Youthful and earthy, this wine starts with a blast of cherryand trumpet-mushroom flavor. For all its power, the wine is tight, the finish hinting at flowering herbs and roses. Impressively structured, this will prove itself with five or six years in the cellar.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Chardonnay Estate has a very pretty nose of apple pie, sweet spices, hazelnuts, acacia and citrus blossom with poached pears and honey-oat nuances. It's medium-bodied with a gently rounded texture and great fruit intensity, lifted by bright acidity and finishing long and honey-laced.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2016 Syrah has a vibrant ruby-purple color and very pretty nose of blackberries, crushed black currants, violets, dried herbs and bay leaves with hints of cocoa and prosciutto. The medium to full-bodied palate blossoms slowly, expertly framed by firm, grainy tannins and juicy lift, finishing nuanced and savory. This is a great middle-of-the-road style—not too much, not too little.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby-purple colored 2017 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is slow to open, taking time to reveal tart cranberry, red currant, licorice, dusty earth and citrus peel aromas with notes of tea leaves and wild blackberries. The silky, medium-bodied palate offers intense fruits that are softly framed and juicy, finishing long. This is so crunchy and so fresh!

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard is still very tightly coiled, revealing warm blackberries, cured meats, tar, earth, aniseed and potpourri hints with coaxing. The medium-bodied palate is powerful and intense with loads of earth and spice accents, finishing long and floral. This needs at least another year or two in bottle to unwind.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard opens with saline, granite, dried herbs and pink peppercorn notes with red currants, smoked cranberries, tea leaves, bitters and amaro accents. It's medium-bodied and silky in the mouth with slowly blossoming flavor layers, a firm, grainy frame and seamless freshness, finishing long. This will benefit from another year or two in bottle.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Bella Vida Vineyard is scented of pomegranate, tart cranberries and red currants with nuances of dusty earth, autumn leaves, wild blackberries, citrus peel and bergamot. It's medium-bodied and silky with perfumed fruits, a finely woven fabric of grainy tannins and juicy freshness to lift the long, fragrant finish.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills offers smoked meats, roasted cranberries, blackberries, saline, tea leaves and dusty earth aromas. Medium-bodied, silky, concentrated and spicy, it has a grainy frame and juicy freshness with pure, crunchy fruits, finishing long and spiced.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom has a perfume of spicy cranberries, warm blackberries, red currants and bergamot with touches of citrus peel and flowers. Youthfully coiled, it's medium-bodied and silky, slowly opening in the mouth, with a firm frame and great freshness on the finish. This needs another year or two in bottle to unwind.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Jory Hills was aged 17 months in 40% new oak. Medium ruby, it opens with crushed black cherries and blackberries, perfumed earth, bitter chocolate and a touch of saddle leather with hints of dried savory herbs and blue flowers. It's light to medium-bodied, broody and dark fruited in the mouth with mouthwatering acidity and a grainy frame, finishing long and flavorful. Yum!

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, aged nine months in 22% new oak, opens with cinnamon toast, floral potpourri, tangerine peel and cranberry jelly with accents of apple skin, warm marionberries and wild blackberries. The palate is light to medium-bodied with layered sweet spice, earth, amaro and ripe fruits and knit by grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and flavorful. This is impressive for the price point.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton has a wonderfully open, inviting nose of honey-drizzled hazelnuts, apple pie, clotted cream, baked peaches, allspice and crushed stone. The medium-bodied palate is creamy textured and savory in character with juicy acidity and a long, textured finish. This will benefit from one more year in bottle.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe medium ruby-purple colored 2017 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton features scents of crushed blueberries, warm cranberries and blackberries with notions of nutmeg, cinnamon, bergamot, charcuterie and earth. The medium-bodied palate is silky with intense, spicy fruits, a grainy frame and good freshness, finishing long and spiced. This will benefit from another year in bottle.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageThe 2017 Pinot Noir Dropstone has a medium ruby color and nose of black cherries, wild blackberries, forest floor, oolong tea leaves, lilacs, crushed stone and blood orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied and silky with intense, nuanced fruits, a firm frame and juicy acidity, finishing long and fragrant. This will benefit from another year in bottle.

The ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir by the talented Erik Kramer is a fantastic new wine from this storied Oregon winery. The nose is loaded with red fruits that combine with lighter orange zest and peat moss undertones that round out the enticing aromatics. The texture here is really good, as is the bright, mouthwatering acidity. Red fruits dance with citrus tones and minerals on the palate. Seriously good, enjoy this beautiful new wine over the next decade.

The 2017 Gran Moraine Pinot Noir underwent 20% whole cluster fermentation before being aged for ten months in French oak barrels (32% new). The palate shows wonderful brightness and verve with a vibrant sense of minerality. Ripe dark cherry, rose water, blood orange zest and tobacco leaf flavors combine with the damp earth and peat tones tones on the palate. This shows seriously good range for the price as this beautiful wine will cellar well over the next decade.

This almost clear colored Sauvignon Blanc opens with a gooseberry and Honeydew melon bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light plus bodied and pretty round for a Sauvignon Blanc. There is nice mouthwatering acidity mixed in as well. The flavor profile features savory minerality along with quince and green apple. I also detected some hints of gooseberry and white pepper towards the end. The finish is pleasant, refreshing and has nice length as it drifts away. I would pair it with oysters or sushi.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Edmeades is 100% Pinot Noir, but vinified off the skins—en blanc, as the French would say. A white of crystalline precision, the 2017 is exquisitely beautiful. Orchard fruit, flowers and mint add brightness.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Jolie is soft, supple and wonderfully engaging, with soft curves, pliant fruit and striking immediacy. Sweet red cherry, plum rose petal and spice all grace this elegant Pinot from Maggy Hawk.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters, from the Jackson Family's Maggy Hawk estate, shows the natural exuberance of Anderson Valley in its forward fruit and bold, luscious personality. Soft curves add to its racy, inviting personality. The 2017 will offer superb drinking pleasure over the next decade, maybe more.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block is rich and exuberant, with tons of fruit richness to match its racy personality. This forward and luscious wine is brimming with red and purplish fruit and spice that make this one of the more juicy, overt wines in this range.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards is a wine of richness and phenolic intensity. Old vines convey a real sense of weight, oiliness and gravitas. Readers will find an especially dense, savory Chardonnay with tons of floral and herbal character, but less in the way of overt fruit.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Three Jacks is one of the racier wines in this range. Cream soda, spice, orange confit, butter and exotic floral notes are nicely pushed forward. The 2017 is open-knit, expressive and so inviting.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Tidal Break is brisk, finely cut and nuanced, as wines from this part of the Sonoma Coast often are. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper all add brilliance.

This midnight purple colored wine opens with a blueberry and black licorice bouquet with hints of blackberry and coffee. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, slightly acidic and rounds out with some aeration. The flavor profile is blackberry and oak blend with notes of licorice and minerality. I also detected hints of black cherry and black tea. The finish is very dry and initially, its big tannins stick around for a very long time. The tannins settle down nicely on day two and some hints of blueberry emerge. So, in the near term, this wine needs to be decanted for a while before diving in. Then you can pair it with a well-marbled ribeye.