacting, pure aromas and flavors bring black plums, Bing cherries, and blackberries to mind, with virtually no discernable wood influence. Soft tannins make it a fine stand-alone sipper, but there’s enough tannic backbone for this to stand up to a steak.

90

Trivento 2024 White Malbec Reserve, Argentina ($12)

Raspberries are tart and bright, with a tangerine lift. Acidity beams, vivid and alert, with a finish of puckering green apple.