Wine Notes
2016 Château Gloria
"Opened for over an hour. Aromas of leather, iron, blackberry and currant. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, currant and iron. Ends with an iron infused finish of 25+ seconds with blackberry notes. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Jun 7, 2026
2018 Scattered Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard
"Quick decant. Aromas of blackberry, currant, cherry, leather and cocoa. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry and hint of mocha. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with blackberry and iron notes. Very high quality Napa Cab, especially for the price I paid for it. Certainly no Bevan, but trusted the quality of the vineyard. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 24, 2026
2008 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Litton Estate Vineyard
"Quick decant. Aromas of dried cherry, dried strawberry, mushroom, earth and soy sauce. Flavors of dried strawberry, dried cherry, umami, soy sauce and mushroom. Ends with a nice finish of 30-35 seconds with strawberry and dried cherry notes. This was by no means over the hill but feel it might have been a bit better a few years ago. Tasted great upon opening but lost a little something with more air. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 23, 2026
2021 Carlisle Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard
"Decanted for 1 hour. Aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, citrus and currant. Unusual nose for a Carlisle. Flavors of raspberry, cherry, currant, plum and hint of white pepper. Ends with a nice 30-35 second finish with red berry notes. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 22, 2026
2013 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Five
"Decanted for almost 2 hours. Aromas of leather, iron, blackberry and dried cherry. Flavors of blackberry, leather, currant, dried cherry and touch of iron. Ends with a long finish of 35+ seconds with leather, iron and blackberry notes. This bottle certainly was not flawed but I can see some people thinking the leather was a flaw. Made in more of an old school style. People who like Montelena will be a fan. (94 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 16, 2026
2015 Château Rauzan-Ségla
"Decanted and drank. Aromas of saddle leather, blackberry, iron, earth and hint of cherry. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, currant, iron and hint of leather. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with blackberry and iron notes. Needs more air but still quite nice. (94 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 14, 2026
2019 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
"From magnum. This hasn’t budged much since the prior note. Took about 45 minutes to open up. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 9, 2026
2021 Cirq Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
"Decanted for 2.5 hours. Aromas of boysenberry, strawberry, wild cherry, licorice and hint of earth. Flavors of cherry, strawberry, currant, boysenberry and hint of green tea. Ends with a long finish of 40-45 seconds with notes of cherry and currant. Haven;t had a Cirq in years but was excited to try this. Doesn't rekindle the early Kosta Browne wines with the cola elements (which I loved) but certainly the 2009-2013 years where the dialed things back a bit. Nevertheless, this is a great wine. (95 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 8, 2026
2009 Kapcsándy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Grand Vin) State Lane Vineyard
"Decanted for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Aromas of leather, blackberry, cherry, iron and hint of mocha. Flavors of blackberry, black cherry, currant, iron and hint of chocolate. Ends with a 40-45 second finish with blackberry and black cherry notes. Lot of fruit on this and tasting very young. Thinking that last bottle was a little off, even though I would not consider it flawed. Not reaching the height of the first bottle I had but certainly of fantastic wine. (96 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 3, 2026
2020 Lavau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
"Pop and pour. Aromas of black pepper, boysenberry, cherry and raspberry. Flavors of cherry, boysenberry, blueberry, raspberry and black pepper. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with Grenache and raspberry notes. Amazing for the money. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | May 2, 2026
2022 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select
"Writing this after drinking. This was quite nice for the vintage. Not up to the usual standards for this w e but I quite enjoyed this. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 29, 2026
2019 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon
"Decanted for aromas an hour. Aromas of blackberry, currant, black cherry, chocolate and hint of lead pencil. Flavors of blackberry, mocha, black cherry, currant and plum. Ends with a long finish of 40-45 seconds with blackberry and black cherry notes. This is really singing right now and best bottle yet. (96 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 25, 2026
2015 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir
"Pop and pour. Aromas of mushroom, earth, cherry and cranberry. Flavors of cherry, strawberry, mushroom, black tea and earth. Ends with a 20-25 second finish with cherry and black tea notes. Aging quite gracefully. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 24, 2026
2018 Clos Margalaine
"Decanted for 1.5 hours. Aromas of smoke, leather, blackberry and iron. Flavors of iron, blackberry, smoke, cherry and currant. Ends with a nice finish of 20-25 seconds with blackberry and iron notes. Better than the last time I had this. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 19, 2026
2021 Carlisle Old Hill Ranch
"Consistent with prior note. Wish I waited a year. (95 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 18, 2026
2018 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
"Pop and pour. Aromas of lead pencil, blackberry, current, cherry and hint of mocha. Flavors of blackberry, black cherry, currant, plum and melted chocolate. Ends with a 25-30 second finish chocolate covered cherry notes. Still drinking in top form even without the decant. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 17, 2026
2016 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Santa Cruz Mountains
"Aromas of lemon meringue, vanilla, mineral and butterscotch. Flavors of lemon pie, mineral, vanilla and tropical fruit. Ends with a 15-20 second finish with lemon notes. This is a bit flabby at this point but still nice. (90 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 16, 2026
2014 Château Pontet-Canet
"Decanted for 1.5 hours. Aromas of blackberry, saddle leather, currant, forest floor and cherry. Flavors of blackberry, iron, earth, sour cherry and current. Ends with a 35+ second finish with blackberry and iron notes. In a great spot now and shows great Pauillac character. (94 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 12, 2026
2016 Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette
"Pop and pour. Aromas of currant, blackberry, bell pepper, cherry and lead pencil. Flavors of blackberry, currant, dusty berry, mocha and black cherry. Ends with a 30+ second finish with blackberry and cherry notes. Quite nice but not sure I see this as 96 points as Spectator gave it. (94 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 11, 2026
2023 Thomas Labille Chablis
"Aromas of apple, lemon and hint of slate. Flavors of lemon, apple and hint of mineral. Ends with a 10-15 second finish. Note as good as previous vintages but easy drinking. (88 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 11, 2026
2022 Ridge 50th Anniversary Lytton Springs
"Pop and pour more or less. Aromas of boysenberry, bing cherry, lavender, pepper and raspberry on the nose. Flavors of boysenberry, raspberry, cherry, cranberry and currant. Ends with a 25+ second finish currant and raspberry notes. This is all fruit with very soft tannins. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 10, 2026
2020 Ferren Wines Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
"Consistent with prior note. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 5, 2026
2023 Château Carbonnieux Blanc
"Aromas of gooseberry, lemon, mineral and shortbread. Flavors of gooseberry, lemon, sour patch kid and mineral. Ends with a 30+ second finish with gooseberry notes. Nice wine but not sure I see 95 points like Spectator gave it. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 5, 2026
2009 Lucien Le Moine Echezeaux
"Double decanted for 45 minutes. Aromas of candied cherries, mushrooms, earth and dried strawberries. Flavors of dried cherry, earth, mushroom, dried strawberry and umami. Ends with 25-30 second finish with earthy notes. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 4, 2026
2018 Domaine de Bellene Beaune 1er Cru Les Perrières Blanc
"Aromas of hazelnut, papaya, lemon meringue, mineral and lemon. Flavors of lemon meringue, mineral, tropical fruit and vanilla. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with marshmallow notes. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 4, 2026
2022 Carlisle Zinfandel Rossi Ranch
"Decanted for an hour. Aromas of cracked pepper, boysenberry, blueberry, lavender and wild cherry. Flavors of boysenberry, bramble berry, wild cherry, blueberry and huckleberry. Ends with a 40-45 second finish with wild berry notes. I have had quite a few Rossi Ranch Zins from Carlisle and this is the best one I can recall. Can’t believe they are closing shop. How can this end? (95 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Apr 3, 2026
2023 Lucien Crochet Sancerre
"Lot of mineral and hint of citrus. Flavors of mineral, citrus and slate. Ends with a 20-25 second finish with mineral notes. (91 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 29, 2026
1987 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
"Decanted for 45 minutes. Aromas of dried blackberry, leather, dried cherry and earth. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, currant and earth. Ends with 25-30 second finish with cherry and blackberry notes. This is still hanging on quite well. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 28, 2026
1971 Château Haut-Brion
"Pop and pour. Top of cork was disintegrated but below was intact. Aromas of dried blackberry, prune, dried cherry and earth. Flavors of dried cherry, dried blackberry, little balsamic and earth. Ends with 25-30 second finish with balsamic notes. Definitely past its prime but interesting. (90 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 28, 2026
2021 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
"Pop and pour. Aromas of cherry, strawberry, mushroom and earth. Flavors of cherry, hint of cola, cranberry and mushroom. Ends with a 25+ second finish with cherry and mushroom notes. Slightly better than the last time I had it but the 2023 might be better. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 27, 2026
2021 Lingua Franca Pinot Noir Avni
"Pop and pour. Aromas of mushroom, cherry, rhubarb and earth. Flavors of cherry, strawberry, rhubarb and earth. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with sweet cherry notes. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 22, 2026
2016 World's End Cabernet Sauvignon Good Times, Bad Times Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
"Writing this the next day. Didn’t feel 16% alcohol. Wasn’t bad but this just doesn’t have the same complexity as other wines I have had from To Kalon. (91 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 21, 2026
2019 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
"Decanted for 1 hour. Aromas of potpourri, boysenberry, raspberry, roasted herbs and flowers. Flavors of boysenberry, cherry, raspberry jam, plum and hint of iron. Ends with a 40-45 second finish with raspberry Grenache notes. Just as good as last time even though it was still a tad cool from pulling it from the cellar. (95 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 21, 2026
2022 Château Ormes de Pez
"Slow ox’d for 3.5 hours. Aromas of blackberry, currant, iron, lead pencil and black cherry. Flavors of blackberry, currant, iron and cherry. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with blackberry and cherry notes. This is quite good for the money. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 15, 2026
2021 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco
"Decanted for almost two hours. Aromas of rose petal, tar, raspberry, cherry and iron. Flavors of tar, raspberry, cherry, sour pomegranate and iron. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with tar and sour cherry finish. (92 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 14, 2026
2023 Bevan Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
"Aromas of banana, papaya, mango, orange marmalade and hint of mineral. Flavors of papaya, mango, pineapple, lemon and star fruit. Ends with a 30-35 second finish with tropical fruit notes. Dead ringer for Aubert. Not getting the typical traits or Ritchie vineyard since it is made in a bigger style. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 13, 2026
NV Petit & Bajan Champagne Grand Cru Obsidienne Brut
"Aromas of shortbread, cracker and citrus. Flavors of shortbread, lime, mineral and cream. Ends with a nice 20-25 seconds finish with shortbread and cream notes. This is quite impressive and better that the other bottle I had from them. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 8, 2026
2021 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny
"Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of iron, blackberry, currant, black cherry and earth. Flavors of blackberry, currant, cherry, iron and hint of boysenberry. Ends with a 35-40 second finish with blackberry and iron notes. Continues to be rock solid vintage after vintage. (95 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Mar 7, 2026
2005 Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard
"Slow ox’s for 1 hour. Aromas of dusty berry, blackberry, wild cherry, currant and lead pencil. Flavors of blackberry, cherry, currant, iron and melted chocolate. Ends with a long finish of 45-50 seconds with blackberry, cherry and currant notes. This is tasting very young for a 21 year old wine. Quite impressed with this. Need to look into getting some more of the recent vintages if affordable. (98 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 21, 2026
NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé
"Aromas of cherry, lime and mineral. flavors of cherry, raspberry, mineral and toast. Ends with a nice lime note on the finish that last 15-20 seconds. (91 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 21, 2026
2021 Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'
"Decanted for 45 minutes. Aromas of cherry cola, strawberry, boysenberry, earth and baking spices. Flavors of cherry, cola, strawberry, clove and sassafras, ends with a long finish of 30+ seconds with dark cherry and strawberry notes. Not quite what old school Kosta Browne used to be. Should have bought more of these and maybe he would still make them. (94 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 20, 2026
2018 Yves Boyer-Martenot Meursault Cuvée Fernand Boyer
"Aromas of lemon oil, shortbread, papaya, mango and banana. Tropical fruit was not over the top. Flavors of lemon meringue, vanilla, lime, mineral and star fruit. Ends with a 20/25 second finish with citrus and hint of vanilla. Not a bad Meursault. (91 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 20, 2026
2021 School House Pinot Noir
"Decanted for over an hour. Aromas of cherry, wild strawberry, mushroom, currant and forest floor. Flavors of dark cherry, strawberry, earth, burnt marshmallow and root vegetables. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with dark red fruit notes. This has an unusual quality about it but definitely tows the line between California and Burgundy. The best Schoolhouse from recent bottles I have tried. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 15, 2026
2023 Domaine Laleure-Piot Petit Chablis
"Aromas of saline, mineral, granny smith apple and lemon. Flavors of granny smith apple, mineral, sour patch kid and something between lime and grapefruit. Ends with a 10-15 second finish with citrus notes. Probably would have been a tad better in the warmer weather but this does have some nice qualities. (89 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 15, 2026
2016 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve
"Decanted for 2 hours. Aromas of potpourri, boysenberry, raspberry, iron and black cherry. Flavors of boysenberry, raspberry, iron, fig and coffee. Ends with a 25-30 second finish with coffee and iron notes. Lots of iron on this. (93 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 13, 2026
2022 Weingut Thörle Spätburgunder trocken
"Pop and pour. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, forest floor and currant. Flavors of cherry, cranberry, earth and umami. Ends with a nice 10-15 second finish with cherry notes. Definitely close on the Burgundy side. Nice wine and pleasant to drink, especially for the price point. (90 pts.) "
- Matthew Slywka | Feb 8, 2026
