2025 Quarter Four Wines Disrupted

Final Wine Disrupted in 2025. Saxum like many Paso Wines are overrated and overpriced. No amount of decanting could have saved this mess.

Getting down to the wire but what better wine to disrupt then a 2023 Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet. The women pouring had a fake tan, was late and got mad at me for touching the bottle for a photo. Crap sandwich.

  • 2023 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley (12/20/2025)
    Well not as bad as some other vintages but what a terrible aftertaste. Vanilla ripe fruit and oak chips. Lacks acidity and tastes really artificial. Not sure people swish this around when handing out scores in the 90s. Pass. (68 points)

Well Jeb Dunnuck how do you explain a 2020 smoke tainted wine at 96?

  • 2020 K Vintners Syrah Powerline Vineyard – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (11/27/2025)
    Day 1: Well amazing how many critics gave this a good score. Dunnick 96, Vinous 93, WA 93+ & WS 92. Well this is even worse off than the last bottle I had which I gave 80 points. No fruit on the nose or palate which is hallmark for a smoke tainted wine. Campfire ash, black olives, muted fruit and a short finish. What an unpleasant aftertaste. Really need a mint to get rid of this horrible finish. What a terrible wine. 64 points
    Day 2: If you just drink this like water it is a decant wine. The minute the full tasting process is applied it is game over. The nose is ok but smoke taint is not detected on smell. It is all about the palate. Just a camp fire ash, some spice and tooth paste gone bad chalkiness that lingers for over 5 minutes. What a terrible wine. 64 points
    Day 3: NO. Horrible finish and need an altoid to get rid of that taste.
    Recommendation: If you have any try it blind with several people. Three other wine geeks tried this blind against the 2023 Devison and all like the Devison far better. All noted no fruit on the nose and one did nail the smoke taint. (64 points)

So Boisset basically is running a what used to be the Traveling Vineyard which was the most ridiculous wine sales operation of all time. Boisset has some good wines in the portfolio but most of it is terrible. Think the boring Raymond wines. Anyway this is another wine disrupted.


2020 Boisset Cellars Sonoma Cut Pinot Noir – USA, California, Sonoma County (11/22/2025)
Terrible wine with dirt, muted fruit and water. A touch of ash and mild smoke taint. Boisset makes some of the worst wines in California. Maybe these wine parties these hosts do serve this at the end when everyone is drunk so they but it. (65 points)

Top 10 worst wines of the year for sure! Silver Oak made a 2020 while many more honorable producers did not. Loved their 2020 Timeless which showed zero signs of smoke taint but the Napa not good.


2020 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/19/2025)
Silver Oak/ Twomey/ Ovid Tasting (Haskell’s, Minnetonka): Great teaching experience to others at this tasting as this is smoke tainted. They tried to say this is one of their best offerings in years which everyone knows no one made their best in 2020. Not much on the nose which is a good indicator of smoke taint. The Alexander 2021 had really nice fruit. On the palate chalk, wood, spice and dried flowers. NO fruit showing and again that harsh chalky tooth paste after taste. Hopefully no clueless critics gave this a good score but I am sure they did. Wine Disrupted and top 10 worst of the year slam-dunk. (70 points)

Well here is another two today. Boisset Collection with their Pyramid Scheme salespeople made another horrible Wagner like wine. Man is this bad.

  • 2024 Boisset Cellars The Caster – USA, California (11/15/2025)
    Caymus like and another poorly created Boisset wine. Over ripe fruit, spice and pepper. SWEET and not much else going on here. No character and a manufactured tasting wines with some chemical elements on the finish. Top 20 worst wines of the year candidate. (64 points)

Well James Suckling with your stupid 96 point scores for crap Chardonnay from Argentina and even worse people believe your score on cellar tracker. This only cost me $6 and that is $6 I will never get back.


2020 El Enemigo Chardonnay – Argentina, Mendoza (11/15/2025)
Day 1: Well this wine will be featured in my wines disrupted. Picked this up for $6 as the label was torn and glad I only paid $6 for this. What a simple, boring wine. Lacks concentrated fruit and has an artificial taste to it. Short finish and not much going on. Amazing how James Suckling can give this 96 points when I don’t even give that to a William Fevre Les Clos. This is just like the 2023 Diatom Chardonnay. Everyone trust your palate not the critics. 75 points (75 points)

Well this wine is disrupted not because it is the worst wine but the critics have been piling up the good scores on a cheap grocery story wine. Not sure what is going on here as this is made by Brewer Clifton which usually makes good wine. It is cheap on price at $13.99 at Haskell’s. Vinous 94, Dunnuck 94, WS 93, WE 92. WA only one in the 80s at 89.

2023 Diatom Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (11/9/2025)
Day 1: Diam 10. For the price pretty good stuff. $13.99 on sale. Simple offering with lemon, spice, white flowers and lime. Short finish and probably not as good as the 2020 which some critic went crazy on. This is a solid grocery store offering and not much more.
Also picked up some chemical taste on the short finish.
What a joke with these wine critics. Do they all have ownership in this project? 94 points is a Fevre Les Clos. 85 points
Day 1.5: Considerably worse on day 1.5. Really tasting like a cheap house Chardonnay at a sports bar. Light on the fruit with grapefruit, lemon, dust, cardboard and super short finish. I would encourage everyone to try this blind with some other Chardonnay’s as I feel critics are influencing the crowd. 70 points (85 points)

Just when you think Caymus is terrible. This is one of those Last Bottle disaster wines that claims to be $85.00 and from Beau Vigne. It also doesn’t help that tasting panel (the worst wine publication on the planet, almost) gave this 96. I knew nothing about the wine and tasted with a few at the wine shop and we all found it not drinkable.

  • NV Erikson & Caradin Cabernet Sauvignon Raptor & Crimson – USA, California, Napa Valley (11/1/2025)
    Terrible wine with Easter egg dye, spice and light. Not good and who makes a nv cab?
    No info going into tasting with with the wine shop friends. We all hated it and found out later it was a Last Bottle & Big Hammer which says everything. To top it off Wine Tasting Panel (?) gave this 96 poinrs
    For sure a leading candidate for the top 20 worst wines of the year from 3 Day Wine Review (52 points)

Saturday, October 25 Wines were DISRUPTED

  • 2022 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon California – USA, California (10/25/2025)
    I always love these wines at parties because I take almost as much pride in my top 10 worst wines of the year as my top 10 best wines of the year. In the top 3 right now based on the price point. Sweet fruits, globs of sugar and mild spice. Short uninspiring finish. Very artificial tasting wine. So the people that enjoy this clearly are not applying the tasting process to detect all the flaws which there are a ton in this wine. (65 pts.)
  • 2023 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles – USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (10/25/2025)
    Dear god a billion dollar sale. This stuff is crap. Sweet fruit, spice and some floral notes. Such a awful finish taste. Not sure what the hell wine drinkers see here but reach out to me for some wine education as I can help. Had to cancel a favorite user on this one. (65 pts.)
  • 2023 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 1858 Paso Robles – USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (10/25/2025)
    Crap sandwich and thanks to Spinal Tap for the reference. Chemicals, globs of overripe fruit, artificial vanilla coffee sweeteners and some spices. This is one of the better Total Wine sellers the person told me. Well we need to educate all wine drinkers immediately. Front runner for my top 15 worst wine of the year awards. Thanks Chuck! (54 pts.)
  • 2023 Caliveda Cellars Pinot Noir – USA, California, Napa Valley (10/25/2025)
    The Total Wine guy asked what I thought well I told him this is terrible. Yes he gets commission on it but you could tell he was cornered on this one. Artificial color, flavors and just not sure what is in this crap. (50 pts.)

Another Winery Direct Bust from Total Wine.

  • 2023 Domaine Loubejac Pinot Noir – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (10/12/2025)
    Sampled on day 3. Color is a bit off and the wine has a lot of clove along with spice, muted fruits and a short finish. Getting a little sweetness as well. Easy pass. (73 points)

Well this didn’t take long to get an Orin Swift crap sandwich Pinot Noir in the game.

  • 2021 Our Lady of Guadalupe Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (10/4/2025)
    Haskell’s Fall Grand Tasting (Bloomington, MN): Day 1: Ok another complete disaster Orin Swift wine. They don’t make any good wines and that is not an opinion it is a fact. I am sure some lame critic gave this 92 plus without looking. Doesn’t taste like pinot and really not that sweet for an Orin Swift wine. Dirt, muted fruits, spice and twigs. Top 10 worst of the year 3 Day Wine Review. Can’t believe tracker users are in the 90s on this one and one 97. Haskell’s in MN is dumping this junk at $42 a bottle. 69 points
    Day 2: Well if this was a Syrah I would give it much higher score but it is suppose to be a Pinot. On day 2 either way improved but not to a level that justifies $80 a bottle. Stone, red currants, floral, pepper and spice. 75 points
    Recommendation: There are so many better out there it is not even funny. (75 points)
  • 2021 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (10/4/2025)
    Haskell’s Fall Grand Tasting (Bloomington, MN): Ok will start off by saying declassification should have happened here. This wine is terrible for $50 and any critic giving this over 85 needs to check their palate. I tried this 3 separate times over 3 hours and not one time would I pay over $10 for this wine. Weak on the fruit and water downed. Some pepper and spice but not much going on here. Top 10 worst wines of the year for sure. (75 points)