Right now this is not typically soft and lush like a cult Cab, but hard in tannins, with minerality like little particles of granite. Buried deep down is a pirate’s treasure of ripe, intense blackberry fruit. New oak, to the tune of 94%, doesn’t cloud the wine, suggesting this blend’s its intensity and concentration. The wine is comprised of all five classic Bordeaux varieties, sourced throughout Sonoma County. Clearly this is one for the cellar; drink after 2018.

Bright medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose and palate combine black fruits, licorice, minerals and bitter chocolate. Round and lush, with terrific intensity but also a distinctly youthful quality that suggests this wine will need patience. Finishes firmly tannic but not dry, with impressive persistence. Beginning with this vintage, Seillan has used a new robotic sorting machine that eliminates berries that are too big or too small.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed Showing complex aromas of dark fruit, pine needles and pine nuts right now. Dried flowers, too. Full-bodied, round and chewy with firm and silky tannins. Always a linear edge running through this. Drink now.

Bright ruby-red. Blackberry, licorice and mocha on the nose. Densely packed and juicy, with sharply delineated dark berry and floral flavors. Large-scaled, but light on its feet owing to its lovely lift. Serious, gripping wine with a long, bright finish.

Get Ready: The Super Italians Are Coming A muscular Chianti Classico, offering a dense and rich palate with blue-fruit and slate character. Full-bodied, chewy and muscular. Needs two or three years to soften.

Italy, Tuscany: Chianti Classico (New Releases) Warm aromas of dark fruit, potting soil and moist chewing tobacco rise from the bouquet of the 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva. This is an extremely territory-driven wine that emits aromas that recall the red clay soils and warm summer breezes of the Castelnuovo Berardenga area to the southern side of the Chianti Classico appellation. This is a soft and enriched red wine (made with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) that produces sweet textural richness and plenty of ripe fruit packed within that generous fiber.

This shows beautiful depth of fruit with cherries, fresh earth and hints of coffee. Full-bodied, layered and very rich. Impressive depth and intensity. Enjoyable to drink now, but it has a long life ahead of it.

What a beautiful 2010 Chianti Classico now with dark fruits such as blackberry and blueberry, plus hints of tea and bark. It's full and dense yet fresh and agile. Fascinating wine. Drink or hold.

As for Stonestreet’s red wines, these were by far the strongest efforts I have ever tasted from this estate. The five 2012 cuvées I tasted are all from amazing elevations. For example, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes from vineyards between 500 and 2,400 foot elevations. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Malbec aged 17 months in 30% new French oak, it exhibits an inky/blue/purple color as well as a terrific nose of wet pebbles, blueberries, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings and charcoal presented in a full-bodied, rich, concentrated style. There are 5,350 cases of this superb Cabernet Sauvignon, which has 15-20 years of evolution ahead of it.

A huge, explosive wine, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's possesses tons of inner sweetness, perfume and intensity. Here the aim seems to be pure textural richness. Jammy dark fruit, spices, lavender, smoke and violets all jump from the glass. The Christopher's is an undoubtedly exciting, powerful wine. But is it the wine this land wants to make? I am not so sure.

At the age of three years, this Cabernet Sauvignon is still very tannic and closed. It has a solid core of black currants, with sweet oak and mineral complexities. The structure is exceptionally refined, and it’s crisp with acidity. A gorgeous wine to age for eight years, if not longer.

This low-production Cab defines Stonestreet’s mountain vineyard, high above the Alexander Valley. It’s very tannic now, with the drying astringency that marks a young wine. Given the fruity concentration, it should have no trouble aging for 10–15 years. High elevation fruit yields an amazing combination of cassis, minerals, tannins and acidic freshness. Drink 2020 and beyond.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard is made of 100% Cabernet and was aged for 21 months in 69% new French oak. Deep garnet colored, it offers up maturing notes of crème de cassis, baked cherries, dried mulberries and sandalwood with touches of dried herbs and tilled soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy with bags of spicy black fruit and a long savory finish.

The 2009 Legacy Red Wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 2.8% Petit Verdot and 2.7% Merlot fashioned by Stonestreet winemaker Graham Weerts. Dark red berries, flowers, mint, mocha and espresso are woven together beautifully in this impeccable, polished wine. The fruit profile tends towards the redder end of the spectrum, which differentiates Legacy from the wines Weerts makes under the Stonestreet label. A sumptuous, elegant finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.

A big, thick, massive Cabernet, impressive for sheer volume. Yet it’s very tannic and dry. Deep down inside is an intense core of concentrated blackberry essence, coated in smoky new oak. This feels dramatic and important, but nowhere near ready. Give it eight years in the cellar.

A super premium label of the late Jess Jackson of Kendall-Jackson fame, Stonestreet is the intriguing middle name of Jackson and his father. The wine leaves many pricier California cabs in the dust. It's very dry, featuring pure blackcurrant and blueberry fruit and notes of mint, cedar and tobacco, with solid structure. It should improve with at least a dozen years in the cellar or pair nicely now with rare beef.

The biggest production cuvee, the inky/purple-tinged 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge is fabulous. Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc aged 16 months in 76% new French oak casks, it reveals abundant aromas of creme de cassis, graphite, ink, licorice, and fruitcake in a full-bodied, Pauillac-like style with plenty of sweet tannin. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, this Bordeaux blend is very fine, but young. It needs time to allow the aggressive tannins to resolve and for the blackberry, black currant and herb flavors to emerge. New oak adds a sweet smokiness that will become an integral part of the final wine.

Impressive, peppery, vanilla nose with much welcomed complexity. A dry, elegant style with smoky, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, spicy blackberry jam, cassis, minty cedar flavours. Long and warm this will need 3-5 years to soften. A serious Legacy from an excellent year.

Impressive, smoky, peppery, vanilla nose spiked with spicy, cedar, licorice, clove, black olive and cassis jam aromas. Fine and much welcomed complexity. Rich, round, dry, elegant style but quite intense with grainy tannins. Smoky, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, spicy blackberry jam, cassis, minty cedar flavours. Long and warm this will need 3-5 years to soften. A serious Legacy from an excellent year.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is laced with a myriad of citrus, white flower and mineral notes. This medium-bodied Chardonnay is built on focus, delineation and energy. Bright saline notes punctuate the crystalline finish. A bit tight today, but another year or two in bottle should help.

The 2017s From Sonoma More brioche, smoked earth, stone fruits, and toasted spice notes emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard, and it too is medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity and a gorgeous texture. Coming all from a site in the Alexander Valley and aged 11 months in 46% new French oak, it’s another classic, incredibly high-quality wine from this team.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Gold Run is powerful and inviting. Deep and pliant, with striking depth in its fruit, it is also expansive, creamy and generous. Though decidedly overt, it is also complex and layered, featuring tons of orchard fruit, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes that develop in the glass.

Pure and powerful, featuring precise flavors of crushed stone, dried apple and pear, with well-structured hints of peach pastry. The long finish is filled with rich mineral and spice accents.

The 2016 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is bright, focused and wonderfully detailed. Lemon peel, crushed rock, sage, mint and white pepper give the Broken Road a distinctly saline, tense quality that is hugely appealing. There is plenty of depth and structure here as well.