Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is the clear standout in this range. Rich, sumptuous and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2017 hits all the right notes. Above all else, the Dina's Zinfandel is a wine of texture, but the presence of Alicante is felt as well.

Boisterous and ample, with tons of varietal character, the 2016 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is superb. Explosive aromatics and rich, dense fruit are the signatures in this decidedly exuberant wine. Succulent black cherry, plum, new leather and menthol are some of the many notes that infuse this deep, plush Zinfandel.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is medium garnet-purple colored and reveals a beautiful exotic fruit-laced nose of star anise, cassia and cumin seed over a core of Black Forest cake, Christmas pudding and wilted roses. The palate is full-bodied and firmly structured, sporting oodles of freshness framing the flamboyant red and black fruit preserves, Finishing long and spicy.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and gives up intense notes of crushed black cherries, mulberries, plum preserves and blackberry compote with hints of star anise, cracked black pepper, hoisin and potpourri plus a waft of stewed tea. Full, concentrated and decadent in the mouth, it has a firm backbone of chewy tannins and wonderful freshness lifting the opulent fruit to a very long finish.

The 2015 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard comes from head-trained vines planted over 100 years ago, and they are incredibly low-yielding. The wine was aged in 100% French oak, of which 50% is new, and like all these wines, was bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is a big wine at 15.2% natural alcohol, but there’s not a bit of heat to it. Its flamboyant, dramatic aromatics consist of black fruits, red fruits, licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked game. The wine has fabulous fruit on the attack, is full-bodied, and the red and black fruit combo follows through to a long finish of a good 40+ seconds. This is a stunner to drink over the next 6-10 years.

The 2015 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard (another century-old parcel in the Russian River) shows tart acids, tangy red and black cherry fruit, notes of roasted meat, crushed pepper, and briary, zesty, classic Zinfandel flavors that tip the scales at 15.5% natural alcohol. This is big, juicy, succulent Zinfandel with great acid. Drink it over the next decade.

The Hartford Vineyard, in the backyard of the Hartford home, is another century-old planting of head-pruned Zinfandels, and their lowest yielding old-vines. Aged in 40% new oak for nine months prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered, the 2014 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard also shows great fruit, loads of black raspberries, black cherries, licorice, grilled herbs and a very Mediterranean full-bodied mouthfeel. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.

One of the highlights in this range of Zinfandels, the 2014 Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is also one of the very best wines in the entire lineup. Lifted and gracious on the palate, the Fanucchi-Wood Road has a very distinctive red fruit profile that can probably be traced back to the Carignane that is planted here. Today, the 2014 is absolutely compelling.

There are 336 cases of the 2013 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard, which comes from vines planted over 100 years ago on the estate vineyard of the Hartford Family Winery. Aged in 100% French oak (35% new), this wine possesses fabulous fruit intensity as well as abundant notes of black raspberries, blackcurrants and cherries intermixed with licorice, earth, vanillin and spice box. Full-bodied and powerful with massive fruit, opulence and a long finish that lasts nearly 40 seconds, this sensational Zinfandel can be drunk over the next 7-8 years.

The 2013 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is another drop-dead gorgeous wine in this range. Bright, floral and exuberant, with superb delineation and class, the Fanucchi-Wood Road possesses remarkable complexity. Silky tannins provide the backdrop as this polished Zinfandel shows off its personality. Hints of pomegranate, blood orange and flowers add the final layers of nuance. This is one of the best wines I tasted at Hartford on my most recent visit.

The 2013 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard (264 cases produced) was aged in 100% French oak of which 51% was new. This killer Zin includes a dollop of Petite Sirah. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by notes of licorice, incense, blackcurrants and black cherries, bay leaf, spice box, and pepper. This full-bodied stunner should drink well for 7-8 years or longer.

The 2012 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard, a site that is half head-pruned and half on a high wire trellising system, sees more new French oak (52%), and achieved 15.5% natural alcohol. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by a rich, full-bodied wine displaying lots of boysenberry, black raspberry and cherry fruit intermixed with hints of incense and Asian spice. Supple tannins and a big, pedal-to-the-metal, juicy, succulent style suggest it will drink well for 5-6 years.

The 2009 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard is the only parcel of the Hartford Zinfandels where 50% of the vineyard is head-pruned 99-year old Zinfandel and the balance is wire-trained, which is unusual. It exhibits a beautiful floral berry note, a Pinot Noir-like delicacy and sensibility, medium to full-bodied flavors and stunning purity, fleshiness and texture. Like its siblings, it is complex, supple textured, full-bodied, and a tour de force in Zinfandel wine production. It should drink nicely for 5-7 years. One of the top Zinfandel specialists in California is Don Hartford at Jess Jackson's Hartford winery. They also produce an impressive portfolio of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Hartford Court label. These five Zinfandels all come from dry-farmed, low-yielding, old vine Russian River sites.

There are nearly 300 cases of the 2009 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, another century old vine Zinfandel. The most concentrated, lavishly rich, exuberant offering in this portfolio, it boasts a dense ruby/purple color in addition to an extra gear or two as well as abundant amounts of boysenberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruit intermixed with spice, pepper and hints of wood. With beautiful purity and vivaciousness, this prodigious Zinfandel is about as good as it gets for this varietal. Drink this opulent, flamboyant Zin over the next 5-7 years. One of the top Zinfandel specialists in California is Don Hartford at Jess Jackson's Hartford winery. They also produce an impressive portfolio of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Hartford Court label. These five Zinfandels all come from dry-farmed, low-yielding, old vine Russian River sites.

The powerhouse 2008 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard, from 95-year old vines, hides its rather formidable alcohol level beautifully (it's a great example of why technical numbers add up to nothing). A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by glorious aromas of blackberries, boysenberries, raspberries, earth, and spice. Full-bodied as well as remarkably elegant and textured, this beauty is an exquisite example of old vine Zinfandel from northern California. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. …proprietors Don and Jennifer Hartford not only produce superb Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, but also some of the finest Zinfandels made in northern California.

Oregon Displays Collective Greatness: 400-Plus Wines Rated A super rich pinot with so many attractive fruit aromas and flavors, as well as deeply plush and fluid tannins that carry ripe black-cherry flavors long into a convincingly deep finish.

2017 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans Second Team Wines ….aromas rise up over time….onslaught of flavors….big by Oregon standards….great depth of fruit….soothing texture….a good friend now but will benefit from cellaring.

Aged in a combination of concrete egg, stainless steel and new French oak, this winning white is a study in peach and apricot—it’s incredibly inviting in both taste and aroma. A layer of honey adds succulence without sweetness, as it remains dry and balanced through the mineral-laden finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 77.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.2% Petit Verdot, 8.9% Merlot and 4.3% Cabernet Franc, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford gives up exuberant notes of crème de cassis, preserved plums and kirsch scents with nuances of Marmite toast, truffles and tapenade. Full-bodied and firmly structured with taut, grainy tannins, it has a lively line lifting the dense, muscular fruit to a long finish.

Outstanding California Cabernets of 2014 Powerful black currant nose, with slightly charred oak. Very rich without being jammy, it packs a punch. An assertive and very youthful style, but good acidity and tannins means this should go the distance.

Outstanding California Cabernets of 2014 Intense, youthful and fruit-forward nose. This is softly structured but with a good level of tannins. Violets and rose petals lead up to a lengthy finish. Great purity and clarity here.

Outstanding California Cabernets of 2014 A bit Port-like on the nose to begin with, but there is a good depth and the brightness increases in the glass. The palate is succulent, and appealing and has potential to age. Very good.

Ted Edwards brings us another fine expression of Rutherford's top vineyards, including Bosche, Sycamore, Red Barn Ranch, Round Pond and Wood Ranch. The complex aroma mix includes blackberry, cassis, high-toned cherry, clay, wildflowers, fall spice and a hint of citrus zest, all of which are beginning to show themselves as flavors, with bright pepper notes added. It's pretty firm at present, but is quite approachable with a good decant. I'm going to opt for a long rest in the cellar to really get at the promised elegance.

This winery has been a class act over the past three decades, led the entire time by Ted Edwards, perhaps the most underrated winemaker in the Napa Valley. Edwards has always crafted his cabernet for the long haul and this muscular effort from the excellent 2013 vintage has all the power, layered depth and rich fruit aroma anyone could want. That said, it is well balanced, shows inviting notes of wood spice, and it wouldn't disappoint if you pulled the cork tonight. But don't do that. This beauty needs another five years minimum to approach its peak.

Lemon barley, pie apple, honey and white flowers, touch of cedar and spice. Smooth, mellifluous tone, savoury and earthy with poached chicken and lemon zest. Super length. Beautiful complex wine.