USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Fermented and aged in French oak for 11 months (57% new), the 2016 Chardonnay Red Point displays pretty orange blossom, fresh ginger and talc notes over a core of lemongrass, nectarine and Bosc pears with a waft of toast. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and delivering great pear and citrus fruit-inspired intensity, it finishes long and layered.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 11 months in 100% new Côte d'Or French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard gives up alluring lemon curd, warm peaches and honey toast scents with suggestions of allspice, crushed cashews, mandarin peel and jasmine. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals tons of savory and spicy nuances with a racy line lifting the peachy core to a long, chalky finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard opens with lovely grapefruit, fresh pears and apple pie notes with touches of croissant and toasted almonds plus a waft of brine. Medium-bodied, very elegant and very refreshing, the palate and a wonderfully mineral character and long, beautifully nuanced finish.

Another beauty is the 2014 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge, which displays lots of honeysuckle, plenty of minerality, some hints of citrus oil, apple blossom, and white peach. It is another full-bodied, beautiful Chardonnay with a subtle dosage of wood. Drink it over the next 6-7 years.

The 2013 Chardonnay Red Point is another small cuvée of 269 cases, showing plenty of apple butter, tangerine oil, citrus, delicate oak and full-bodied power. Most of these seem to be in the 14% natural alcohol range, giving them good glycerin and body.

From the lowest elevation (1,000 feet) vineyard, the 2012 Chardonnay Bear Point reveals lots of orange and apricot marmalade, pineapple and honeysuckle notes along with wonderful acidity and a fresh, lively style. Enjoy it over the next 5-7 years.

Full bright yellow. Ripe, deep aromas of lemon peel, tangerine, beeswax, crushed rock and dusty herbs, with hints of honey and tropical fruits. Large-scaled, rich and tactile, with nearly viscous flavors of lemon, white peach and butterscotch. Really compelling, ripe, vibrant fruit here, and wonderfully broad and dry. Very complex and sexy wine, a brilliant rendition of this outstanding chardonnay vineyard.

All the Chardonnays are 100% Chardonnay aged in anywhere from 50% to 100% new French oak for nearly 11 months prior to being bottled. The Alexander Mountain Estate is a superb high elevation vineyard source and the Upper Barn (made famous by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer in the decade of the nineties) is a true grand cru site for Chardonnay. The other blocks, which vary from 900 feet to a whopping 1,800 feet elevation, producing stunning Chardonnays that have abundant characteristics in common. As the scores indicate, my favorite is the 2009 Chardonnay Upper Barn simply because there is always a little more to this offering. From an 1,800 foot elevation, it reveals lots of honeyed pear, tropical fruit, brioche, nectarine and marmalade notes along with terrific acidity as well as richness. Moreover, little oak can be detected despite the fact that it (as well as its siblings) sees 50% new oak.

This is an intense, nervy Chardonnay, rich in acids and minerals that offer a tang to the palate. It's also dazzlingly rich, with complex flavors of pineapples, honeysuckle and buttered toast. Shows extraordinary concentration throughout the long, spicy finish.

The medium straw-colored 2008 Chardonnay Gold Run is a full-bodied, rich, vibrant style of wine packed and stacked with honeyed citrus, marmalade, creme brulee aromas and flavors. It should evolve 6-8+ years. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

From a vineyard made famous by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, the 2008 Chardonnay Upper Barn offers lemon zest, nectarine, honeyed brioche, citrus, and crushed rock-like characteristics in its full-bodied, beautifully textured, pure, dense, complex personality. It should drink well for a decade or more. These are far and away the most impressive Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

As hard as it to believe, the 2008 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is even better. A prodigious effort, it tastes like liquid rocks intermixed with tropical fruits, shortbread, subtle butterscotch, caramelized oranges, and candied apples. This beautifully textured, stunningly pure, loaded, long Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next 6-10 years. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

In the warmer part of the Sta. Rita Hills on the eastern edge of the appellation, this steep-sloped vineyard faces winds that blow in from the Pacific. The results are small clusters, small berries, and, for 2016, an early harvest. With aromas of mushroom and a touch of animale, this savory yet quite opulent red shows rich flavors of boysenberry, rose petal, and iron. Juicy, cinnamon-tinged cherries persist through the finish.

Deep ruby. Intensely perfumed raspberry liqueur, cola, exotic spice and potpourri aromas, plus a hint of smoky minerality that builds as the wine opens up. Densely packed and appealingly sweet, showing impressive depth and delineation to the sappy red berry preserve, spicecake, cola and floral pastille flavors. Gains power with air while maintaining energy. Smooth tannins build steadily, harmonizing with the vibrant fruit on an extremely long, floral-accented finish.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is a beauty! Deep, rich, and textured, with smoking good notes of cassis, raspberries, violets, toasted spices, and flowers, this medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated Pinot Noir has a great mid-palate, a seamless feel on the palate, and a great finish. Seeing the standard 25% stems and a mix of new and neutral oak, it’s one of the finest Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted from Adam.

Lush fruits of boysenberry, plump raspberry and strawberry mesh with vanilla, nutmeg and allspice on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard off Drum Canyon Road. Black cherry and more vanilla make for a rich palate, but it’s cut by an edge of acidity, darker elderberry, savory shiitake and a bay-leaf character that rises on the finish.

Smoky, lightly toasty and dark fruit on the nose. Walnut too. Full body, layered and intense. Shows incredible depth. What a wine. Screw cap. Try it in 2019.

Siduri and the Santa Lucia Highlands are a particularly successful Pinot Noir partnership in 2015, and this one from Garys' Vineyard earns a place at the very top of this month's exciting roster of very good wines from renowned producers and sites throughout the state. It is, as its provenance predicts, a very rich and deeply draughted wine that makes no apologies for ripeness, but its top honors are earned for its uncanny combination of substance, structure, vitality and fruity precision. It is a wine that reveals a bit more with each successive sniff and sip, and, as fascinating as it is now, we cannot wait to see the ways in which five years of cellaring will work to make it all the more refined and complex. It is a keeper well worth seeking out. Three stars.

2015 PINOT NOIR, SIERRA MAR VINEYARD The nose is a buttery chocolate and herb with faint notes of grilled meat smoke and nectarine skin. The palate is fresh nectarine on entry continuing to the core with sensuous silkiness accented with herb and conifer. Wet stone on the finish.

There's a mineral backbone to this juicy and medium fruity wine. Medium to full body, light caramel and cedar. Linear and so intense. I love the traditional Northern California style to this pinot. Drink or hold.

Medium-deep ruby color; earthy, cherry and oak aromas; rich, deep black cherry flavors with savory earth notes; good structure and balance, long finish. Generous and rich Pinot with nice fruit. This is another great example of Pinot from the Keefer Ranch—definitely winemaker Adam Lee’s style and really good. Originally published in issue #103

Medium-deep ruby color; earthy, cherry and oak aromas; rich, deep black cherry flavors with savory earth notes; good structure and balance, long finish. Generous and rich Pinot with nice fruit.

Standing out from its more muscular and more obviously ripened cellarmates and seemingly a bit light by comparison, this year’s Keefer Ranch bottling deftly exhibits the pure and precise fruit that its site so often yields. Subtle and yet steady with plenty of depth behind its grace, it is a genteel wine of quiet authority. Those who are put off by big, lavish, very ripe Pinots will find lots to like here, but this very well-crafted effort has more than enough range and fruity richness to please the rest of us as well.

Medium-deep ruby color; tight and reserved aromas of oak and dark cherry; big, deep, rich dark cherry flavors with smoky and savory spice notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, complex Pinot that needs time in the bottle and glass to develop. Great with steak or grilled meats. Adam Lee really understands this vineyard and I think might produce the best of the Garys’ bottlings I see. This is a terrific wine worth your patience. Originally published in issue #99

Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex plum aromas with earthy, smoky notes; rich, deep , layered plum flavors with smoky, earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, layered Pinot with amazing depth. Drinks well now, but will also age really well. A great bottling from an iconic Santa Rita Hills vineyard. Originally published in issue #94