Wine Reviews

93

Markham 2023 Merlot, Napa Valley ($32)

Vanilla cedar exhibits its toasty side, lifted by concentrated black cherry and roasted coffee. An expressive, well-structured Merlot, with vivid acidity. The silky finish offers a hint of spice and melting dark chocolate-cherry ganache.

93

Maxville Winery 2023 “The High Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon, Chiles Valley, Napa Valley ($55)

Taste the barrels, the soil, and the mineral tones of rain on wet stone. An expressive red with notes of Worcestershire, roasted coffee, and blackberry tea.

92

McFadden Family Vineyard 2023 Blue Quail Pinot Noir, Potter Valley, Mendocino County ($24)

It isn’t easy to grow and craft a Pinot that is soft in texture without seeming formless, nor one that shows fine freshness of fruit but also savory undertones to provide complexity. Dark cherry fruit offers notable flavor impact though the wine isn’t physically heavy, and undertones of damp earth and cola make this enduringly interesting to drink.

90

McFadden Family Vineyard 2024 Blue Quail Sauvignon Blanc, Potter Valley, Mendocino County ($20)

This shows character on the ripe and restrained side of the global Sauvignon Blanc spectrum, crafted in a style that will be welcomed by those who tend to find the variety a bit too pungent and tart for their taste. However, its muted but still evident herbal aromas contribute varietal character, with flavors recalling ripe melons offset by an edge of citrus acidity.

92

McFadden Family Vineyard 2025 Blue Quail Chardonnay, Potter Valley, Mendocino County ($26)

This was bottled before the end of 2025, not long after harvesting, so its unusual freshness for a Chardonnay is to be expected. Yet its pale golden color does show some development, and the wine certainly doesn’t seem raw or rushed to market. Medium-bodied, with no overtly oaky notes, it offers appealing fruit notes recalling nectarines and Golden Apples.

92

McFadden Family Vineyard 2025 Blue Quail Sauvignon Blanc, Potter Valley, Mendocino County ($26)

Made from organic fruit grown in cool climatic conditions at 1,100 feet of elevation and released very early under a screw cap closure, one might guess that this Sauvignon would be puckeringly tart, but that’s not the case at all. Ripe flavors of white melon with a squeeze of lime are balanced by fresh acidity that offers just the right, bright edge for definition.

94

Merry Edwards 2023 Anderson Valley Chardonnay, Mendocino County ($45)

The balance between fresh sensations of pear and star fruit with richer tones of toffee and gardenia is striking in this supple and very pretty wine, whose lilting acidity washes gently over touches of vanilla and hazelnut. There’s a timelessness to its profile.

96

Merry Edwards 2023 Olivet Lane Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County ($70)

Comely white florals entwine themselves around honeydew, lime, and cinnamon-sprinkled white peach on the nose of this 100% Chardonnay from a 50-year-old vineyard that Merry Edwards has worked with for decades. Whole cluster–pressed, barrel fermented, and aged sur lie in (41% new) French oak for eight months, it’s luminous on the palate, bristling with acidity amid notes of citrus, green apple, and more white peach, yet there’s a softness to it too. Gorgeous.