The 2019 Lassègue is a property that lies in a prime location, on the slopes along from Pavie and Bellefont-Belcier. Deep in colour, it has a fragrant bouquet with vivacious blackberry, blueberry and crushed violet scents. The oak IS beautifully integrated. A marine element develops with aeration. The palate is fleshy and soft on the entry, an easygoing, nicely balanced 2019 Saint-Émilion. I would have like a bit more backbone and grip on the finish. Crack it open after a couple of years and enjoy over 12-15 years.

This is going to sound bad, but I was ready to be less than whelmed by this wine. La Crema has become a brand that is, well, ubiquitous and ubiquity is rarely associated with excellence. Hold on for just a minute. While this will not likely be confused with a vintage Grand Cru Champagne (that cost 3-4 times the price), it is plenty tasty. Ripe red apple with a hint of yeastiness on the nose, the palate is bright and fresh yet also layered. Yum. While $45 might be a tad steep, this is a fantastic effort. Excellent.

Solid Pinot nose of cherry, cranberry and a bit of earth. Quite tart cherry on the palate, with decent depth, some spice. Really tart though. Excellent.

Dark and brooding in the glass with more black fruit than red. With menthol and a bit of funk. Big and bold on the palate. This is a beefy one, but well done. Excellent.

Lovely nose with subtle fruit, solid palate, juicy and perfectly fine. Yum, even. Excellent.

Minty, pine, and dark cherry. Fruity, rich, another winner here. Excellent.

Dark red fruit, a bit of earth, some lovely notes, most of them dark. Spice. Very nice. Excellent.

Lastly, the 2000 Zinfandel Zeni Vineyard was still in barrel when I tasted it, but it revealed an inky black/purple color in addition to gorgeous aromas of blackberry liqueur, blueberries, huckleberries, licorice, and smoke. Full-bodied and unctuously-textured, it should prove to be the best of this impressive quartet.

Light pink. Strawberry and spice. Sweet fruit and good acidity. This might be a prototypical rosé. Nice. Outstanding.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Another new wine in this range, 2017 Pinot Noir Côte Bannie is perfumed, silky and also quite promising. Sweet floral notes, red cherry, mint, hard candy and blood orange are all wonderfully alive in this mid-weight, classy Pinot. All the elements are in the right place.

Saturated ruby. Super rich aromas of blackberry, flowers and toasty oak, along with some almost porty black cherry and chocolate notes. Fat, chewy, and very deep, but with excellent vinosity framing the black cherry and spicy oak flavors. Finishes very sweet and long, with noble, dusty, fine-grained tannins. I love the sugar/acid balance here.

This tannic, backward, structured, sizeable St.-Emilion exhibits a steely backbone, huge tannins, and equally huge extract. Reserved, weighty, and rich on the palate, it is a good choice for young readers who have the time to wait for it to come into focus and shed some of its tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030. P.S. This is the St.-Emilion estate of California visionary, Jess Jackson.

The 2015 Red Wine (Sonoma County) offers tons of potential. A host of inky blue and purplish fruit, crème de cassis, licorice, cloves and exotics spices are all pushed forward. Sumptuous and inviting, the 2105 exudes depth. A closing burst of graphite, lavender and purple-toned fruit punctuates the finish.

The richer, more complete and potentially more complex 2013 Proprietary Red is composed of 50% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. Its possesses a dense ruby/purple color along with notes of dark berries, white chocolate, forest floor and spice box, and medium to full body. Winemaker Hélène Seillan seems to have a magic touch at getting sweet, velvety tannins integrated into the wine’s structural core. This beauty should offer delicious drinking over the next 8-12 years.

The 2012 Red Wine Sonoma County comes across as very tight at this stage. It is also resting in tank awaiting bottling, which may explain the wine's reticence. With time in the glass, the wine's pure depth begins to emerge. The 2012 is a huge wine that needs time to fully come together. Black cherries, plums, violets, cloves and menthol flesh out as the wine shows off its personality. In 2012, the blend is 56% Cabernet Franc, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot.

The Largest Blind Tasting of American True Rosés  - Flights 1-3 Brilliant pink with the slightest orange note. Strawberry with a decided meaty aspect. Good fruit and acid. Really coats the mouth with strawberry goodness. Yum. Outstanding.

Not yet bottled, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers-Remick Ridge, from an organically farmed site in Sonoma, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that will see a full 32 months in 70% new French oak. Lots of black cherry-like fruit, spice, graphite, and dried earth characteristics flow to a medium to full-bodied, nicely structured Cabernet that has building tannin and good concentration. It should certainly be an outstanding wine.

Arrowood's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County is plump, juicy and forward, with lovely depth and terrific overall balance. Dark red cherry, plum, mocha, chocolate, spices and new leather flow through to the effortless, gracious finish. Dollops of Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc round out the blend in this stylish red.

A new offering, or at least the first time I’ve tasted it, is the 275-case 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Justi Creek Vineyard from Sonoma. This shows more roasted herbs, red and blackcurrants, a hint of vanilla, and a creamy, fleshy, mouthfeel without the complexity or delineation of the Reserve Speciale. Nevertheless it has outstanding density and potential. This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in a combination of French and American oak, of which 38% was new. It should drink well for at least 10-15 years, although I doubt that it ever hits the heights that the Reserve Speciale will.

More serious, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard possesses terrific color saturation in addition to sweet, concentrated blackberry and currant fruit intermixed with underbrush and smoke characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, layered, and impressive, it is one of the finest Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted. Given its opulence, it will be accessible young, and should age well for 10-15 years.

Medium ruby. Black fruits, licorice, menthol and a slightly syrupy note on the somewhat medicinal nose. Quite tight and tannic today, and not yet as pliant as the 2006. In a tough stage, displaying solid underlying minerality but currently hiding its fruit sweetness.

Good full, bright ruby. Slightly reduced aromas of crushed cassis, minerals and bitter chocolate. Full and broad but quite dry, and still a bit reduced. Juicy and intensely flavored, but not as expressive today as the Montana. Finishes with tongue-coating tannins and lingering black fruit flavors. A very strong performance for vines that are less than ten years old. Comes across as more tannic, but lower in acidity, than the Montana.

Dark red fruit, with a touch of funk, dominate the nose, with touches of anise, black pepper, and the Oxford comma. Fruity and rich on the palate, with a bit of stewedness, a healthy dose of acid, and some earthy spice. While this is a bit outside of my “normalcy” this is a healthy, vibrant cross between the old and new worlds. And that is a good thing. Excellent.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two A barrel sample, the 2017 Pinot Noir Kiana is pale ruby-purple in color with a nose of red cherry pie, blueberries, strawberry and raspberry jam plus nuances of exotic spice, wood smoke, dried leaves and tobacco with a classy frame of new oak. Light to medium-bodied, it offers wonderful concentration of juicy fruits in the mouth with layers of earth and spice, framed by smooth, velvety tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and spicy.