Medium ruby. Subtly complex nose melds cherry, bitter chocolate, minerals, tobacco and smoky oak, along with an enticing floral note. A step in density; silky, sweet and suave, with nicely integrated acidity. Laid-back and rather stylish, but with a serous structure for aging. Finishes with subtle length and sweet, spreading tannins.

The outstanding 1997 Legacy, a proprietary blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, & 17% Cabernet Franc, possesses abundant jammy black currant/cherry fruit intermixed with lead pencil, toasty oak, & vanilla. Full-bodied & pure, with moderate tannin, this large-scaled effort (14.2% alcohol) can be drunk early, but promises to evolve for at least two decades. The winery also produces a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon called Christopher's Vineyard, which represents a 2,000-case cuvee from a tiny parcel (the Buckeye Vineyard) situated on the top of Jess Jackson's Alexander Mountain estate. I tasted barrel samples of the '98 & '99, which will not be released until 2002 & 2003 respectively. They are both impressive, mountain-styled Cabernets with enormous richness, body, & strength. The '99 looks terrific, possibly the finest Christopher's Vineyard yet made. Sadly, I did not have a chance to retaste the '97 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard that had seemed disjointed when tasted last year.

The outstanding 1997 Legacy offers copious quantities of smoky, toasty oak, jammy black currant and cassis fruit, full body, and moderate tannin…

Readers with both patients and youth on their side will enjoy the huge, massive, excruciatingly tannic 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard. Although high, the tannin is not excessive because the fruit is so intense and rich. An inky/purple color is followed by notes of creosote, lead pencil shavings, and huge, full-bodied, blackberry as well as blackcurrant fruit with an underlying notion of crushed rocks. Clearly made from mountain fruit (Jess Jackson's Alexander Valley Mountain Estate, from which this offering emerges, is a windy, cold vineyard planted at 2,400 feet elevation), but 7-10 years of cellaring is required. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+.

This 1,500-case blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot comes from two vineyards on Jess Jackson's Alexander Mountain estate at a relatively high elevation. The wine offers notes of cedar, graphite, black currant, sweet cherry, and smoky oak. It is quite tightly knit, full-bodied, moderately tannic, with good acidity and definition. It should be given several years of bottle age upon release and should evolve for at least 20+ years.

The 2015 Chardonnay Estate Vineyards features ripe apricots, guava and warm pineapple and brioche notes with hints of butterscotch and preserved ginger. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals wonderful freshness and a slightly oil texture plus plenty of tropical flavors, finishing long with some spiciness coming through.

...it is impossible not to admire the wine's energy and big, broad-shouldered frame. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Located at the southern end of the appellation (one mile from Pisoni), the 2016 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard saw 20% stems and a mix of new and neutral barrels. It offers a more open-knit, savory, complex style with obvious minerality in its dried cherry fruits, leafy herbs, and dried earth aromas and flavors. Layered, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it's drinking nicely today yet has plenty of structure and length.

From a site on Sonoma Mountain and old vines going back to the 1960s, the 2016 Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard gives up some blue fruits, plums, candied violets and cedary notes, medium body, fine tannin, and a fresh, lively profile. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

Coming from a vineyard planted originally in the 1950s, high on Sonoma Mountain, the 2015 Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard has a seriously earthy, forest floor and black dirt scented nose with a black cherry, licorice and cinnamon stick core. The medium-bodied palate is firm and tightly-knit, with great intensity and a long spicy finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Made up of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Journey is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and gives intense scents of crème de cassis, baked plums and blackberry preserves with touches of cedar chest , violets and mocha. Medium to full-bodied with a firm, chewy frame and lovely red and black fruit preserves in the mouth, it finishes earthy with a bit of grip.

The finest red wine produced at Matanzas Creek in more than a decade is the 2008 Journey Proprietary Red. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue along with notes of black currants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, underbrush, toast and earth. Medium to full-bodied with moderate tannin and a youthful, unevolved personality, it will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age and should age effortlessly for 15-20. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

Good ruby-red. Tight, high-pitched, very subdued aromas of cassis, licorice, espresso and fennel. The most backward and youthfully imploded of this set of 2010 cabernets, hinting at intense black fruits and licorice but coming across as uncompromisingly dry today, with rather tough tannins. This will need another look in a few years. Incidentally, assistant winemaker Laura Diaz-Munoz describes the 2009 Lokoya cabernets as bigger wines. The 2010s are more elegant and will age well, she adds. They have higher acidity but similar pHs.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir has an open, deep nose of black cherries, cassis, blueberry, blackberry and boysenberry jam with notes of spice, wood smoke, underbrush and earth. Medium-bodied, it packs in the ripe, dark blue and black fruits in the mouth with a soft frame of new oak spice and earthy nuances. It offers grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long with sweet fruit and spice. This is a bigger, richer style, but it's very nicely done.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley stands out in this lineup for its sensual, layered personality. At the same time, there is plenty of delineation in the glass. Floral notes are woven throughout, adding an element of lift, precision and pure nuance. In 2011, the Russian River Pinot is all about persistence and definition. It is a beautiful wine, especially within its price range. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Appellation series from Alexander Valley is blended of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 19 months in 47% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up warm cassis, red currant jelly and cigar box scents with hints of mint tea, underbrush and pencil shavings plus a touch of cloves. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rock-solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and minerally.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Trace Ridge is deep, plush and inviting. The Trace Ridge is denser and richer than the Hawkeye Mountain, but doesn't quite have the aromatic complexity of that wine. Layers of black fruit, iron, spices and licorice flow through to the round, generous finish. The 2009 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kellogg Vineyard in Knights Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017.

Reveals this region's classical tropical fruit character, primarily pineapple, along with hints of honeysuckle, vanilla beans, and a delicate touch of wood. Its rich, full-bodied palate, and Burgundian, leesy-like minerality and texture suggest it should drink well for 3-4 years.

The 2001 Pinot Noir Arrendel Vineyard possesses sweet raspberry liqueur-like aromas intermixed with notions of beef root, oak, and damp earth. Rich and medium-bodied with tart acidity as well as a firm, moderately tannic finish, there is a lot going on in this limited production 310-case offering. Cellar it for 12-18 months and enjoy it over the following 7-8 years.

The 2012 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard, from a parcel of 100 year-old vines next to Highwire, presents a much darker and spice profile in its blue/blackish toned fruit, tobacco and spices, all supported by vibrant minerality. Dina's is more accurately described as a field blend than a true Zinfandel, which explains its notable complexity and nuance. Sweet tobacco, savory herbs and dried flowers add the final nuances of complexity.

The 2011 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, from vines that were planted over 100 years ago, is pure minerality. Reticent and intensely saline, the 2011 is intriguing, but also quite shut down today. Exotic citrus peel and floral notes emerge over time, but readers will have to be patient. Today, the Fanucchi-Wood Road is very much closed in on itself. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two A blend of 53% Chardonnay and 47% Pinot Noir with two years' tirage, the NV Brut Rosé is pale to medium salmon-pink in color with an open nose of Meyer lemon, chamomile flowers, red apples, cream and toast. It's dry and gregarious in the mouth, with lively red berries flavors accented by apple and toast. It has great crushed rock minerality and crisp acidity with persistent mousse and a long berry finish. This was disgorged in April 2017.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 27 months in French oak. This wine has huge tannins, big structure, and a muscular character. Plenty of white chocolate, blackcurrant, unsmoked cigar tobacco and mulberry are all present in this big, muscular, powerful wine that is built for the long-term. Don’t touch it for another 5-7 years, and drink it over the following 30 years.