GUINIGI

Wine Reviews

96

Baldacci Family Vineyards 2021 Fraternity Red Wine Blend, Napa Valley ($85)

Bold, dusty notes of plum skin, slate, new leather, and blackberry preserves masterfully spread across the mouth. Acidity is notably keen, allowing the powdered tannins to texturize the palate. A pedigreed red.

94

Barra 2020 Reserve Petite Sirah, Mendocin0 ($28)

Lush, teeth-coating red, with lacquered notes of boysenberry and melted chocolate. Dusty, cherry-skin tannins do not detract from the well-structured, sheeny finish.

93

Barra 2020 Reserve Zinfandel, Mendocino County ($26)

Organic grapes from the winery’s hillside Bella Collina ranch in Ukiah composed this Zin with an added 8% Petite Sirah. Aged 17 months in French oak and neutral barrels, the wine is ripe and juicy, with brambly boysenberry and bittersweet dark chocolate-espresso. Mid-palate notes detect white pepper, with added flavors of cigar box, beet root, fennel, and soy sauce. Layered and complex, with a sleek texture.

92

Barramundi 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Victoria, Australia ($15)

Crystal clear and gem-like notes of powdered lemon cookie, cut grass, lime blossom, and guava. Salty minerality comes in mid-way, augmented by on-going aromatics of sweet pear.

91

Barrel Burner 2022 Double Oak Chardonnay, Paso Robles ($15)

For your customers who appreciate more body – and more oak – in their Chardonnay, the extended regimen in French and American barrels here does the trick. Rich and balanced, with butterscotch-topped cantaloupe and lemon bar, the subtle spice, and not-so-subtle char sufficiently satisfies.

94

Beau Vigne 2021 Pericles Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County ($65)

Black-peppered pomegranate, espresso, and fennel run deep through this well-developed, though youthful, red. Supple tannins and a juicy flow of dark fruit and cinnamon ignite earth tones on the finish.

96

Beau Vigne 2021 Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon, Signature Series, Napa Valley ($100)

Aromas of concentrated blackberries and espresso are mesmerizing. Cinnamon and clove season black raspberry. Coffee tannins take hold but soon release on a glide path of sandalwood and soy sauce.

92

Bellacana 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley ($55)

Deep core, some fade at the edge of the glass, well defined Cabernet Sauvignon aromas, dark cherry, mocha, cassis, cloves, weighty and round on the palate. It shows power and heft, yet it is refined, with well-integrated smoky oak. The tannins are evident, but also ripe with no coarseness. Good length on the back palate. It developed nicely over the course of an hour. A wine built to age well over the next 3 to 5 years.