Deep, intense, youthful red/purple colour, the bouquet gorgeously loaded with blue and black fruit aromas, blackberry, blackcurrant and blueberry, with a lacing of violets. The wine is full-bodied and extremely elegant, with perfect ripeness, beautifully modulated fruit and tannins, and subtle oak handling. A thoroughly delicious cabernet, accessible right now but with the potential to mature gracefully for many years. Winemaker Chris Carpenter thinks this is his best cabernet yet.

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Shiraz, the 2015 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz has a deep garnet-purple color and a profound nose of baked cherries, blackberry coulis and blueberry compote with hints of cedar, violets, dark chocolate and a waft of wild thyme. Full-bodied, rich and opulent, it has a seductively complex and plushly textured palate, with tons of black fruit and spice layers, finishing long and perfumed.

Deep red colour with a strong purple tint. The bouquet is spicy and profound, the palate marvellously deep and yet elegant, with beautifully refined tannins and supple texture. Long, long finish. A wine of intensity and grace, if not quite the muscle of previous vintages. (56% cabernet, 44% shiraz, grown on the property's oldest vines, planted in 1971) Drink 2016 to 2039

From estate blocks planted ?71, hand-picked, open-fermented with 50% whole berries, 4-day cold soak, 18 days on skins, basket-pressed free-run (pressings excluded), matured for 15 months in Burgundy-coopered barrels. The vivid crimson-purple colour bodes well, and the medium-bodied palate does not disappoint, the texture and structure outstanding, fruit, oak and tannins seamlessly woven together, the finish absolutely compelling. Do give it time.

A 52/48% blend, 135 dozen made from the 41-year-old terraced vineyards of the Hickinbotham Vineyard, vinified separately, with 18 months in oak. The colour is magnificently deep, but vivid, purple-crimson, the bouquet exuding black fruits, the full-bodied palate with perfectly weighted fruit, oak and tannins, the length prodigious.

The 2017s From Sonoma Coming from the Eola-Amity Hills region of Oregon, the 2016 Pinot Noir Warrior Princess is world class all the way, and I’d put this up against any Pinot Noir out there. Medium ruby-colored with a beautiful perfume of black cherries, blackberries, violets, wood smoke, and earth, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, incredible balance, subtle background oak, and a great, great finish. This is a complete, beautiful Pinot Noir that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and cruise for a decade. Unfortunately, there are only 352 cases produced.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard is a little youthfully mute to begin, opening out to display gorgeous rose hip tea, kirsch and warm cranberries with hints of dried thyme, black soil and tree bark plus a hint of fungi. The medium to full-bodied palate completely coats the mouth with earth-laced red berry and kirsch notions, framed by very firm, very fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing very long with a compelling herbal lift.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard offers up the most incredibly perfumed nose of red and purple flowers over a core of kirsch, cinnamon stick, red currant jelly and pomegranate with a waft of black tea. Medium to full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has an incredible texture of very firm, very fine-grained tannins and electric freshness, finishing very long and very layered. Still very young, give it a year or two and drink it over the next 15-20+ years. Totally worth finding for Pinot lovers!

The 2015 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard is another spectacular effort from this estate. Sourced from a block located on a mountain ridge north of Fort Ross in the Sonoma Coast AVA, at an elevation between 800 and 1,000 feet, it was completely destemmed, spent 16 months in 35% new French oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. It offers an extraordinary La Tâche-like bouquet of black raspberries, kirsch, Asian spices, dried flowers, violets, and crushed rocks. Deep, medium to full-bodied, awesomely textured and seamless, it has nicely integrated acidity, no hard edges, perfect balance, and a singular personality. It’s a fabulous expression of the Sonoma Coast that will keep for upwards of two decades.

Absolutely magnificent and probably the candidate for my favorite of all these Pinot Noirs is the 2013 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard from the Russian River. This is one of the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards in Northern California, planted in 1975 with the Martini clone. The wine struggles to ripen, according to Don Hartford, and is picked after Halloween in most vintages. Aged in 44% new French oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wine has an opaque ruby/purple color and a gorgeous nose of sassafras, sweet sherry liqueur, black raspberries and floral notes with background forest floor and underbrush. Intense, full-bodied and made from tiny yields of just over a half-ton of fruit per acre, this prodigious and world-class Pinot Noir should drink nicely for 10-15 years.

Another prodigious effort is the 2012 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard (nearly 300 cases produced), which comes from a site planted with the Martini clone of Pinot Noir in 1975. According to Don Hartford, this vineyard struggles to produce one ton of fruit per acre. This dense ruby/purple-colored 2012 offers up a big, sweet kiss of blackcurrants, black cherries, camphor, forest floor and violets. Round, opulent, full-bodied and lush with stunning purity and texture as well as a multidimensional personality, this unfined, unfiltered beauty can be enjoyed over the next decade.

Included in Wine Spectator's Top 10 List, 1989.

The 2017s From Sonoma The only other 2017 white I was able to taste, the 2017 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards comes mostly from an old vine site farmed by Tom Dehlinger in the Russian River Valley. It displays a big, upfront nose of spiced orchard fruits, candle wax, hazelnut, and some crushed rock that gives way to a medium to full-bodied, rich, beautifully textured, layered, and long Chardonnay that has loads to love.

The 2017s From Sonoma Coming from the Green Valley region of the Russian River, the 2016 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard was fermented and aged in just 17% new French oak, with the balance all in used barrels. It's an exotic, melon, brioche, and citrus pith-scented effort that has a touch of reduction that lends a beautiful sense of complexity. Rich and powerful on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and a big finish, it's another wine that has one foot in the Russian River and one foot in Burgundy.

The 2017s From Sonoma Another heavenly Chardonnay is the 2016 Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard, which comes from a single block in the Durell Vineyard, on the Sonoma Coast. Fermented and aged in 30% new barrels, bottle unfined and unfiltered, it offers a huge bouquet of caramelized lemons, pineapple, hazelnuts, and white flowers, with just a kiss of toasty oak in the background. Made in a richer, more powerful style, it nevertheless has beautiful acidity, a fresh, focused texture, obvious minerality, and a great finish. Count yourself lucky if you have some of this in the cellar. It should continue drinking brilliantly for another 6-7 years and keep even longer in cool cellars.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2016 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard comes from the cooler Green Valley region of the Russian River Valley and was fermented and aged 16 months in 30% new French oak. It has a deeper, darker, slightly more earthy and mineral-laced style in its stone fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and hazelnut aromas and flavors. It's deep, rich, and powerful, with beautiful depth of fruit and a thrilling finish. It's a gem in this lineup. There are a scant 327 cases made.

The 2017s From Sonoma The deep ruby/purple-colored 2017 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is also a field blend and comes from 100-year-old head trained vines planted in the Russian River Valley. Brought up in 56% new French oak, it displays a beautiful array of blueberries, apple peel, orange rind, and cedary spice. Complex, medium to full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced, it’s in the running for the top Zinfandel in the vintage. Drink it any time over the coming decade.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. Wow—the nose is a knock-out beauty of black cherry cordial, blueberry compote, fruitcake and liquid licorice with hints of roses, lilacs, Indian spices and garrigue. Full-bodied and beautifully structured with firm, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, the palate is generously filled with fruit and spice layers, finishing long and perfumed.

The 2016 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard is drop dead gorgeous! Black raspberries, potpourri, toasty oak, and cedar characteristics all soar from the glass. While it seems masculine and a little backward on the nose, this beauty hits the palate with awesome purity and elegance, fine tannin, no hard edges, and a beautiful finish. It has acidity, it has tannin, it has balance, and everything else I was looking for. It’s one of the top Zinfandels in the vintage!

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Blended of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard has a deep garnet-purple color and is scented of earthy nuances of truffles, dusty soil and underbrush with a core of crème de cassis, black cherry compote and blueberry pie plus hints of camphor and scorched earth. Full, concentrated, rich and densely packed with loads of earth and black fruit layers, it has a firm, ripe, grainy frame and oodles of freshness, finishing long.

Very deep, dark red colour with a purple tint; the bouquet dense and complex, with savoury rather than fruity personality, and neither variety showing out obviously. Very full-bodied, concentrated and dense, with fabulous ripe, powdery, fine-grained tannins in abundance. Very mouthfilling with a long, long carry. A wine of wonderful depth, power and texture. (57% cabernet sauvignon, 43% shiraz. 150 cases made)

Deep ruby red in colour. Aromas of woodland scents, sweet scented berry fruits and spice. Blackcurrant, dark plum, wild cherry, blood orange, fennel pollen, star anise, cedar notes, sweet tobacco and graphite. Cool silky entry, deep textural richness. Savoury. Slightly exotic. Epic on the finish.

A new single vineyard that's from just in front of Cardinale (just across from To Kalon), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Colline Vineyard is 100% varietal that spent 21 months in 55% new French oak. While this fruit previously went into the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Kristy Melton thought it was too special and would make a great single vineyard. Cassis, perfumed blue fruits, violets, darker chocolate, and graphite notes all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with beautiful tannins, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's a gorgeous bottle of wine.

A site that they've worked with since 1968 (they're the only estate to work with this fruit, which went into the Beaulieu Private Reserve in the past), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche has a big, complex bouquet of red and black fruits as well as savory herbs, baking spices, chocolate, and graphite. It's rich, full-bodied, has a rounded, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard
was matured for 15 months in 90% new French oak.
Currently resting in tank, it's aromatically pure and
layered with scents of warm blueberries and cassis,
licorice, mushroom and earth. The full-bodied palate is
seamless and youthfully coiled, with clay-textured
tannins and a finish that hints at more nuance waiting
to emerge.