Hawkeye Mountain is K-J's signature mountain property in the Alexander Valley AVA. It is planted from 900 to 2400 feet above sea level on shallow, rocky, and gravelly loam. The vineyard pitches mostly west and sometimes south on steep hillsides. For the most part, limited release Hawkeye Ridge red sits above the fog line earning the ‘island in the sky’ moniker. Early mornings can be cool, building acidity and lengthening the growing season, but the afternoons above the fog line are warm. It’s a mountain wine, so double decanting is highly recommended if you're going to drink it at such a young age. It’s the second time I have tasted this wine this year, and it remains big and bold but with a surprising amount of restraint. The palate is packed full of black fruit spiked with licorice, tobacco, and a quiet undercurrent of oak. The finish is long, savoury, and persistent with mineral tones and rich, fine-grained tannins. This is the real deal and an excellent starting point to talk about Sonoma County cabernet's ability to reach eights normally attributed to only Napa Valley. Bravo Randy Ullom.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionIn 2015 Arcanum was not 100% Cabernet Franc but blended with 10% of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as a drop of 6% Petit Verdot which seems to be essential to the structure here. The wine is burly, with forward plum and cassis fruits, showing great concentration on the mid-palate with initially silky then progressively powerful tannins of excellent texture. More approachable in its youth yet not without the ability to last.

Aromas of spices, such as cloves, dark berries and some herbs. Full-bodied and layered with chewy tannins and a savory finish. Juicy and flavorful. Drink after 2024.

Blackberry and chili with hints of cloves and graphite. Bitter chocolate, too. Full-bodied, very linear and tight with intense tannins that lead you down the finish. Solid structure. Needs four or five years to open up. Better after 2025.

A super intense and dense palate of blackberry with hints of chocolate. Full-bodied with density and purity. Long and powerful. Tight and reserved, but telling you it has so much there. Drink after 2024.

A firm, silky red with blackberry, blueberry and hints of black and green olives and herbs. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins and a fruity finish. Drink or hold.

Fine yet chewy tannins in this with full body and richness. Blackberry, dust, blueberry and bark character and a flavorful finish. Give this some time. Better after 2024.

Flowers, crushed stones and blue fruit on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins and a nuanced finish. Tight, racy and focused. Mountain fruit. Drink after 2023.

Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 feet on an area planted since the early 1860s. On the western flank of Napa Valley, the estate is named for the native Wappos, who first called it home. The mountain site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils planted to four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) that combine to neutralize some of the issues in what is usually a slow-moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line. It’s an excellent vintage, and the black and blue fruits boast very high-quality levels. Mineral, floral, and dry, the underbelly effortlessly balances off the fruit, adding extra complexity to the mix. It spends 20 months in 74 percent new French oak. The blend is 86/4/6/2/2.5 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Winemaker Chris Carpenter likes to say, “Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is meant to show all that is Mt. Veeder, without overt tannins.” He is right, and it is a stylish blockbuster cabernet that will live on through 2025.

The 2018 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal, aged in 75% new French oak. Dark, minty and mysterious, it boasts brooding cassis alongside hints of red berries and singed cedar. Full-bodied without being overly rich or textured, this is streamlined Cabernet, pure and smooth from start to finish. Supple tannins and hints of pencil shavings mark the long, softly dusty, finish. While nearly approachable now, it should easily go another 15 years or so, gradually developing complex hints of cigar box along the way.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAromas of cigar smoke, old leather, underbrush and black cherry. Ripe and succulent palate of red cassis, mocha, wet gravel and anise. As ghostly and weightless as Cabernet blends get (here 74% Cabernet, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7%Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec) transitioning into an impressive, grainy finish with great length.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onSpice-driven and ever-changing on the nose, with aromas of coriander, sage, oregano and pine sap. Opulent, classy and refined on the palate, leading to a hard-edged, drying finish that is still in need of time to unfold. A great example of the longevity still present in the best 2011s.

2011 California Cabernet - 10 years onAlways the most floral of the Lokoya quartet of Cabernets, aromas here centre around fresh violet, lavender and sun-warmed stones. Rich, coating and quenching on the palate, showing a bevy of dark fruits, graphite and dried earth. The tannins are just starting to soften, with a powdery, grainy quality to the finish. Impressive as always, and clearly only starting to shed its primary shell.

This is a precise and highly ageworthy example of Oz’s most famed red blend. Fleshy plum and blueberry fruit mingles with mint and other dried herbs, chocolate, bay leaf and peppery spice. The barrel influence is there, too, but it’s better integrated than in the past. At the moment the palate is a beast, with oodles of fruit and spice and muscular, chalky tannins, but there’s chisel, finesse and a lengthy finish—all the trimmings of a harmonious wine set for the long haul. Drink until 2040.

2017 was a comparatively cool vintage, which has ramped up the elegance and freshness factor on Yangarra’s most premium and renowned wine. Compared with the raw beauty and pure joy of the Ovitelli Grenache (which is half the price), this is a more polished wine, set for time in the cellar but also drinking beautifully now. The floral characteristics shine alongside brambly fruit and soft savory, mineral aromas. The palate is openknit, with juicy berries washing over the tongue, followed by a tug of highly textural and precise tannins. Drink now–2030.

From head-trained vines more than 100 years old, the 2018 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard was aged in French oak, 28% new, for nine months. Medium garnet-purple colored, it opens with notions of blackberry pie, fruitcake and plum preserves plus hints of Indian spices, sandalwood and fragrant earth with a waft of black loam. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and chock-full of black and blue fruit, it has a chewy texture and loads of freshness, finishing with epic length.

Don and Jennifer Hartford tend this head-trained, 100+-year-old vineyard in the backyard of their home. The 2018 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard was aged in French oak, 56% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very peppery/spicy nose to begin—cinnamon, cloves and cardamom—with a core of blackberry pie, blueberry compote and warm plums plus touches of hoisin and unsmoked cigars. Full-bodied and laden with exotic spice and black fruit preserves layers, the generous fruit is well supported by velvety tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and opulent.

Coming from vines planted over 100 years ago, which have been trained up to chest level to increase air circulation and sun exposure to the berries, the 2018 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard was aged in French oak, 50% new, for 10 months. Deep garnet-purple colored, it skips out of the glass with notes of red currant jelly, raspberry pie and wild blueberries plus touches of stewed plums, wild sage and tilled soil with a waft of cast iron pan. Full-bodied, the palate has beautiful elegance and fine-grained tannins with a lively backbone lifting the pure black and blue fruit flavors to a long finish.

Napa Valley’s 2018sPretty, exotic candied orange and floral notes emerge from the 2018 Merlot, which is medium to full-bodied and has a juicy, elegant texture, moderate, nicely integrated tannins, and just a charming, undeniably delicious style. It builds nicely with time in the glass and shows the more pure, elegant, seamless profile of the vintage yet still brings plenty of fruit. It’s ideal for enjoying over the coming decade.

Napa Valley’s 2018sAll varietal, the 2018 Malbec is terrific and well worth seeking out. Sporting a dense purple color as well as impressive notes of spiced red and blue fruits, violets, toasted bread, and herbes de Provence-like nuances, it’s medium to full-bodied, has a rounded, mouthfilling texture, and enough velvety tannins to keep it showing well for over a decade.

Napa Valley’s 2018sIn general, 2018 was a great vintage for this variety, and the deep purple-hued 2018 Merlot is stunning stuff. Lots of cassis, candied violets, scorched earth, and graphite notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, elegant 2018 with polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s going to evolve for 15 years or more.

Napa Valley’s 2018sThe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows its Howell Mountain terroir nicely yet still has a supple, textured, elegant style that gives it plenty of upfront appeal. Beautiful cassis and darker currants, chocolate, tobacco, and cedar pencil notes emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with present yet silky tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish, where it shows more and more tannins with time in the glass. It can be drunk today with plenty of pleasure, but smart money is on giving bottles 2-4 years of bottle age and following for 10-15.

Napa Valley’s 2018sMade by Gianna Kelly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Pleinair comes from a handful of vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 65% new French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by a rich, concentrated, nicely balanced 2018 with loads of ripe dark fruit, chocolate, and tobacco aromatics, medium to full body, a solid spine of acidity, and just wonderful overall balance and purity, which is the hallmark of this great vintage. Building nicely with time in the glass, it shines for its balance, elegance, and purity more so than sheer power, and it’s already a joy to drink. Nevertheless, it should easily evolve for 15-20 years. This smoking value is well worth seeking out.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Malbec, the 2018 Malbec Mt. Veeder was aged for 22 months in oak, 34% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is flamboyantly scented of baked plums, blackberry compote and blueberry coulis with wafts of baking spices and dried Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with concentrated black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins, going long, lively and with a spicy kick on the finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes was fermented and aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, 11% new. There was no malolactic. It sashays out of the glass with gorgeous lemon tart, grapefruit and white peach notes plus hints of orange blossoms, fresh ginger and toasted almonds. Medium-bodied, elegant and refreshing, it delivers intense citrus and spice layers with a long, tangy finish.