A bold and ripe merlot that offers much in the way or ripe plum and blueberry fruit, as well as assertive, cedary oak influence. The palate starts fleshy and squares up through the mid-section with bold tannins peaking before a burst of red-plum fruit through the finish. Drink over the next five years.

Peach and lemon curd, spice and lime zest, subtle toasted nut thing happening. It’s rich and glossy, but tight in acidity, delivering a wine of quite some volume, that’s also nicely balanced. There’s a savoury and saline character too, a little flintiness, grapefruity acidity, and a long lightly buttery finish. Very good. I like it.

La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2020 delivers consistent quality and value for a mass-produced wine. The cool climate Sonoma Coast with its Monterey Bay influence helps in acidity and extended growing season for intensity of chardonnay flavors. Oak and malolactic certainly are present, but in a controlled and appropriate way for this style of high-production California chard. Pair with pork; poultry, roast chicken; butternut squash risotto; rich fish; crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops in buttery, creamy sauce vegetarian fare. Can work at dessert with key lime pie. Cheese—gruyère, cheddar, bleu cheese, camembert, sheep’s milk cheese.

Two proprietary blocks contribute, later and earlier ripening. Hand picked, basket pressed and fermented spontaneously in French oak puncheons (25% new). Sea spray, rooibos, quince and lemon pith. Stone fruits tucked amidst the fray. A fine, textural, forceful and filigreed finish, marked by a burst of fruit weight.

The 2021 vintage from Monterey has a wonderful nose of pear and citrus, which awakens the senses to the flavors of apple, Meyer lemon and a touch of melon. The finish is clean and crisp, and the alcohol content is 13.5%, with Norm’s score being 90.

The 2019 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Malbec. Deep ruby-purple, it explodes with cassis, violets and aniseed, with wafts of thyme, tobacco and iron, offering new nuances with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate is powerful and refined, with loads of rounded tannins, focused freshness and ethereal character. It's exceptionally expressive and structured and should be very long lived in the cellar.

The 2019 La Joie is an elegant expression that offers power, freshness and expressive, floral character. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, it has a deep ruby color and opens slowly from black cherries and blueberries to accents of violets, ground coffee and licorice. The full-bodied palate has generous, grainy tannins, detailed, perfumed flavors and bright acidity, finishing with an alluring iron character.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard explodes with violets, aniseed and cast iron, with a deep core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, evolving continually with each approach to the glass. The palate is stunning with its intensity and lift, pure fruits, pixelated tannins and focused acidity that drives the very long finish. Its exceptional balance and super pure flavors, plus that characteristic streak of iron that appears across the Anakota portfolio, really take the 2019 Helena Dakota to the next level.

A barrel sample blend of 80% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and 5% Malbec, the 2020 Le Désir has an opaque ruby-purple color and slowly unfolding scents of blueberries, plums, mint chocolate, braised meats and cast iron. The palate is lifted and restrained, with bright freshness, powdery tannins and a violet and iron-laced finish.

The 2002 Le Desir, a blend of 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec, is surprisingly youthful at this stage. Medium to deep garnet in color, it has singular aromas of grilled plums, chanterelles, oolong tea leaves, dried roses, laurel leaves, leather and saline. The palate is seamless and powdery, with a deep core of fruit, bright acidity and a very long, floral finish. It's very expressive and at an ideal stage for drinking, although it will continue to hold over the next decade in bottle.

The 2002 La Muse, a blend of 93% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, has aged gracefully, with a medium garnet color and complex aromas of dried cherries, smoked meats, mushrooms, graphite, leather and soy sauce. The palate offers juicy acidity and Griotte cherry fruit, softened tannins and a layered, very expressive finish.

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, the 2002 La Joie is fully mature and drinking beautifully, with the alluring, savory tones of a well-aged Cabernet: dark berry fruit, shitake mushrooms, coffee grounds, graphite, leather and underbrush. The palate retains a core of dried blackcurrants, while its tannins have softened and integrated, and gentle bursts of acidity carry umami-like flavors of meat drippings, iron and soy sauce. It will continue to provide pleasure over the next decade.

Deep ruby, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard offers its cassis aromas slowly, continually unfolding to accents of lavender, cured meats, chargrill, coffee and loads of savory spices. Matured 12 months in 70% new French oak, the palate is surprisingly lifted and silky, soaring with youthful fruit and spices, focused acidity and a streak of graphite driving the long finish. 1,379 cases were made. Hélène Seillan notes that the oak is sourced from about 15 different forests in France, and its singular, spicy, integrated oak is part of what makes this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon so distinctive.

The 2020 La Joie is a barrel-sample blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. Opaque ruby-purple, it takes several minutes in the glass to begin to open from black cherries to lilac, licorice and cast iron. The full-bodied palate is silky and fresh, its bright acidity intensifying floral nuances on the long finish.

The 2006 La Muse is in the prime of its life and at an ideal stage for drinking. A blend of 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, it has soaring, complex aromas of dried red and black cherries, black truffles, dried sage and old leather, plus wafts of dried roses and mint. The medium to full-bodied palate is beginning to soften gently, its rounder tannins and acidity complementing its arresting layers of truffle and savory maturity. It will continue to hold in the cellar over the next decade.

Matured 15 months in 35% new French oak, the 2019 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard is stunning, with the intensity, energy and detail of a Pinot Noir that promises a long life ahead in the cellar. Medium ruby in color, its aromas are pure and dynamic, a core of dried cherries, rhubarb and orange complemented by layer after layer of earth, floral, flinty and savory nuances. Medium-bodied, it combines powerful, hedonistic fruit with a silky, seamless feel as it glides across the palate, and its stunning floral perfume defines the extended finish. Located in the Green Valley district of the Russian River Valley, the Fog Dance Vineyard has been farmed organically for 15 years.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard, aged 16 months in 33% new French oak, has a medium ruby-purple color and loads of aromatic complexity, with pure scents of blueberries, rhubarb, violets, white pepper, conifer, tobacco and moss. The medium-bodied palate explodes with intense, fragrant fruits supported by silty tannins and soft bursts of fresh acidity. It's long, detailed and expressive. It deserves another 2-3 years in bottle despite all that hedonistic, floral fruit. The Far Coast Vineyard is north of the town of Fort Ross on the Sonoma Coast, where vines are planted at an elevation of 800-1,000 feet.

The 2019 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard is complex and intense with soaring aromatics and a very concentrated, spicy expression. It has exotic scents of apricot, ginger, grilled pineapple and blood orange, hinting at some possible botrytis. It makes for a singular expression and complements the satiny, expansive palate. It offers layers of tropical tones, honey, exotic spice and seamless acidity, and it finishes with tremendous length. The Seascape Vineyard is located at 1,150 feet in elevation, west of Occidental, and faces Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It was barrel fermented and matured for 13 months in 27% new French oak.

The 2019 Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard, from Wente selection vines planted in 2005, was barrel fermented and matured in 30% new French oak for 13 months. The nose offers delicate, classy dark spices with a core of white peaches and touches of roasted almonds and honey. The medium-bodied palate is dynamic, beginning with broad honeyed flavors before its tangy acidity brings all that ripe fruit into focus on the very long, stony finish.

The 2020 La Muse is a barrel-sample blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Opaque ruby-purple, it has pretty aromas of cured meats, coffee beans, aniseed, underbrush and Morello cherries, with a streak of graphite. The full-bodied palate is powerful, with a dense core of black cherries and blueberries, a touch of chew to its tannins and bright acidity.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard comes from vines planted at 1,150 feet in elevation, facing the Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It features lush aromas of cranberries, blood orange and rhubarb, along with touches of loamy earth, tobacco leaves and woodsmoke. Medium-bodied with a very silky texture, it has refreshing acidity, generous spicy layers and a long, energetic finish.