A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Similar to the 2008 with its racy, lively style, the 2009 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is more reserved aromatically, with notes of orchard fruits, lemon peel and spice, and lots of minerality coming through with air. Medium-bodied, fresh and lively, with a balanced, clean style. it is drinking beautifully today but should keep nicely going forward.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Prequel Red Blend is made of 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah aged 21 months in 37% new French oak and 1% new American oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers vibrant black cherries, black raspberries and wild blueberries with touches of licorice, grilled meats, Provence herbs and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it gives vibrant, expressive black fruit and spicy layers with a soft, rounded texture and refreshingly savory finish.

This midnight purple colored blend from Bootleg opens with an attractive blueberry and vanilla oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and round. The flavor profile is a mild blueberry and gentle plum blend with notes of dark chocolate, coconut and coffee. The finish is dry and its sticky tannins show very good length. This big boy was enjoyed by all that tried it. We would pair it with a ribeye steak.

This very dark ruby colored blend from Bootleg opens with a musty black cherry bouquet with a hint of blueberry in the background. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is a tasty black cherry with notes of vanilla oak and blueberry. I also detected hints of stewed plum and faint oolong tea in the background. The finish is rather dry and its sticky tannins linger for a very long time. This big boy wine would benefit from a little decanting. Then serve it with a well-marbled ribeye.

This pitch black colored kitchen sink blend from Napa is a big boy wine. It opens with an attractive blackberry and boysenberry bouquet with a hint of cola. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, very smooth and balanced. The flavor profile is a rich and concentrated black olive and blackberry blend with notes of minerality and black tea. I also detected hints of black cherry and a touch of plum. The finish is rather dry and its sticky tannins linger and last for a very long time. I would decant this wine for a least an hour and serve it with a well-marbled ribeye. Very good+.

Huge in blackberry, currant and dark chocolate flavors, yet locked down by sturdy tannins. Shows indisputable pedigree in the balance and complexity. Good now, with airing, but give it 3–4 years in the cellar to get even better.

Arrowood's 2007 Syrah Saralee's Vineyard is aged in French oak for 17 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It boasts a dense purple color along with a glorious perfume of smoked barbecue meats, grilled herbs, creme de cassis, blackberries, tar, and camphor. This full-bodied, opulent Syrah is a total hedonistic and intellectual turn-on. Consume it during its first 6-8 years of life. This is another impressive group of wines from one of the most consistent winemakers and long-time veterans of the California wine scene, Dick Arrowood. He has always had the Midas touch with white varietals, yet he also continues to impress me with what he can do with red varietals. Moreover, Arrowood is also one of the pioneer Rhone Ranger producers, and his Syrah program has been supplemented with red and white French Cotes du Rhone-like blends called Cote de Lune as well as an outstanding Viognier.

The 2006 Syrah Kuljian Vineyard from Dry Creek. is a limited cuvee of less than 200 cases, it is a sumptuous Syrah packed and stacked with blackberry fruit interwoven with notions of camphor, pepper, meat juices, and tar. There is not a hard edge to be found in this oak-aged, unfined, unfiltered Syrah.

A beautiful Merlot, soft, elegant and classy. With richly textured tannins, it's ready to drink now, featuring raspberry, cherry, mocha and spice flavors.

The 2013 Proprietary Red is dark, plush and inviting. Here, too, the flavors are lifted by the energy and brightness of the year. Sweet red cherry, plum, licorice, mint and savory herbs add nuance throughout.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights Valley) is very pretty. Bright, punchy and full of life, the 2016 has too much to offer. A rush of red berry fruit, flowers, savory herbs and crushed rocks runs through this super-expressive, delineated Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a gorgeous Knights Valley Cabernet. The mid-weight, energetic style is quite appealing.

Dark cherry, plum, grilled herbs, game, smoke, licorice and lavender infuse the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights Valley) with tons of character. Beams of tannin and persistent saline notes – both typical of Knights Valley – give the 2015 much of its character. There is so much to like.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple and gives very pretty notes of crushed red currants, black cherries and black currants with touches of camphor, pencil shavings, lilacs and cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a taut structure of grainy tannins and great freshness supporting the muscular red and black fruits, finishing with a lingering minty lift.

The 2014 Arrowood cab delivers a huge burst of ripe blackberry and cassis fruit and has notes of wood vanillin. It is equipped with smooth, supple tannins that make for easy drinking now, although another two to four years in the cellar would benefit this wine tremendously.

A deep, powerful wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights Valley) captures plenty of the depth and intensity of the appellation. In this vintage, the more mineral and savory notes of the year are pretty much covered by the distinctly red-toned fruit. All things considered, this is a fairly approachable style for Knights Valley. The 2014 will drink well with minimal cellaring.

Very deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 4% Malbec, is scented of red currants, blackberries and wild blueberries with touches of olives and underbrush. Medium-bodied, tightly wound and packed with tense red and black fruits, it has a fine-grained texture and savory finish.

Arrowood's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard emerges from 80 year-old, own-rooted vines in this historic Moon Mountain vineyard. The 2014 is wild, powerful and savory – as wines from this site tend to be – and yet remains wonderfully nuanced and silky. The 2014 is deceptively medium in body, but it has more than enough depth to handle the 100% new oak.

Smooth, mellow and balanced with sweet oak, spice and plum; balanced, supple and complex with depth and lovely style.

Dark red cherry, plum, spices, mocha and raspberry jam all jump from the glass in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers Remick Ridge. The style is juicy, exuberant and highly expressive. Today, the flavors are really popping. There is a lot to like here, beginning with the wine approachable personality.

Ruby-red. Smoke-accented aromas of cherry compote, cassis and cured tobacco, with a subtle vanilla quality in the background. Creamy and round, offering sweet dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors that become spicier with air. Finishes energetic and focused, with firming tannins and lingering sweetness.

This is deliciously drinkable now despite firm tannins that give it a bite of astringency. Blackberry, cherry, currant and chocolate flavors testify to it’s ideal ripeness. Should glidepath in its evolution until 2020 or so.

Inky ruby. Powerful aromas of black and blue fruits, vanilla and smoky oak spices. Deeply pitched cassis and blueberry flavors are impressively concentrated but energetic as well. Becomes spicier with air and finishes sweet and long, with the blueberry and vanilla notes repeating.

This is just your basic Arrowood Sonoma County Cab, and that's a good thing. This vintage offers rich dark fruits on the palate, intriguing aromas of cassis, cedar and spice on the nose, and firm structure that delivers the promise of long life. It finishes with length and persistence, and shows a hint of spice.

Opaque ruby. Blackcurrant, licorice and vanilla aromas are complicated by allspice, anise and pipe tobacco. Broad and fleshy on the palate, offering hefty dark fruit preserve flavors and a supple texture. Fine-grained tannins arrive late and add shape to the very long, spicy finish.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale, from vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Knights Valley, comes across as soft, lush and beautifully expressive. The wine boasts gorgeous inner sweetness, layers of soft fruit and an open, seductive personality that is hard to resist. Sweet herbs, licorice and mint are layered into the inviting finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023.