Press Room

Raymond Vineyards Reviews

Score: 92 | March 4, 2024 | Wine Spectator

Flush with warmed cassis and plum reduction notes, this is inlaid with violet, cocoa, humus and singed alder accents. Generous in feel, with enough cut on the finish to match its heft. Best from 2025 through 2036. 16,000 cases made. - James Molesworth

Score: 92 - Editors' Choice | February 20, 2024 | Wine Enthusiast

Excellent depth, concentrated fruit flavors and a snug wrapping of tannins set this wine up nicely for further improvement with age. A vibrant texture and subtle oak spices in the flavor add to its appeal. Additions of Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec totaling 15% enhance complexity and structure. Best from 2026–2033. Editors’ Choice.

Score: 90 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Raymond's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Stags Leap comes across as slightly candied, with a mix of red and black cherries dominating the nose. In the mouth, this medium to full-bodied wine is plump and silky, not overly concentrated and nicely textured on the finish.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 10% Merlot, the 2021 Red Room Privé offers up minty, cedary aromas, plus notes of baked cherries and dried spices. It's full-bodied and gently silky in texture, with the suggestion of dried fruit on the finish.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Oakville does a fine job representing its AVA, with ripe cherries, loamy earth and dried spices all making appearances on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, firmly built and moderately tannic but ripe, with a certain suppleness and savoriness to the finish.

Score: 92 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Sourced from estate vineyards, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Rutherford showcases scents of ripe cherries but folds in some darker elements, like dusty earth and cocoa. Full-bodied, tannic and firm, this wine shows plenty of concentration and ample length on the finish.

Score: 92 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Raymond's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Howell Mountain features scents of crushed stone, pine resin, menthol and cherries on the nose, while being taut and tannic in the mouth. It's medium to full-bodied, turning silky on the finish.

Score: 93 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

This is the first Raymond wine Melka began consulting on, back in 2008. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Generations delivers scents of black cherries, menthol, red cherries and softly dusty earth, all swirled together into a funnel of complexity. While full-bodied and silky, it's also dominated by bright fruit flavors, finishing long and mouthwatering.

Score: 93 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection St. Helena has turned out exceptionally well, with slightly floral nuances atop ripe cherries; there's a lovely fruit expression. Full-bodied and lush, this is more texturally generous than the other District Collection bottlings, finishing long and velvety.

Score: Silver | January 19, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: Double Gold | January 19, 2024 | 2022 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: Silver | January 19, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: Silver | January 19, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: Silver | January 19, 2024 | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: 91 | December 27, 2023 | James Suckling

Aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, red licorice and nut shell. Textured and chalky with grainy tannins. Medium to full body. Dry and a little chewy at the end. Drink or hold.

Score: 92 | December 27, 2023 | James Suckling

Spiced dark berries, ripe plums, sweet spices, iodine and bark on the nose. Full-bodied, racy and dark-fruited with fine tannins and creamy texture. Long and warming finish. Try after 2025.

Score: 94 | October 1, 2023 | Wine Enthusiast

This ripe, inviting and full-bodied wine blends red and black cherries, cocoa and cinnamon on a full body wrapped in velvety tannins. Enjoyable now for its richness and warm, mouthfilling texture, it can also age. Best 2026–2036

Score: Silver | June 6, 2023 | Sunset International Wine Competition
Score: 91 | December 31, 2022 | Wine Enthusiast

This deep and full-bodied blend offers plenty of chocolate, dried plum and blackberry flavors backed by moderate tannins that grab a little traction on the palate.

Score: 94 | December 31, 2022 | Wine Enthusiast

This is a sleek, concentrated and quietly powerful wine. Subtle, complex fruit, spice and savory components meld beautifully from the first sniff to the flavors and the lingering finish. Black cherries, black olives, a sprig of rosemary and a dash of dark chocolate are a winning recipe. Best from 2025–2035.

Score: 95 | December 31, 2022 | Wine Enthusiast

A deep well of dark-fruit flavors grounds this big but well-balanced wine as it laces fine-grained tannins between gorgeous black cherries, black currants and hints of mint and cedar. Smooth on the palate but firm enough to age, this beauty should drink best from 2026.

Score: 94 | December 31, 2022 | Wine Enthusiast

Luxurious, saturated fruit aromas lead to a palate full of cooked blueberries, dark chocolate and mint in this mouthfilling and concentrated wine. Rich, fine-grained tannins give a velvety mouthfeel while the opulent black fruits keep echoing on the finish.

Score: 93 | June 8, 2022 | JamesSuckling.com

Aromas of crushed plums, sliced red cherries and fresh herbs. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Very bright and fresh. A bit of coconut comes through the red fruit. Complex and intriguing. Best after 2025.

Score: 90 | May 1, 2021 | Wine Enthusiast

This aged, small-production wine blends 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with 21% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Together, they offer waxy cherry and plum notes within a reductive environment of herbes de Provence, tar, and iron. The weight of the wine is thick and concentrated. -Virginie Boone

Score: DOUBLE GOLD | March 8, 2021 | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Score: 91 | October 30, 2020 | Wine Advocate

In February 2019, winemaker Stephanie Putnam and proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset hosted the ninth annual blending session with 13 sommeliers to create this on-premise only offering. It is a blend of 53% Lake County, 30% Napa County and 17% Sonoma County fruit. Medium garnet-purple in color, it leaps from the glass with vibrant red and black currant scents, followed by hints of dark chocolate-covered cherries, raspberry coulis, bouquet garni and pencil shavings with a waft of rose hip tea. The medium to full-bodied palate is soft, juicy and refreshing, adding loads of savory sparks to the suggestions on the nose, finishing long and mineral laced. It is a very different, accessible, savory-led expression of Northern California Cabernet and I love it! -Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Score: Gold, 95 Points | April 6, 2018 | California State Fair

Best of Class Of Varietal

Score: Gold | January 30, 2018 | American Fine Wine Competition
Score: Gold | January 28, 2016 | American Fine Wine Competition
Score: Gold | January 28, 2016 | American Fine Wine Competition
Score: 89 | October 1, 2015 | Wine Enthusiast

Crisp and high in acidity, this wine mixes cinnamon, vanilla and pear flavors, accented by a note of exotic orange blossom on the nose. With a low presence of oak and medium body, it remains fresh and vibrant in the glass, offering a hit of toast and vanilla on the finish. —V.B. 

Score: 88 | September 1, 2015 | Wine Enthusiast

Fleshy and dry, this voluptuous wine has an abundance of creamy weight on the palate, but it never veers too far, remaining balanced and ultimately elegant. Stone fruit and quince vie for attention, with a salty undertow of lemongrass and ginger.

  — V.B. 

Score: Silver | February 9, 2015 | American Fine Wine Competition