This wine offers sizable tannin and power, within a framework of earthy structure and oak. Cedar, dried herb and red-currant and cherry flavors combine effortlessly along a textured palate of richness seasoned in baking spice and caramel.

Well integrated in blackberry, vanilla and with a hint of molasses, this wine offers moderate weight and balanced richness, with fine tannins giving it a lush texture. Juicy on the finish, it shows the power of the appellation and vintage without ever becoming overbearing on the palate.

Steely, fresh and resolved on the palate, this is a cool, coastal white with textures and flavors reminiscent of oyster shell and wet stone. The fruit is crisp and crunchy—a mix of green apple and pear adorned in just a hint of oak.

Hickinbotham’s 2018 release of Cab Franc is a savory and quietly expressive wine. There are dusty herbal, tobacco, black olive and iodine notes wound up in plump black cherry and plum fruit and framed by chocolatey oak. There’s a lovely crunch of acidity in the mouth amidst powdery tannins. The tangy fruit and driedherbal flavors flow to the finish. Typical to this label, this is a full-bodied style unafraid of power and oak influence, but it’s skillfully made with the ability to age until around 2028.

Glistening ruby. Cherry pit, boysenberry, baking spices and a subtle floral nuance on the incisive nose. Tangy red currant and bitter cherry flavors show good tension, and sweetening mocha and vanilla flourishes emerge on the back half. Fine-grained tannins frame a long, focused finish that echoes the cherry and spice notes.

Deep magenta. Aromas of mulberry, cherry cola and woodsmoke pick up baking spice and mocha notes as the wine opens up. Fleshy and gently sweet, offering sappy red and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors that become firmer with air. The long, smooth finish features even tannins and lingering blue fruit and spice notes.

Vivid ruby. Spice-accented red and blue fruit and floral scents take on suggestions of cola and mocha with air. Juicy and supple on the palate, offering sweet boysenberry and cherry flavors that show very good depth and spicy back-end lift. Finishes long and smoky, with a repeating blue fruit note and round, even tannins coming in late.

COMMENTARY: The 2015 Nielson by Byron Pinot Noir is fragrant, attractive, and nicely textured. TASTING NOTES: This wine has aromas and flavors of warm berries, black fruit, and graphite. Serve it with oxtail stew.

This is a soft red with the texture of fine velvet, offering dark-berry and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied palate that’s attractive and delicious. Seductive. Drink or hold.

Rockfall is a mix of the best cabernet sauvignon vineyard sites on Stonestreet Mountain, focusing on the structural elements given up by the Mayacamas range and the vintage. The nose is Sonoma savoury with black raspberry and tea. The attack is rich and full-bodied with heaps of black currant, brambleberry, and milk chocolate that rises to take on the savoury, earthy undercurrent. The tannins are perfectly managed, but you could hold this wine for seven to ten years with no problems. The fruit is grown mostly above the fog line at 400 to 2,400 feet and is handpicked, destemmed, and fermented in stainless steel. Next, it goes through malolactic fermentation in barrel, and there is a minute 1.5 percent petit verdot added to the cabernet sauvignon. Finally, it spends 19 months in 38 percent new French oak.

There's unctuous richness to the concentrated dark cherry and raspberry tart flavors that are backed by svelte acidity, with chocolate and allspice notes filling the focused and contoured finish. Drink now through 2025.

Delivers a richly fruity aroma, with a lively mix of dried peach, white berry and apple pastry flavors that are well-knit and broad-textured. The plush and well-spiced finish features lots of pastry accents. Drink now through 2025.

Vibrant and rich-tasting, with hints of hazelnut to the ripe, well-spiced apple pastry and pear tart flavors. The finish offers savory and minerally accents. Drink now through 2026.

Big and well-spiced, with fine-grained tannins and suave acidity framing the dried red fruit and berry flavors that feature sanguine and loam accents. The creamy finish shows cocoa powder accents. Drink now through 2025.

This medium purple colored Shiraz opens with a black currant and sage bouquet with hints of boysenberry, faint leather, and black tea. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with nicely integrated medium acidity. The mouthfeel is smooth and well-balanced. The flavor profile is cedar influenced boysenberry and subtle stony minerality blend with notes of red plum. We also detected hints of black raspberry and menthol. The finish is dry, and its moderate tannins are nicely prolonged. The Tasting Panel would pair this Shiraz with lamb lollipops, Jiko's wild boar, or venison stew.

Offers lively cherry and pomegranate aromas, which lead to sleekly structured flavors accented by orange peel and green tea. Drink now through 2028.

Fresh red-cherry and raspberry flavors ride a full body and modest tannins in this ripe and mouthfilling wine. It’s just brimming with yummy fruit, spicy cinnamon and nutmeg, and a tempting, lightly tannic texture.

Rich with a creamy texture, this inviting white is barrel-aged in French oak for 10 months. Voluptuous undertones of pear, apple and anise ride along a focused palate of structure and enduring elegance, finding brightness and balance on the lengthy finish.

Subtle almond, dried apple and butter flavors fill up this medium-bodied, smooth-textured wine, giving it a mellow complexity along with good, juicy cider notes and balancing acidity. Aged 16 months in 30% new oak barrels.

Most of the Merlot grapes, 86 percent, came from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and the remaining 14 percent came from the winery’s estate vineyards in Bennett Valley. The wine has a beautiful dark ruby color with a touch of magenta highlights. Aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry offer an invitation to get the wine into your mouth to enjoy the wine’s rich black cherry, blackberry fruit layered with dark chocolate. It is silky smooth, finishing with ripe tannins. Serve it with a grilled steak, or even better make the L’Ultime Dark Chocolate Mousse with Lavender Scented Mixed Berries from the recipe on their site at MatanzasCreek.com/blog/lultime-dark-chocolate-mousse-lavender-scented-mixed-berries. Bill and Sandra MacIver established the Matanzas Creek Winery in 1977. Their first winemaker was Merry Edwards and the next winemaker was Dave Ramey. They sold the estate to Jackson Family Wines in 2000.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is packed with inky dark red fruit, cedar, tobacco, espresso, licorice and new French oak. This bold, luscious Cabernet offers tons of immediacy and appeal.

The 2019 Chardonnay Napa Valley is terrific and one classy rendition of Chardonnay from Napa Valley. Coming mostly from Carneros (there's some from Coombsville as well as the Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain), aged in 40% new French oak, it has plenty of ripe stone and melon fruits as well some honeyed toast and nutty nuances. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity, and outstanding balance, it's ideal for drinking over the coming 2-3 years or so, if not longer.

This bright red colored Pinot Noir from Maggy Hawk is really good! It opens with a maraschino cherry and faint strawberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. The mouthfeel is very well-balanced, silky, and suave. The flavor profile is a tasty strawberry and maraschino cherry blend. I also detected hints of red currant, spice, and cinnamon. The finish is dry, and its silky tannins and flavors are nicely extended. This Pinot is very food friendly and would pair well with roasted bacon wrapped quail.

Gran Moraine, Yamhill-Carlton District (Oregon) Brut Rosé NV: There is quite a bit going on here for a Brut Rosé, with strawberry, rose petal, cherry, mixed citrus, stone, and a little yeasty note not often present in the pink sparkler spectrum. I count that as a plus, as it makes the finish quite long, with a nice zesty cherry push coming up from underneath. Very nice!

Silky, balanced, fresh.
From under the umbrella of Jackson Family Wines, this plush Penner~Ash Pinot is an outstanding wine with fragrant notes of cedar and dried violets, sun warmed raspberries and cherry spiked with star anise. It's a fresh and balanced red woven with flavours of berries and earth, white pepper, anise and tealeaf. Silky, bright and elegant.