The Bennett Valley-based producer employed fruit from its neighborhood for this wine, filling it out with a majority of grapes from Alexander Valley. Rich in caramel and matchstick, it’s an integrated wine, balanced between ripe pear sweetness and savory aspects of oak and spice. On the finish, expect vanilla bean and fresh lemon.

Another winner and a very good value are the 11,500 cases of the 2012 Chardonnay Sonoma. Made primarily from Alexander Valley barrel-fermented fruit, it possesses crisp acidity, lots of buttery citrus and white peach notes along with little evidence of oak, medium to full body, and a rich, layered mouthfeel. Enjoy it over the next 2-4 years.

Broad and expansive, with a full range of floral, spicy, Muscat-like touches and fleshy pear and apple notes, ending full-bodied and layered. Drink now through 2019.

Pale gold. Powerful aromas of poached pear, honey and vanilla are enlivened by zesty Meyer lemon and mineral nuances. Creamy and broad on entry, then tighter in the mid-palate, offering intense melon, pear and candied citrus fruit flavors. Suave, rich and vivacious, finishing with very good clarity and cling.

The 2011 Chardonnay Bennett Valley has a bit more freshness and vibrancy than the straight Chardonnay. Lemon, grapefruit, crushed rocks, flowers all flow through effortlessly to the pointed, chiseled finish. An energetic, bright Chardonnay, the Bennett Valley captures the essence of 2011. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.

Bright gold. Displays an array of orchard and citrus fruit aromas, with zesty mineral and ginger nuances adding complexity and lift. Racy and precise on the palate, offering lively Meyer lemon and pear flavors and a hint of sweet butter. Closes with very good energy and cut, leaving a subtle floral note behind.

Yellow-gold. Complex scents of ripe melon, spicecake and oyster shell, with a hint of white pepper. Juicy, palate-caressing honeydew, chamomile and mace flavors are lifted by a slow-building mineral quality, which adds back-end incisiveness. This smoothly blends richness and energy, and finishes with very good clarity and lingering spiciness.

Rich and creamy, with complex pear, fig, melon and spice flavors that are pure, balanced, elegant and delicate, ending with a honeysuckle edge. Drink now through 2014.

Rich and creamy, with complex pear, fig, melon and spice flavors that are pure, balanced, elegant and delicate, ending with a honeysuckle edge. Drink now through 2014.

2005 CHARDONNAY SONOMA 2005 Chardonnay is a 23,500 case wine that enjoyed 95% malolactic fermentation as well as eight months in French oak (only 325 new). Smoke, lemon oil, white currant, white peach, hazelnut, and orange rind aromas jump from the glass of this 2005. It displays terrific fruit and purity, but little evidence of wood.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Unforgettable Deep End, made from Dijon clone 667, saw 26% new French oak. It offers aromas of raspberries, black cherries, spring flowers and earthy, loamy soil undertones, a sultry texture, a medium-bodied mouthfeel, and impressive purity and lushness. It can be enjoyed over the next 2-4 years.

Ruby-red. Black raspberry, cherry compote and musky beetroot on the nose. Densely packed but surprisingly lively in the mouth, offering juicy dark berry and rose pastille flavors sharpened by juicy acidity. Shows very good depth and power, with dusty tannins building and adding structure and finishing grip.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Hawkster Deep End comes from a clone rarely seen in California, the Swiss Wadenswill clone of Pinot Noir, which is very popular in Oregon. When the crop yields are kept low, it has a Burgundian Volnay-like personality. This offering shows lots of wild strawberry, black cherry and floral characteristics along with surprising density and richness without being heavy or tannic. This silky, seductive Pinot should drink well for 3-4 years.

Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Appealing aromas of fresh cherry, wooded forest and pennyroyal. Soft and polished on the palate with a tasty mid weight core of darker cherry and berry fruits with a noticeable overlay of smoky oak. The tannins are suave and very fine. The wine finishes with modest intensity and a little more oak than I prefer, but the charming fruit is enticing.

This feels dramatic from the start. It’s silky and refined in texture, with brisk acidity and a bite of tannic astringency. It shows a rich core of cherry, cola and sandalwood flavors. This should hang in there over the next five years.

Smooth and meaty with ripe cherry and juicy acidity; dense and rich with notes of earth and minerals; long and balanced.

The glass-staining purple hue shows off the power of fruit, though for now it stnds behind a wall of toasted, caramelized oak. Jammy and tough, this mountain cabernet is a rough black wine that needs plenty of time to resolve.

is dominated by minerals and wet stones intertwined with blackberry and cassis flavors.

Rich tarry blackcurrant nose, dense and imposing. Truckloads of high-quality oak and powerful black fruit with a textured earthiness. A touch extracted, but there's persuasive fruit here and a long, robust finish. Needs time before it's truly ready.

Rich tarry black currant nose, dense and imposing. Truckloads of high-quality oak and powerful black fruit with a textured earthiness. A touch extracted, but there's persuasive fruit here and a long, robust finish.

Good full ruby. Spicy aromas of currant, brown spices, lavender and tobacco, along with a whiff of dill. Sweet and creamy yet at the same time penetrating, with a juicy quality to the currant and tobacco flavors. Boasts an attractive tangy intensity and finishes with rather suave tannins for a Howell Mountain wine.

Toasty, creamy and lush with ripe, smoky oak flavors and lots of honey and butterscotch.

For example, the 1995 Chardonnay (900 cases) was made with 100% native yeast fermentation, put through full malolactic fermentation, completely barrel fermented, and aged in 75% new oak for nearly 18 months, and bottled without filtration. There was considerable stirring of the lees to encourage greater complexity and richness. It is an impressive, young, Burgundian-styled Chardonnay with a smoky, hazelnut, buttery popcorn, honeyed pineapple-scented nose and flavors, full body, great purity and ripeness, and a long, lusty finish. It could easily stand up to just about any Batard-Montrachet made in France, although I doubt it will be long-lived. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

The 1995 Chardonnay offers a Burgundian-like earthy, mineral personality, with smoked hazelnut, rich, buttery popcorn, and tropical fruit scents. The wine is medium to full-bodied, rich, and well-delineated by zesty acidity in addition to the influence of high quality French barrels.

Tangy grapefruit and gooseberry flavors make this new wine from Jackson Family Estates lively, fresh and palate-cleansing. It has medium body, good concentration and bracing acidity.