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.

Inviting red fruit and a sharpness of orange peel open the way to a juicy and supple midpalate of robust richness and weight that works well within the integrated tannin and oak. With underlying acidity, it remains fresh on the palate within its hearty fruit and layered texture.

Roussanne, an important white grape in the Rhône Valley, has taken hold in Australia. Though usually blended with Marsanne and other varieties, Yangarra uses it exclusively in this wine. The grape takes its name from the russet (roux) like color of the mature grapes, according to Jancis Robinson et al’s Wine Grapes. That explains the name Yangarra uses for the wine. It's apt because the wine is beautiful, though not for everyone. You need to like minerals and bitterness. Slightly floral, it conveys stone fruit-like flavors with a hint of bitterness in the finish. Though by no means voluptuous, it is gorgeously textured. It expands and draws you in as it sits in the glass. The wine screams for food, a sautéed chicken with mushrooms, perhaps.

Juicy, plump cherry and plum flavors are framed by black licorice, gunpowder tea, tobacco and fresh sage notes, set across a firm, muscular frame. The tannins become more toothsome on the finish. Drink now through 2035.

Well-structured, with concentrated red fruit and berry flavors, supported by a vibrant lattice of acidity and tannins. Minerally midpalate, featuring savory richness that extends on the vibrantly spiced finish.

Bright, crunchy red fruit, orange peel and pomegranate play around a core of nicely integrated, well-mannered texture and acidity. Fleshy and fresh, it sparks accents of black tea, cardamom and forest floor as it opens in the glass.

Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases Complex notes of green citrus, mint, tart peach, and sappy herbs all emerge from the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Knights Valley Helena Bench Vineyards, which is lively and fresh on the palate, with medium body, integrated acidity, and a clean finish. It's not a powerhouse yet shines for its balance, complex, and purity as well as length. It's a classy Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years or so, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it keep longer.

Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases Coming all from Sonoma County, the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is another textbook example of Sauvignon Blanc, and it's certainly the richest and most concentrated in the lineup. Ripe grapefruit, crushed citrus, white flowers, and a kiss of minerality all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, mouthfilling texture, and a dry, clean finish.

This single vineyard chardonnay from the northerly Anderson Valley pours quite deep lemon yellow. The nose is lifted with some reductive flinty character along with considerable toast, butter , lemon curd and some peachy fruit Quite complex. It is full bodied, firm and grippy with all kinds of energy, toast and reductive character on the palate. A bit sour edged, with some bitterness and nuttiness on the finish. The length is excellent. Tasted October 2019.

Italy’s Incredible Year: About 6,400 Wines Rated Big and rich wine with lots of fruit and tannins. Plenty of wood, too. Full body. Needs two or three years to soften. Try after 2021.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands is terrific, with smoking good notes of black cherries, spice, sous bois, and smoked herbs. Rich, medium to full-bodied, rounded, and textured on the palate, it has terrific Pinot Noir character and is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is one of the more Burgundian, reductive wines in the lineup. Stone fruits, crushed citrus, white flowers, brioche and sulfur notes all give way to a brilliantly pure, balanced, lengthy Chardonnay that has integrated acidity as well as a sense of minerality that makes you salivate.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s A mix of clones mostly from the upper section of this great vineyard, the 2017 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard was 80% destemmed and spent 18 months in 40% new French oak. It has a bright, juicy bouquet of wild strawberries, cranberries, wildflowers and candied orange peel. With medium body, a rounded, supple texture, integrated acidity, and a beautiful finish, it's another terrific wine.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Another tiny production cuvée from this estate, the 2016 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard is aged 15 months in 20% new French oak. It's a richer, bigger Chardonnay with plenty of classy oak in its ripe orchard and peach fruits. More spice, brioche, and white flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, rounded, and sexy on the palate. It's not for the oak adverse, but it’s a rich, mouthfilling, well-done effort that's a joy to drink.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Leading off the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard comes from clones 777 and 667 and was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 32% new French oak. Bright berry fruits, leafy herbs, spring flowers, candied violets, and subtle incense notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant, and seamless on the palate. This is a classy, balanced Sta. Rita Hills effort that leads with its fruit.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard offers slightly more purity and precision, with terrific notes of melon and subtle tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and white flowers. It has some classic Bien Nacido minerality and salinity, medium body, a rounded texture, and a good finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From a vintage described as epic from Greg, the 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M comes from a vineyard just off Highway 101 and vines planted in 1996. It offers Chablis-like lemon notes as well as hints of tropical fruits, a medium-bodied, rounded, textured style on the palate, beautiful fruit, and a clean finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2010 Pinot Noir Machado also offers a medium to full-bodied, balanced style and carries outstanding notes of spiced red and black fruits, tea leaves, earth, and dried flowers. It shines for its elegance and balance and is drinking at point today.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The first vintage for this cuvée, from vines planted in 2007, the 2009 Chardonnay 3D offers outstanding, mature notes of candied lemons, white flowers, and orange blossom. These carry to a medium-bodied, balanced, elegant Chardonnay that still has beautiful acidity, moderate length, and loads of character. Drink bottles over the coming couple of years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s There are roughly 3,000 to 4,000 cases of the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, which offers a beautiful bouquet of baked cherry tart, exotic orange rind, Asian spices, salty minerality, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it has fine tannins and a great finish. Drink this classic Sta. Rita Hills over the coming decade.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Latro Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with baked plums, crème de cassis, cardamom and tilled soil with hints of tapenade, lilacs, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, rich and spicy, it fills the palate with ripe, expressive black and blue fruits, with a chewy texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a perfumed lift. 400 cases produced.

Fall reds to remember Freemark Abbey is enjoying a renaissance of sorts under the ownership of Jackson Family Wines. The Napa label is sizable at 24,000+ cases, but it remains a ‘reserve’ style in taste and quality. The nose and the attack are fresh and vibrant with spicy black fruit, umami-like savoury, tobacco and cedar mixed into a warm, mineral, floral undercarriage flecked with cloves and cinnamon. It’s just settling in at the five-year mark, but there is plenty more to come. Ready to drink too.