The Wines of March 2026

    We actually had days in the upper 90's during the month. Broke records and everything. Wild weather, but no so with the wines. Here they are:

2020 Chateau L’Ermite D’auzan St Cecile red Costiere de Nims, France

In the glass, a core of sour dark cherry, tomato, brown mushrooms, black peppercorn, and a touch of earthy funk meld into an intriguing bouquet. The palate is focused, with spiced plums and a hint of clove, while vibrant acidity balances youthful, clinging tannins. Drink now, ideally paired with pan-roasted wild game with a heap of fresh herbs.           90 Pts WE

A blend of 35% Mourvedre, 35% Syrah, and the 30% Grenache, this honestly comes off like an opulent Chateauneuf meets a spicy and savory Bandol Rouge. It really is that good! Gorgeous notes of dark fruits, peppery spice, leather, truffle, anise, and garrigue are all offered up on a full-bodied and supple palate.

This is a heavy weight wine, made to go with a heavy type meal. Not many tannins, but the flavors fill your senses with red and black fruits with undertones of spices. Moderate finish – running about $16, this is a steal.

 

2021 Anysbos Tesame, Botrivier, South Africa

Grapes: 47% Grenache Noir - 45% Syrah - 8% Cinsault

Vineyard: Anysbos Estate vineyards (Botrivier)

Vine Age: 9-11-years-old (Grenache Noir) - 8 and 9-years-old (Syrah) - 8-years old (Cinsault)

Soil Type: Bokkeveld shale and clay

Viticulture: Conventional - dry-farmed

Fermentation: Native — open top fermenters (partially de-stemmed)

Skin Contact: 3 weeks    Aging: 20 months in older French oak barrels (225L)

Alcohol: 12.5%

The 2021 Anysbos Tesame is a highly-rated, Grenache-driven red blend from Botrivier, South Africa, crafted by winemaker Marelise Niemann. Featuring Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Cinsault, this cool-climate wine offers a savoury, elegant profile with notes of red berries, fynbos, and spice. It is prized for its high quality and balanced, delicate structure.

A lighter weight wine, but good fruits and decent acidity. Enjoyable without food, has enough body for lighter meals, like pork and pasta.  Good South African wine – originally $30, available for about $25.

 

2023 Aviary Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California

You will find generous blackberry and blueberry fruit on the nose with a touch of baking spice. The mid-pallet continues with dark fruit expressions of black plums and cassis, some red fruit in the form of subtle strawberry preserves, and just a hint of bright menthol or eucalyptus. The French and American oak program adds notes of caramel, cigar box, and a romantic, dusty leather and cedar quality that gives the wine depth and layers. Balanced acidity and soft but structured tannins give this wine a gorgeous texture.

This wine pairs exceptionally well with your favorite steak or roast but will also shine. This wine is a beautiful example of the rich, smooth, and elegant style that Aviary has become so well known for.

Another moderate priced Napa Valley wine, this has good body with ample red and black fruit. Light tannins, decent structure to go with a meal. Moderate finish, good buy at only $30, could hold for a few years in the cellar. From the folks at Folktale winery.

 

2021 Domaine Colin Coteaux du Vendomois, France

The 2021 Domaine Patrice Colin Coteaux du Vendômois is a certified organic/biodynamic Loire Valley wine, often featuring the rare Pineau d'Aunis grape. Known for "Gris" (pale rosé) and red styles, these wines are typically fresh, peppery, and light-to-medium bodied, showcasing flinty, limestone-driven mineral characteristics from the Vendômois region.

I wish I could say I liked this wine, but…The Pinot related grape did not do anything for me. Priced under $20, it still is not one I can recommend. Tasted like a worn out Pinot with little to no spice.

 

2022 Col des Vents Corbieres Cuvee Special, France

"Col des Vents" means "Windy Mountain Pass" as it is quite windy and located at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains.  Originally, the label was a replicate of a Max Savy's painting.

Brambly berry, cherry and raspberry, spices, black pepper ... all are present in this authentic French country wine. There are also some aromas of Garrigue (Rosemary, thyme and lavender) giving a minty, herbal notes, that are quite refreshing as well.

"Black cherries, leather, scorched earth, and fresh black pepper all define the 2022 Col des Vents Corbières, a fabulously balanced, medium-bodied, supple red that has so much charm and character. Based on 50% Carignan, 30% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, fermented with a touch of whole clusters(Carignan) and aged in tank, drink bottles over the coming 4-6 years. This is well worth your time and money."                Jed Dunnick  91 Pts

How about a French wine for only $12 that drinks like a $30 bottle. Wonderful bottle with red fruits and nuances of spice and earth. Not tannic, but a fresh with nice body.  A good bottle to buy and drink over and over.

 

2023 Frog’s Leap Flycatcher, Napa Valley, California

A love letter to California, Flycatcher is our newest wine that celebrates the wonderful and diverse terroirs of our home state — from Lodi to Los Carneros. An ambitious prospect we know, capturing the whole of California in a bottle, but we’ve been guided by some seriously inspiring growers and treasured vineyards that fitted together in a way that felt, and tasted, just right.

Blend    36% Zinfandel, 15% Cinsault, 13% Petite Sirah, 13% Carignane, 10% Tempranillo, 9% Merlot, 4% Syrah

Generous but up-tempo fruitiness from the Zinfandel meets some serious backbone and savory depth from the Tempranillo, Merlot and Petite Sirah. The soft, friendly drinkability of Cinsault provides lift, keeping the strong personalities in balance, and spicy, floral Syrah shuts down the party. Layered but eminently drinkable, the ‘23 is best served at a cool cellar temperature, around 55F.

A lighter red wine, this blend just isn’t very cohesive. The layering doesn’t really do it for me. Even with the Ribbit and little fly on the cork, the wine falls short. Priced around $30, available at $25. Sorry, Leap.

 

2017 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California

Effusive aromas of blackberry, black cherry, freshly turned earth and subtly warm toasty oak notes. The palate is dense and richly concentrated with fine grained tannin and good length. Flavors of dark chocolate, dark berry compote, and hints of dried thyme and leather are abundant. Blend: 99% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Merlot

90pts     Wine Spectator

Fresh up front, with a beam of cassis and cherry preserve flavors leading the way, while sweet spice, singed vanilla and licorice root notes start to chime in on the back end. The finish is just a bit on the firm side. Best from 2021 through 2027.

Bought this special to have with my brother, but his trip was cancelled. I decided to drink something nice out of my cellar. This was the bomb. Enough body and tannin to last several more years, the dark black fruits with nuances of spice sang in the glass. Held up great to beef, just a great bottle. This is the lower tier of Hall, so it was only $60 something on the shelf (Thank god for my discount). Just a great bottle.

 

2018 Three wine Company Petite Sirah, Contra Costa County, California

Three Wine Company Petite Sirah vineyard has vine rows running east to west with a high of about 20’ elevation on the east side to about sea level on the west end. Due to the soil type and moderate growing conditions, the vineyard produces low yielding small berry clusters with intense color, structure and fruit flavors. Explosive aromas of blueberry preserves and sweet herbs and packed with blueberry flavors and firm tannins, accentuate this ultraconcentrated Petite Sirah.

Met Matt Cline the winemaker a few years ago on his trip through Wichita. They make great wines and that includes this one. Drinking this in 226 might seem risky, but it is not. The body is weighty, no real tannins but extensive black fruit and hints of spices. Probably near its peak, this is a killer wine. Priced at $20 on our shelf, it is a steal. Worth the $40 for the new releases they have.

 

2023 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Rosa, California

97.5% Sauvignon Blanc and 2.5% Semillon from 9 different vineyards in Sonoma County, California including Knights Valley, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley. 17% of the wine was fermented and aged in neutral French oak for 4 months with the other 83% in stainless steel. The wine has just 0.6 g/L of residual sugar.

The Matanzas Creek Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc opens with an inviting aroma of melon, tropical fruit, a bit of a dill-like herbal note and a touch of a honeysuckle. It’s a nice, complex aroma.

Taking a sip reveals a rich, delicious and balanced wine with a smooth mouthfeel and good acidity. It features similar flavors to the nose with the tropical fruit dominating in the mouth.

It ends crisp, dry and very long on the lip-smacking finish. This is succulent stuff.

I’ll say it again, Savvy B is not my favorite wine. Don’t hate it, but I find others more to my liking. This is a nice Cali style wine, some lime and tropical fruit, decent acidity. Priced at $23, little more than I like to pay for a wine of this type

 

2022 Luli ‘Lemoravo’ Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, CA

Rugged smoked meat, pencil shaving and graphite aromas give lots of depth to the dark fruit on the nose of this bottling. The palate's strawberry and cherry flavors are wrapped in oaky spices. 91 Pts WE

This is the return of the incredible team effort between Master Sommelier Sara Floyd and the famous winegrowing Pisoni family. We are constantly asked by our clients if there are any great Pinots Under $50, this bottle of beautiful Pinot Noir came right under our noses years ago and we flipped.

Very nice red fruit nose on this wine, good mouthfeel of red fruits and herbs. Pretty long aftertaste, a nice Pinot from Cali. Priced around $40, it’s nice for the price

 

2022 Dashe ‘Vineyard Select’ Zinfandel, California

This wine is vibrant, with aromas of baked plum, dark cherry, Red Vines candy, vanilla and dried herbs on the nose. The flavors on the palate are Bing cherry, dark plum, blackberry and spice, colliding with white grapefruit zest, vanilla cream, chocolate and a dry, spicy finish. Pair with jerk chicken. 92 Pts WE

From a very old vineyard in the center of Dry Creek, a wine with great depth of flavor, layered complexity, and solid structure. The black raspberry fruit is overwhelming, then blending with chocolate and spice.

I have had the big brother of this wine, the junior is pretty good. Pretty nice black and red fruit, though not a fruit bomb. Modest finish, it didn’t do as well with food as I hoped. Priced at $22, not bad.

 

2022 Wente ‘Wetmore Livermore’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Livermore Valley, CA

The 2022 Livermore Valley Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of black currant and cassis, complemented by a hint of "Livermore Dust." Creamy oak notes bring roasted cocoa nibs and hardwood complexity. On the palate, the wine offers layers of ripe black cherry and plum, leading to a long, satisfying finish. While initially supple, it transitions into a deep, rich profile with a firm tannin structure that will support its aging potential.

The wine is concentrated and opulent, with aromas of blackberry, boysenberry and dried herbs intertwined with dried tobacco leaf, cinnamon and sweet vanilla cream. Layers of dry tannins and a silky finish evolve on the midpalate. Aerate and enjoy with grilled pork chop. Hidden Gem.  92 Pts WE

I always think of white wines with Wente, but they make some good reds, as well.  This gem had a great fruit nose, followed by black and red fruits with a touch of gravel. Nice long finish, moderate tannins, the body did well with food. Very nice for a $30 Cabernet.

 

2023 Bezel Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA

“We source our Paso Robles Cabernet from two sites at opposite ends of the appellation, so we can combine the best of both: great tannin structure and acidity, as well as plush, generous fruit with a classic herbal edge.”         — JANE DUNKLEY, WINEMAKER

Each sip reveals layers of blackberry, boysenberry jam, bay leaf, and dark chocolate, balanced beautifully by smooth tannins and a touch of oak. The wine opens with inviting aromas of dark fruits and spice, leading to a full-bodied palate that’s both silky and structured. A lingering finish with notes of cocoa and toasted vanilla makes this Cabernet a standout for every occasion.

Nice fruit nose, with red and blackberries on the palate. Moderate aftertaste with decent body. Not as much body and layering of flavors as other Paso Cabs I’ve had. Runs just over $25, not bad, but not my favorite.

Hope all is well – keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you out behind the grapevines!