This 2020 Cabernet Franc, blended with small volumes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, offers beautifully pristine blackcurrant and graphite aromas with a well weighted vein of spicy French oak. There is impressive elegance and balance, too. Firm but fine tannins underline well-defined flavors through a lengthy finish. Beautifully approachable now but also with the potential to improve over the medium term.

The popularity of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve label, which blends grapes from the Jackson family’s vineyards across California to produce consistently flavourful and concentrated wines, might make some underestimate this Alexander Valley Cabernet. That would be a mistake. Alexander Valley in Sonoma County is a choice spot for cabernet in California, rivalling Napa in terms of quality and character. This estate-grown cabernet includes 22 per cent merlot in a red wine with a sweet and vibrant character. Drink now to 2030. Available in Ontario.

The 2019 Chardonnay Estate is plush, creamy and super-expressive. Apricot, mint, chamomile and light pastry notes all grace this smooth yet understated Chardonnay from Stonestreet.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Lingenfelder Vineyard offers attractive brightness to play off a core of sweet red cherry/plum fruit. The style is a bit on the linear side, and yet there is plenty of both fruit and mid-palate pliancy to pull it all together. This is nicely done.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard is a bold, potent wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, clovers, licorice and mocha give the Perry Ranch its dark, rather brooding personality. The 2019 needs a bit of time to come together, as it is a bit awkward in its contours. But there is certainly plenty to look forward to.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard is a very pretty wine. Sweet floral and spice accents give the Edmeades lovely brightness to complement the dark red fruit. There's plenty of vintage 2020 richness, and yet Edmeades also offers a good deal of aromatic intensity and overall energy as well.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is a blend from Matanzas Creek, Knights Valley, Alexander Mountain Estate and Jackson Park, four top estates. Apricot, ginger, mint, lemon confit white flowers and sage all meld together in a Sauvignon Blanc endowed with terrific textural finesse and fine balance. This is a magnificent wine for the year.

The 2018 Merlot (Alexander Valley) is sof, fruity and easygoing, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Bright red cherry, plum,spice, new leather, chocolate, and licorice are nicely pushed forward.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Unforgettable shows a lovely red berry fruit character to match its understated, mid-weight personality. Soft, silky tannins wrap it all together. This firms up a touch with air as the acids begin to emerge. The brightness is quite attractive. I would open this an hour or two in advance to allow all the elements to be fully expressive.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Jolie is the most ethereal and lifted of these Pinots. Crushed red berry fruit, cedar, mint and orange peel hover across the palate. Understated and classy to the core, the 2019 is impeccably balanced, not to mention a real charmer.

The 2019 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard is a classic Russian River Chardonnay built on texture and oiliness. Apricot, honey, tangerine oil, chamomile, spice and butter notes all come together nicely. This mid-weight, fleshy Chardonnay is loaded with up-front appeal and charm.

The 2016 Syrah Outer Limits Vineyard, from Far Coast, is a rare Syrah from the Annapolis district in the northern part of the West Sonoma Coast. It offers up copious dark fruit, black pepper, five spice and bittersweet chocolate. Even at six years of age, the 2016 has a wild, rough around the edges feel that is quite present.

The 2019 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is laced with hints of crushed flowers, mint, sweet dried cherry, cedar and pipe tobacco. This is one of the more understated, mid-weight wines in the lineup. The aromatics are quite expressive today. Best of all, the 2019 will drink well with minimal cellaring. A touch of whole clusters works quite well here.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail is a powerful, brooding wine. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice, licorice and mocha give this inward, packed Pinot tons of character. This site at 1,600 feet in elevation yields a Pinot with big fruit and equally imposing tannins. Give it a few years to soften.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block emerges from a block within Arrendell. Powerful and yet linear, the Hailey's possesses lovely red/purplish berry character, with blood orange, spice and rose petal accents that add character. There's good energy, but also an aggressiveness in the tannin that holds the wine back.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Sealift is a rich, effusive wine. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather, menthol, licorice and mocha are all dialed up. Pliant and supple, with terrific depth, the Sealift is one of the more overt wines in this range, yet it retains all the nuance that is such a signature of the Copain wines today.

The 2019 Grenache Brosseau offers up copious, sweet red cherry, kirsch, mint, spice and floral notes, all in a gracious, perfumed style that is quite appealing. This mid-weight, racy Grenache is all charm.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley offers a beguiling mix of dark red fruit and the strong mineral/savory notes that are such a signature of the appellation. Black cherry, scorched earth, bittersweet chocolate, licorice and dried herbs lend notable character. This bold, layered Cabernet has a ton to offer. It's a terrific introduction to this range.

Spiced aromas of roasted sage, black cherry liqueur, and cedar emerge from the 2020 Il Fauno di Arcanum, which is composed of 41% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a splash of Petit Verdot. It is approachable and full-bodied, with generous fruit through the mid-palate, and reveals a silky texture with fine tannins. This is a solid and easy drinking wine to drink 2023-2030.

Tense and dynamic, with deeply structured wild berry, crushed stone and dusky spice flavors that build toward broad-shouldered tannins. Hands off for now. Best from 2024 through 2031.

Lively aromas of citrus peel, lemon blossom and grapefruit flesh entertain the nose on this bottling. The palate is pithy and ashy, offering vibrant acidity and a persistent texture that surround the rich, white-fleshed fruit flavors.

Knight’s Valley is a special and distinct district in Sonoma County brought into the spotlight by the Beringer cabernets going back at least three decades. It’s nice to see other producers’ iterations here in Ontario and Arrowood’s is a good one. Carries the kind of qualities that act upon the palate with great energy and vitality but the bones are also strong and age-ability definitely probable. The fruit has been given all the fodder and possibilities to set up for a whole lotta something and wood has quite a bit to do with all this. As an ’18 has it matured? To a small degree yes perhaps but in a curio meets secondary character to set up at the horizon for a truffled Italian cabernet-based IGT stylistic. Drink 2023-2026. Tasted January 2023.

A fleshy, textured chardonnay with aromas of apricots, honeysuckle, nutmeg, toast and persimmons. It’s medium- to full-bodied with bright acidity. Balanced, layered and very drinkable. Hints of flint at the end. Drink now.

Very good colour for the vintage; a very complex, full-bodied wine, with blackberry, plum, licorice and the mandatory regional dark chocolate all in abundance, the tannins ripe, the oak balanced. Most will presumably head to the US, where the alcohol (and attendant warmth) will please.

Deep, dense red/purple - very good colour. Earthy, humus, chaff aromas with quite a lot of oak. Full-bodied, rich and quite dense, with masses of tannins, smooth and supple, but quite gripping. Plummy, chaffy and borderline jammy flavours: full-bodied and chewy, dense and gripping. This needs food, and probably some more age. Impressive wine of real potential.