The 2023 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard from the West Sonoma Coast pours a vivid red hue and is focused and bright on the nose with notes of cinnamon, bright cranberries, compact redcurrants, fresh herbs, and briny saline. Medium-bodied, it has great tension and a bright spine of acidity that is so refreshing in this vintage. A very pretty wine, it has a lot to offer now or over the coming 10-12 years.

From the Russian River Valley, the 2023 Pinot Noir Parsons Vineyard comes from the first vineyard picked and pours a jeweled ruby color. The nose delivers notes of cherry cordial, fresh, sappy forest herbs, fresh pine, and pressed flowers. It fills the palate with a more saturating feel, with a rounded midpalate, broader, ripe tannins, and a clean, fruity finish. It’s juicy and inviting but has some rich structure as well with a more forested feel. Drink 2025-2037.

The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench Vineyard comes from Knights Valley and displays a slightly deeper yellow/straw hue. It has a bit more of a sunny feel on the nose, with notes of fresh peach, melon, grapefruit, and beeswax. The palate has a more rounded and silky texture but remains medium-bodied, with hints of wet river rock on the finish. It’s a supple Sauvignon but very fresh and pretty. Drink 2025-2032.

The 2023 Chardonnay Kelli Ann Vineyard comes from a site in the Russian River Valley with gravelly soils and vines averaging 30 to 40 years old. The nose lifts with more flinty reduction, which I find adds a spice that I love to the wine. Offering notes of pure green apples, fresh flowers, citrus blossoms, and lime cordial, it should drink well over the next 810 years.

From the town of Annapolis in the West Sonoma Coast region, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sealift is a saturated red hue and is deep on the nose with notes of raspberry liqueur, deep, sappy herbs, dark stones, and hints of pepper spice. It fills the palate but also retains freshness, and it has a long, savory feel on the midpalate and finish that speaks to its coastal origins. Drink 2025-2032.

The 2022 Chardonnay Nine Barrel is from the top barrels of the vintage. A bright yellow color, this wine is meant to showcase a more hedonistic, opulent style, offering vast notes of grilled pineapple, apricot, smoky earth, custard, frangipane, and marmalade. The palate is full and decadent, with a full-bodied feel, a lush, ripe texture of golden fruits, and a ripe f inish. Drink 2025-2032.

Blackberry, blueberry, iodine and salty things, black olive, some lavender and dried herb. It’s medium-bodied, kind of dry and full of black olive and beef stock, the tannin is of excellent quality, ferrous and tightly knit, density of fruit is something, with some dried raspberry sweetness, offering a finish of excellent length. I like the structure and oomph of the wine, though it’s perhaps too saline for something that I’d go for more than a glass of. Just me maybe. Still, good win

The 2022 Chardonnay Bear Point is a straw/yellow hue and packs in more intensity on the nose, revealing notes of smoky wet stones, ripe peach, lemon oils, and salted pineapple. It’s fruity and ripe on the palate, with a full-bodied feel, and it has a kiss of sweet fruit through the finish. It has good definition and never feels cloying. Drink 2025-2035.

Mineral- and saline-edged aromas of flint, sliced lemon, grapefruit and lime zest. The palate is mid-weighted with bright acidity and a high-tension mouthfeel that finishes with underlying notes of yoghurt, orchard fruit and hazelnuts. A nicely balanced and focused chardonnay. Drink or hold.

Aromas of sliced lemons, orchard fruits and flint. The palate is mid-weighted with a creamy texture and focused acidity. There's a lovely density of fruit and freshness here, with plenty of immediate drinking pleasure. Drink or hold.

Aromas of dark cherries, blackberry bush, cassia bark, blood oranges and raspberries. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded mouthfeel and well-integrated tannins. Polished and focused, with a savory undertone. Drink or hold.

Bright and lifted aromas of raspberries, dark cherries, violets and citrus peel. The palate is medium-bodied with firmly framed tannins and balanced acidity. There's a nice energy here with a savory undertone. Drink or hold.

Bright and focused aromas of dried strawberries, confit cherry, violets and toffee apple. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and fine-grained tannins that lead into a rounded and creamy mouthfeel. Nicely balanced with plenty of fruit. Drink or hold.

Aromas of confit lemon, shortbread biscuit, fresh pineapple and salted nuts. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and a rounded, creamy texture, supported by bright acidity. Lovely balance and purity. Drink or hold.

The loamy soil and ripe black-berry aromas trigger happy summertime gardening memories. There also this interesting savory note floating about that reminds me of a cross between hoisin sauce and black pepper. The blackberry flavor is tart, and this time it is matched with earthy oregano and black tea. The tannins are firm, but not chewy.

This is very good Pinot Noir by any standard, though the quoted price of $85 (pulled from the website for the 2023 rendition rather than this 2022) may be pushing its luck by a bit. With that noted, it displays very good proportionality, with naturally sweet fruit notes (dark cherry first in line, as usual) set off very well by freshening acidity and fine-grained tannins, both of which come off as natural extensions of the fruit component rather than distinct elements that are “sticking out” in sensory terms. The wood employed during elevage is also very well integrated, making this a very successful wine. I doubt that anyone would fail to enjoy it thoroughly, even if they were the one picking up the check in a restaurant or being rung up at a retail cash register.

An impressive version, offering tangy tangerine, mango, citrus and melon flavors that are plump and expressive, with notes of orange sherbet, peach preserves and ginger, plus a touch of crème anglaise that adds to the feeling of richness. Vanilla and toast accents round out the profile. Drink now through 2033. 200 cases made.

The 2022 Siduri Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills delivers a layered and expressive profile that captures the windswept tension of the appellation. Raised in 25% new French oak over 10 months, it opens with a burst of ripe cranberry, dried hibiscus, and raspberry preserves, woven with flinty undertones and a trace of crushed seashell. The palate brings a supple yet structured frame, where notes of red currant and cherry compote unfold alongside hints of sassafras and graphite. There’s a savory pull beneath the fruit—think sun-dried herbs and dusty loam—that adds dimension and intrigue. Despite its density, the wine carries a cool-climate elegance with lifted acidity and a persistent mineral streak that refreshes through the finish. About 100 cases made

Started as an experiment in 2017, this is a terrific wine that far exceeds expectation of an entry-level offering. The Capensis 2022 Stellenbosch Silene Chardonnay is a medium- to full-bodied white with generous softness and volume to support aromas of orchard fruit, white flower and salty mineral. Graham Weerts refers to his winemaking philosophy as an "adapted Burgundian methodology." For example, he does not inoculate for malolactic fermentation, but 10% to 15% goes into a secondary spontaneous fermentation. "This is a South African twist on Burgundy," he says. All vineyard sites give lots of acidity. He also works on pressure and takes the best from whole-bunch pressing. The rest is sold off as bulk. The wine remains on the gross lees for up to 12 months, with stirring once a month. He creates a reductive environment "like a baby in the womb." Silene goes into bottle immediately, whereas the Capensis Chardonnay spends an additional six to eight months in stainless steel tank to "scar up," as he puts it. This is a release of 30,000 bottles.

The 2022 Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little youthfully subdued, slowly emerging from the glass with notes of baked red cherries, mulberries, and pencil shavings, plus touches of clove oil and fallen leaves. The full-bodied palate has a firm backbone of chewy tannins and bright acidity framing the berry preserves flavors, finishing savory.

The 2022 Malbec is 100% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it rockets out of the glass with powerful notes of baked blueberries, dark chocolate, and violets, leading to a core of preserved plums and spice box. The full-bodied palate is rich and juicy with a light chewiness to the texture and a lively line to give lift to the fruity finish.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, 1.5% Merlot, and 0.5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, notes of blueberry pie and prunes jump from the glass, leading to hints of Chinese five spice, unsmoked cigars, and cedar. The full-bodied palate is dense and chewy with a lively line and firm finish.

Quite light in color in the glass with a lovely, classical nose of wild strawberry and red rose. Beautiful on the palate as well with great fruit and minerality. For me, this is a classic rosé, fruit, acidity, balance, verve; it has it all

Taut and nervy, with lively notes of pine needle and savory that poke out from a core of gently mulled strawberry and raspberry fruit. A brisk oyster shell accent leaves a mouthwatering echo on the finish. For fans of the minerally style. Drink now through 2031.—J.M.

Piercing aromas and flavors of cherry, pomegranate, blackberry, violet, mineral and sweet spices mark this racy red. Solidly built, with dense, finely wrought tannins and a long, detailed aftertaste. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best from 2027 through 2043.—B.S.