Wine Reviews

95

Lorenzi 2021 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands ($65)

Soil-rich, with tobacco, espresso bean and an undercurrent of purple plum, basted in anise and bittersweet dark chocolate. This complex red is a tribute to its terroir, silky and majestic.

95

Lorenzi Estate 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, South Coast, Temecula, CA ($95)

Sourced from five estate vineyard rows, this Cab Reserve offers stark notes of coffee and leather, surrounded by dark, clove-spiced plum. Cigar leaf tingles on the tongue, but deep, rich, purple fruit makes a grand entrance on the tails of chewy tannins.

94

MacRostie 2021 Pinot Noir, Thale’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County ($62)

Rose petals sprinkled with white pepper and high tones of cranberry-lime report a succulent, juicy mouthfeel. Even tones of black tea and cherry are enveloped within its elegant persona. Thale’s Vineyard surrounds the winery’s new hoe in the northern end of the Russian River Valley.

95

MacRostie 2021 The Loch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County ($95)

Crafted from the best blocks along the Sonoma Coast, The Loch is French-oak aged and a blend of 20 barrels. Expanded notes of espresso and fennel offer a savory, mouth-coating quality. Plum and spiced blueberry link to an earthy middle, but it’s the lilting notes of blue flowers that promote this wine to take flight.

90

Map Maker 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($17)

Brisk and lean, with tart grapefruit and high-powered acidity. Clean, neat lines with a hint of salinity. Mid-palate powdery notes of white roses, lemon-lime, and star fruit.

90

Member’s Mark Red Blend, California ($8.99/1.5 Liter)

This value red is rich, ripe, and sultry, with bright red cherry, and vanilla wrapped in a plush pillow mouthfeel.

91

Ménage à Trois 2022 Decadence Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($12)

Plush and dramatic, blackberry jam fills the mouth, followed by violets, Luxardo cherry, and Devil’s Food cake. Surprisingly low abv of 13.5 percent preserves a balance within its distinctive, hedonistic persona.

93

Mollydooker 2021 Two Left Feet, South Australia ($30)

This trio blend of 70% Shiraz, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Merlot had us doing the cha cha cha to a beat of black-peppered espresso, tobacco, and generous, juicy purple plum. A palate exciter, twisting, swaying, and spinning with supple tannins.