First Five of 2025 is a nice collection of wines that were overrated by “critics” and just showed poorly and spend your money elsewhere.

The First Disrupted Wine: 2022 Double Diamond

This one is easy as the gentleman who brought it had the chance for over a month for me to help recommend a better wine. He could have gone to Sunfish Cellars in Lilydale and picked up my 2nd best wine of the year in 2024 the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon but made the poor decision to go to Total Wine in Bloomington and purchased the 2022 Double Diamond by Schrader.

  • 2022 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (1/25/2025)
    $75.00 Cabernet Plus Event (Liz’s House Minneapolis): This wine showcases the terrible wine reviewers in the world. As a pro reviewer and one of the biggest promoters of the tasting process in the world I was able to show 12 others at this tasting what is clearly wrong with this wine. OAK to start but then gets into a molasses on the palate/finish. The fruit is ripe and this wine is a complete disaster. So I was joking that some critic gave this 95 or higher and sure enough Jeb Dunnick did. WOW!!! Almost a slam dunk for top 3 worst wines of the year. The irony of this at the tasting was I always tell people do not go to Total Wine last minute to pick up a wine for an event and sure enough that is what happened. (72 points)
  • Critic Scores: Jeb Dunnuck, 95 Points 
  • “Readers looking to get a taste of the impeccable quality and style from Schrader at a more affordable price point would do well to check out the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Diamond. Coming all from Oakville, it has a classic Cabernet nose of black and blue fruits, green tobacco, cedar pencil, damp earth, and chocolate. It’s not over the top and has beautiful varietal character as well as medium to full body, ripe yet present tannins, good overall freshness, and a great finish. This is beautifully done and well worth a case purchase. I’d lean toward drinking bottles over the coming 10-12 years, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see it evolve longer. It’s a candidate for the best Napa Cabernet under $100.” 
  • James Suckling, 94 Points 
  • “An elegant, fruit-driven cabernet sauvignon with notes of red fruit and spices. Fresh herbs, such as thyme. It’s full-bodied and well balanced. The texture is pleasant and smooth with elegant tannins. The finish is long and flavorful.” 
  • Wine Enthusiast, 94 Points 
  • “A Schrader-related wine made by Thomas Rivers Brown, this 100% varietal wine is a showcase of the appellation, wide in appeal and bold, ripe red fruit. Sage, tar, cedar and pencil provide varietal complexity and contrast to the fruit; the tannin’s are integrated yet still grippy. Enjoy best from 2028–2038. Cellar Selection.”  
  • Wine Spectator, 91 Points 
  • “This has a rounded, fleshy feel to the mix of creamed plum and cassis flavors. Light flashes of sassafras and loam provide that Oakville hint, while the fruit holds sway overall.” 
  • Alcohol: 14.5% 

2nd Wine Disrupted: 2019 Orin Swift Cabernet Mercury Head

  • 2019 Orin Swift Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head – USA, California, Napa Valley (1/25/2025)
    $75.00 Cabernet Plus Event (Liz’s House Minneapolis): Well this was drinkable but can’t believe it fetches the price it gets. Sweet as all Orin Swift wines are along with floral, ripe cherries, mild oak and burnt toast. Fine if it cost around $20.00 but this is over a $100. (84 points)
  • Pro Wine Reviews: Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head barrel sample has bold, ripe black cherry and black berry scents with an undercurrent of raspberry leaves, ripe red and black plums, pencil shavings and a waft of iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has wonderful intensity and depth with loads of mineral sparks among the crunchy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy. Impressive! 6,500 cases are to be made. 96-98pts“

Well Dave Phinney has sure made a lot of money off of people who don’t apply the tasting process. Please people swish your wine around and these $150 Napa Cabs will disappear as they taste like a $15 Cab at Total Wine.

3rd Wine Disrupted: 2019 Lamarque & 2020 Lamargue

It is amazing these crazy scores an ordinary winery from Bordeaux can get. James Suckling 95 points on the 2019 will sell bottles and maybe a few less from Wine Enthusiasts on the 2020 with 93 points. I am here to tell you these are not worth the $29.99 Total Wine in Bloomington is charging for these even with 20% off that price. Here are the reviews.

  • 2019 Château de Lamarque – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (2/16/2025)
    Day 1: Pop and pour and will try over 3 days but not very good to start. Plastic, spice, some fruit and pepper. Nothing Bordeaux like right now but not going to give up on the wine. 80 points
    Day 2: Wow is this a poorly made wine. Not flawed but just not good. Light and lacks fruit, a plastic taste to it and mild spice. For around $30 I expected a lot more. 75 points
    Day 2.5: Sour fruits, plastic, spice and dirt. Had a glass sit out for a while to see if this could open up but no. Just a really poorly made wine. 70 points
    Day 3: Well didn’t believe Alexbuss’s assessment of 70 but agree with it now. Wine is very difficult to consume and has that odd plastic taste. Fruit is not very prominent in this wine. Thin wine and low acidic. This wine was bad from the start. 68 points
    Day 6: Well the best of all days but just not very good overall. Fruit is a bit off with earth and floral notes. At least lost the plastic taste. 82 points
    Recommendation: Beware of 95-point scores from Suckling or Decanter that are at $30 or less.
    Figured out why it is not to my liking. James Suckling gave these 95 points (82 points)
  • 2020 Château de Lamarque – France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (3/6/2025)
    Day 1: The 2019 had a plastic taste and this does as well. Why you don’t trust main stream wine critics. Very light wine with plastic, spice, light fruit and damp earth. A joke that WE gave this 93 points. 75 points
    Day 2: Maybe a touch better on day 2 but the finish on this wine is so below average and thin. Less plastic taste and very light wine with raspberries, mild spice and damp earth. Short finish. 77 points
    Day 3: Worst of the 3 days and one of the worst wines tasted in a long time. PLASTIC. A touch of fruit and damp earth. This wine is terrible as the 2019 was but not at this level. 55 points
    Recommendation: Really shows how critics can take a mediocre Chateau and get products to move off the shelf with their silly ratings. (77 points)

4th Wine Disrupted along with Tasting Panel: 2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside 

Well Tasting Panel Magazine is one of those operations that clearly are not professionals and clearly looking to add their names to the countless shelf talkers at the Total Wine or in this case on WineSlash. 95 points? You have to be kidding me. It would be like me giving Meiomi Pinot Noir 80 points. Another classic $85 knocked down to $35 with free shipping. I would rather buy a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells for $12.00.

  • 2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside – USA, California, Napa Valley (3/20/2025)
    Day 1: Diam 10 cork which is the only thing going for this wine. Well this is below average at best. Another $35 Napa wine that says retail is much higher. Burnt toast, earth, muted fruit, bitter and oak. 78 points
    Day 2: Maybe a little better but so diluted on this wine. Tastes like one of those Total Wine cheapies on the bottom shelf in the Cab department. This has no depth and is water downed. Earth, mild fruit, bell pepper, mild spice and oak. Short finish. Easy pass. 79 points
    Day 3: Well this is dead in the water. Stewed fruits, some dust, earth and watered down effort. Short and not inspiring finish. 65 points
    Recommendation: When you see a 95 point wine from Tasting Panel and discounted from $85 to $35.00 run!!!
    Wine Disrupted: https://winedisruptors.com/wines-disrupted/ (78 points)

5th Wine Disrupted: 2020 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Nicasia Vineyard

  • 2020 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Nicasia Vineyard – Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Altamira (3/27/2025)
    Day 1: Little tight on day 1 and with this great wines why anyone rates them on day 1 is beyond comprehension. Blueberries, floral, spice, earth, dust and minerals. Not ready to give this a score.
    Day 2: Well, this wine is for sure disappointing and really not showing much of an improvement. Coffee beans, blackberries, menthol, spice, earth, dust and minerals. A little heat as well. A very gritty wine and in a blind tasting would not show well if one did not know the name. 85 points
    Day 3: Well it did improve but just can’t seeing paying $80 for this wine. Blueberries, dried flowers, coffee beans, menthol, dust, minerals and earth. Lacks concentration and very light in comparison to other high end wines I have sampled from Zapata. Easy pass for me. 89 points
    Day 3.5: No better then earlier. This is an easy pass for me.
    Recommendation: Pass. I would recommend the cheaper Malbec in their lineup. (89 points)
  • Suckling 97, WA 96, Vinous 96, WE 94