The 2019 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast, mostly barrel fermented and aged seven months in 17% new oak, has pretty aromas of spiced apples and toast with touches of cream and Meyer lemon. The medium-bodied palate is silky and fresh, offering intense, spicy fruits and a long, creamy finish. It offers a great quality-to-price ratio and is widely available.

Matured nine months in 25% new oak, the 2019 Chardonnay Anderson Valley offers ripe apple, cantaloupe and citrus on the nose with accents of yogurt and spice. The medium-bodied palate is silky, fresh and flavorful, its creamy fruits lingering in the mouth for a very satisfying finish.

The 2020 Sauvignon Blanc has pretty aromas of kiwi, lemon and white peaches with touches of beeswax and graphite. The medium-bodied palate is silky and concentrated with a pleasant weightiness that comes from a touch of Sémillon in the blend, and it has a long, flavorful finish.

Medium ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands features scents of dark cherries, forest floor, lavender and amaro with a flourish of spicy accents. The medium-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with concentrated, layered fruits and a long, spicy finish.

The medium ruby colored 2019 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge offers deep, layered scents of black cherries, blood orange, tea leaves and lavender, unfurling as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is powerful and spicy, with concentrated fruits that linger for an extended finish.

The 2019 Jackson Estate Pinot Noir Anderson Valley has a medium ruby color and layered aromas of black cherries, forest floor, violets, orange peel and tobacco with touches of graphite. The medium-bodied palate is powerful and layered, offering concentrated fruit, earth and spice and a long, flavorful finish.

The 2019 Jackson Estate Cloud Landing Chardonnay has slowly opening aromas of apple pie, roasted almonds, honey and top notes of citrus peel. The medium-bodied palate is bright, fresh and focused, its honeyed fruits unfurling slowly on the long, layered finish.

The 2016 Syrah Outer Limits comes from southwest-facing vines on the Sonoma Coast, planted in Goldridge soils at 680 feet in elevation. It was matured for 21 months in 41% new French oak and aged a further two years in bottle. Deep ruby-purple, it has pure scents of cassis, coffee beans, bitter chocolate, mint leaves and grilled meats. The full-bodied palate is plush and powerful, with a classy streak of new oak spices and a long, slightly flinty finish. Despite being the current release of Syrah from Hartford Court, it could still use plenty more time in bottle!

The 2019 Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard comes from head-trained vines that are more than 100 years old, and it was matured for 10 months in 49% new French oak. Medium ruby, it has soaring scents of plums, wild berries and apricot, with layers of lavender and pie spice. Its gregarious aromatics belie its surprisingly lifted, juicy frame, grainy tannins and elegant, fragrant fruits. It's the most open, easygoing of the Hartford Zinfandels from 2019 and makes a great candidate for earlier drinking and pairing with food.

The 2019 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is concentrated and spicy. It comes from over 100-year-old, head-trained vines and was matured for 10 months in 41% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple, it has lush dark berry fruits on the nose with accents of iron, pie spices, brown sugar and apricots. The palate is dense and spicy, with rounded acidity and a long, flavorful finish.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Truly Rita, matured for 16 months in 22% new French oak, has a medium ruby-purple color and a nose of dark cherries, flint, woodsmoke, charcuterie and incense. The medium-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with intense, mineral-driven fruits and a long, savory finish. Give it another 3-5 years in bottle.

The 2020 Chardonnay Russian River Valley was barrel fermented and matured 10 months in 28% new oak. It's composed of a blend of fruit from neighborhoods across the Russian River Valley: Middle Reach, Green Valley, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plain and Sebastopol Hills. It has a nose of white peaches and lime peel with touches of toast, dark spice and roasted almonds. The palate is lush and satiny, with hedonistic, spicy fruits and fresh acidity that makes this super easy to drink!

Deep ruby-purple, the 2018 Syrah Hawks Butte offers detailed aromas of peppercorn, blueberries and blackcurrants with notes of lilac, sage and thyme. The palate is youthfully firm and very fresh, with just-ripe fruits and pretty floral and peppery tones on the finish. This toned-down expression of Syrah comes from vines planted at 1,600 feet in elevation.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pine Mountain comes from vines planted at an elevation of about 2,900 feet. Blended with 20% Merlot and matured in 50% new French oak for 20 months, it has a deep ruby color and pure scents of red and black currants, thyme, tobacco leaves and a waft of vanilla. The palate is medium-bodied with restrained fruits, grainy tannins and integrated freshness, finishing with an appealing herbal lift.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Tradition, matured seven months in stainless steel on the lees, offers expressive kiwi, lime peel and lemongrass with undertones of graphite and cut grass. Light-bodied and gently rounded, the palate is fresh, bright and expressive, finishing with a pleasant herbal lift.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Pine Mountain, matured 10 months in older puncheons, stainless steel and amphorae, offers deep aromas of kiwi, beeswax and fresh herbs with an undercurrent of graphite. The medium-bodied palate is bursting with tricolor fruits—tropical, citrus, stone fruit—supported by a touch of texture and tangy acidity, finishing lifted and citrusy.

I tasted the 2019 Merlot Jackson Hills as a finished barrel sample. Deep ruby in color, it has lush aromas of black cherry jam, dark chocolate, tobacco, cedar and mint leaves. The full-bodied palate is packed with ripe yet detailed fruits supported by fresh acidity and grainy tannins, and it finishes long. 400 cases will be bottled after aging for 20 months in 55% new French oak.

I tasted the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge as a sample from barrel. It will mature for about 20 months in 70% new French oak. Deep ruby-purple, it offers aromas of red and black cherries, cedar, cigars and potpourri with wafts of savory spice. The full-bodied palate balances youthful fruit with fresh acidity, and the tannins are finely resolved even at this early stage.

The 1998 La Joie is the inaugural vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant cuvée from Vérité. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, it has matured gracefully, with a medium garnet color and continually evolving aromas of dried red cherries, cigars, leather, damp earth and mushroom that unfold slowly from the glass. The palate is soft and juicy, with delicate but persistent savory flavors. It will continue to hold in bottle over the next 3-5 years.

Bottled after 10 months in 42% new French oak, the 2018 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard has a medium ruby color and slowing opening aromas of red and black cherries, charcuterie, dried herbs and citrus peel, gaining more nuance with time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate offers intense, savory fruits supported by loads of grainy tannins, and it has alluring herbal and spicy accents on the long finish.

Matured for 10 months in 38% new French oak, the 2018 Chardonnay Saralee Vineyard opens with flint and matchstick tones, taking some time for baked apples, honey and dark spices to emerge. The full-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with tropical undertones and a long, latent finish. It will unwind with another 2-3 years in bottle or several hours in the decanter.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Lingenfelder Vineyard has a medium ruby color and pretty aromas of rhubarb and raspberry, aniseed, dried herbs, tobacco leaves and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied, bright, pure and fresh, with grainy tannins and a long, fragrant finish. It was bottled after 10 months in 29% new French oak, and 245 cases were made.

The 2019 Chardonnay Tidal Break Vineyard opens with streaks of flint and matchstick that give way to white peaches, jasmine and almonds. The light-bodied palate is bright, juicy and energetic, with youthful citrusy character and a latent finish. It's wound up at this stage and will offer more as it unfolds in bottle over the next 2-3 years.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Bennett Valley features soft scents of white peaches, chamomile and green herbs. Bright and fresh, the medium-bodied palate surprises with its concentration of fruit and pure lychee and citrus blossom perfume, and it finishes long and lifted.

Containing 2% Semillon, the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County features green tropical fruits with touches of dried herbs, chamomile and apricot. The medium-bodied palate offers bright freshness and a gently rounded, mouth-coating texture, and it has a long, pleasantly herbal finish.