Wine Reviews

92

Santa Ema 2023 Reserva Merlot, Maipo Valley, Chile ($16)

Spiced mulberry, red cherries, and salted cranberries add layers on red tea and sweet tobacco. This wine upholds grainy tannins and a fine backbone.

94

Santa Rita 2022 Cuvée Rita Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, D.O. Valle del Maipo, Chile ($20)

There’s no doubt this red deserves special attention. First, it is made by Chief Santa Rita Winemaker Sebastian Labbe; second, it tastes like a wine three times its price. Bold, with a soothing, creamy, suave persona, it carpets the palate with mineral-rich soil, fennel-covered plum, dark roast coffee and cedar. Its opulence lingers, performing with a low abv of 13 percent.

94

Santi Santico 2020 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG ($50)

A tapestry of complex notes featuring dark cherries and spied chocolate. This is a celebration of wine, a reflection of the richness we desire in life. Sun-kissed notes of figs and brandied plum are sensual, with a touch of clove on the finish.

96

Sea Smoke 2020 Sea Spray Blanc de Noirs, Sta. Rita Hills ($90)

This estate-grown, zero-dosage blanc de noirs is a compellingly stylish study in nerve and verve. The nose thrums with a complex amalgam of white cherry, cherry blossom, apricot, orange marmalade, ginger, and even faint coffee cake, while on the palate, high-toned acidity and a svelte body make for incredible tension as sensations of lemon and green almond segue into a long finish of citrus zest and lemongrass.

92

Sean Minor 2024 California Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($18)

This is a juicy, open, and delicious wine at a very attractive price in relation to its quality. It won’t fit everyone’s idea of Cabernet Sauvignon because it is so softly structured and immediate in its charms, but those very charms will prove persuasive. Berry and cherry fruit notes make this a fine stand-alone sipping red.

94

Sean Minor 2024 Nicole Marie Red Blend, North Coast, California ($28)

Comprised of 50% Merlot, 25% Zinfandel, and 25% Petite Sirah, this is such a smart blend with such good fruit that it already seems like a complete and indisputably satisfying wine even in its youth. Firmed up by just enough tannic grip and subtle oak to lend seriousness and complexity, this is still all about straightforward deliciousness.

92

Skylark 2019 Red Belly Red Blend, Mendocino County, California ($25)

A blend of Syrah, Carignane, and Grenache, the wine opens with red berry fruit and warming spice, accented by elegant cedarwood aromatics. Medium-bodied, it shows chalky tannins that build with measured intensity, carrying through a fruit-driven finish dusted with herbs and paprika spice. A touch of florality from the Syrah adds lift, while the Carignane contributes bright acidity and structural tension.

92

Skylark 2023 Pink Belly Rosé Wine, Mendocino County, California ($22)

This project comes from John Lancaster, longtime Wine Director at the James Beard Award–winning Boulevard Restaurant. The wine leans decidedly savory, built around a pleasing core of crushed sea salt and fruit-forward notes of apricot, white peach, and lychee. A subtle hint of watermelon rind carries seamlessly from the bouquet through the finish, adding freshness and lift.