The 2020 fire-riddled vintage in much of Northern California has thankfully given way to a stunning vintage of 2021! After suffering drought, fire, and extreme temperature swings, Cali has been gifted a vintage that while low on yields, in some locals, is high on quality.

This is the second post on California wines that I have tasted recently and this one is less complimentary of the wines than the previous one. Please go read the first post and see those wines before reading this post.

I will say I was unimpressed by the Chardonnay from 2021 and even though the Oakville came in with the highest score I wished it had more acidity and more verve. I am still trying to get my hands on the Herzog Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon, it is just impossible sometimes to get wine, such is life! I hope I finally have a line on it for next week!

The real WINNERS for me were the 2023 wines from Covenant. I have been banging the drum for their wines for around a year-plus now. dating back to the tasting I had in Berkeley in September of 2022. They have really not missed a step these past two years. and the 2023 vintage is starting with a bang! The Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc are both Fruity but balanced and refreshing, and that is the word you want to see in my posts, sometimes more than the Nice or Bravo (keywords).

Another wine that surprised me is the 2022 Sonoma-Loeb Pinot Noir, Dignitary, Sonoma, CA. The 2021 vintage was not very enjoyable (that is my PC version). This one was respectable and worthy of coming out of Herzog Wine Cellars. I hope they continue to improve it and make it even tighter and less candied.

The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

2021 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, Special Edition, Oakville, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: GREAT)
2021 is loving well on Herzog, they have another with their 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville.
The nose of this wine is again one of the best I have had from their winery for the Oakville label, it is ripe, a bit round, but is well-controlled, showing notes of dark and brooding fruit, but not over the top, controlled black fruit that does not go to boysenberry, it is classic Cali Cab with cassis, cacoa, graphite, sandalwood, sweet and roasted herbs, smoke, and tar. While I like the nose, it is the best part of the wine.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, and balanced, with enough acidity, cassis, black cherry, blackberry, roasted herbs, and sandalwood, all wrapped in sweet draping tannin, making the wine feel plush, with smoke, good fruit precision, and focus, and rich loam. What the wine lacks is not the fruit, that there is in abundance, I miss the acidic pop, the fruit is solid, and the minerality is there but the lack of an acidic pop that could bring it all together is the Achilles heel.
The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and dirty, with good fruit focus, round and ripe, with graphite, vanilla, milk chocolate, good oak, salinity, and loam. Drink from 2026 until 2035. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Covenant Sauvignon Blanc, Red C, Lake County, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely and very flint-forward, still showing notes of lychee, grapefruit, gooseberry, guava, wet grass, and nice smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, right out of the bottle it has great acidity, and a nice fruit focus, lemon/lime notes, nice gooseberry, precision, nice passion fruit, and lovely minerality, nice! The finish is long, tart, and green, with lemongrass, flint, and lovely lemon/Lychee/flint notes lingering long. Nice! Drink now. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.2%)

2023 Covenant Viognier, Red C, Lodi, CA – Score: 91.5 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is varietally true, with fresh and clean aromas, tart peach, fresh cumquat, lychee, grapefruit, and flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, a bit too bitter, refreshing and captivating, not too fussy, with incredible acidity, tart, with peach, apricot, lychee, tart grapefruit, cumquat, almond pith, and slight tension. With time the bitterness calms down and the tension I wish is better. The finish is long, tart, and refreshing, with good minerality, and fruit-focused. Nice!. Drink now! (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Sonoma-Loeb Pinot Noir, Dignitary, Sonoma, CA (M) – Score: 90.5 (QPR: GOOD)
After having the 2021 vintage a few months ago I was ready for an intense attack of candied fruit, instead, while this is ripe, I am surprised by its approach, with sweet oak, rich cherry, some loam, plum, raspberry, roasted animal, and dense smoke.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe but the acidity brings it around with dark and dense black and red fruit, black plum, dark cherry, dark raspberry, smoke, sweet oak, and wrapped in sweet tannin, this is a ripe Cali-centric approach to Pinot, there is fruit, it is balanced, and there is oak. Classic Cali.
The finish is long, ripe, and candied, with good milk chocolate, sweet tobacco, hints of coffee, sweet garrigue, rich roasted herbs, and nice black and red fruit on the long lingering finish. Drink until 2025. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 15%)

N.V. Herzog Methode Champenoise, Brut, Special Reserve, Russian River, CA (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
I am not sure if this is the second Herzog Winery Methode Champenoise or the original, they seem alike, though this time it feels a bit less fruity, but that could be age. They have had other sparkling wines, but this is the real deal! This is made from 100% Chardonnay. The nose of this wine is lovely, showing notes of green and yellow apple, less ripe than the previous vintage, with nice smoke/toast, freshly baked pear tart, and mineral. The mouth of this wine medium-bodied is nice, but it lacks that acidic punch I expect from Champagne, with nice apple, and pear, crisp but not as refreshing as I want, with elegance and good weight. The finish is long, and green with ginger, saline, smoke/toast, and nice herbal notes. Drink now. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 11%%)

2022 Herzog Chardonnay, Special Reserve, Russian River, Russian River, CA (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine shows controlled but very present sweet oak, ripe apples, ripe pear, melon, and guava, none of the butterscotch, but nice brioche is present. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, and candied, with sweet candy-covered apples, balanced sweet oak, but very present, Asian pear, guava, melon, lovely acidity, sweet apple pith, and some bitter notes. I think this wine is good enough. Drink by 2027. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Herzog Chardonnay, Special Reserve, Russian River, Russian River, California (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe apples, ripe pear, melon, and guava, with too much sweet oak, buttered bread, and butterscotch candy. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, and candied, with sweet candy-covered apples, coconut, Asian pear, guava, melon, sweet fruit, not enough acidity, sweet apple pith, and bitter notes. I think this wine is good enough. Drink by 2027. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2020 Weinstock Cellar Select Chardonnay, Clarksburg, CA (M) – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, candied, and oaky, with candied pear, apple, mango, and coconut. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe and candied without enough acidity to balance out the ripeness, ripe apple, pear, coconut, and sweet oak that overpowers. The finish is long, ripe, and candied, drink by 2025. (tasted January 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)