The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Brave offers up a complex bouquet of red and black currants, tobacco, sandalwood, and savory herbs. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with beautiful fruit and a round, velvety texture yet building tannins. There's solid mid-palate depth and concentration. This Cabernet-dominated blend (94% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot) was aged for 23 months in 81% new French oak and will keep for 15 years if well stored.

The 2022 La Jota Merlot Howell Mountain is a deep ruby-purple effort that incorporates 14% Petit Verdot and was aged 22 months in 60% new French oak. It delivers beautiful notes of red and black plums, dark cherries, leather, and graphite, along with subtle baking spice nuances. Medium to fullbodied, rich, and concentrated, it stays remarkably straight and focused on the palate, with a beautiful texture and outstanding balance. This impressive Merlot from Chris Carpenter will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years.

The 2022 La Jota Chardonnay W.S. Keyes Vineyard is a terrific expression of the variety from Howell Mountain. It offers a precise, mineral-driven profile with stone fruits, hints of melon, white flowers, and honeydew nuances. Medium-bodied and layered on the palate, it shows a remarkable sense of purity and precision, nicely integrated oak (12% new), and a balanced, layered, elegant profile that will drink nicely over the coming 7-8 years.

The 2022 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is a mountain powerhouse, offering up a complex bouquet of red cassis, purple fruits, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and violets, with underlying notes of iron and forest floor. Based on 91.5% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, and aged 22 months in 77% new French oak, this full-bodied, concentrated effort has a focused, structured profile on the palate with plenty of ripe tannins that will benefit from short-term cellaring. This classic Howell Mountain Cabernet should evolve gracefully for 15-20 years

The debut vintage of the 2022 Syrah from Napa Valley–based winemakers Chris Carpenter and Gianna Ghilarducci is sourced from one block of Les Collines Vineyard, giving the wine a cool climate character of sinewy, leathery texture and enduring gaminess, with plenty of class and complexity. The dark, brambly berry fruit stays bright within a full bodied core of structure and underlying acidity unfettered by oak; the wine was aged 15 months in only neutral French oak. Drink now through 2037.

A structured wine with beautiful bright cherry and blueberry fruit, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley is lovely and memorable in medium bodied grip and weight, with youthful grip on the palate. Savory earthiness persists in the form of cedar, tobacco leaf, and sage. This wine should age another 12–15 years.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is also from the Russian River Valley. It’s a bright ruby color and boasts a seductive perfume with notes of fresh leather, ripe cherries, sweet spices, and forest earth. The palate is medium-framed and has a focused and bright feel, with refreshing, mouthwatering acidity, ripe tannins, and a gently tapering, spiced finish. Drink 2026-2040.

Shifting momentarily to Oregon, the 2023 Chardonnay Warrior Princess Block is from the Eola-Amity Hills within the Willamette Valley. This was a very different vintage in this region compared to Sonoma and can be broadly categorized as a warm to hot vintage compared to the more cool-vintage character of the 2023s from Sonoma. A bright yellow/green-toned hue, the nose of this wine is ripe but has great focus, with notes of lime cordial, white pepper, wet stones, and green apples. The palate is medium-bodied, with an elegant, floating feel, an even texture, and a clean, tapering finish. A lovely wine, it’s fantastic now and should age gracefully over the next 6-8 years. I am a huge fan of Oregon Chardonnay, and for my taste, I would stash this away and drink it on a regular basis.

The medium golden yellow 2023 Chardonnay from Three Jacks Vineyard is sourced from alluvial soils in a parcel long supplied by the Dutton family. On the nose, it opens with pronounced mineral aromas of crushed stone, pithy lime, white peach, and melon. The palate is full and rounded, with a deeper, layered texture and a refreshing backbone of ripe, well-integrated acidity. Drink 2025-2032.

The 2023 Chardonnay Stone Cote Vineyard is fresh with a lifted perfume of flinty wet rock, fresh peach, preserved citrus, and hints of grapefruit. The palate is ripe but has an elegant feel, with refreshing acidity and a silky, rounded texture. It’s a very pretty wine all around, with an approachable feel, and should drink well over the coming 6-7 years.

Coming from the Green Valley of the Russian River, the 2023 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block is a transparent ruby red color and is pretty and floral on the nose with notes of wild strawberries, tarragon, fresh roses, and sweet herbal perfume. Medium-bodied, it’s elegant and refined on the palate, with a floating feel, fine tannins, even acidity, and a clean, fruity f inish. It’s very charming now but should also age well over the coming 12-15 years.

A youthful magenta/ruby color, the 2023 Zinfandel Winberrie Knolls Vineyard is fruity on the nose with pure notes of raspberry cordial, dark berries, floral perfume, and dark stones. The palate is zesty and fresh, with vibrant, refreshing acidity, fine, coiled tannins, and a clean finish with hints of strawberries. It’s very pretty and is going to drink well over the coming 8-10 years.

A darker magenta/ruby color, the 2023 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard has more depth, with notes of espresso, black cherry liqueur, graphite, cracked pepper, and polished leather. The palate is tangy and ripe with full-bodied richness and an underlying coating texture, with ripe tannins and a plush feel on the finish. There’s more depth and complexity to this wine, and I would be interested in revisiting it in a few years as it sheds its more primary fruit and develops more interesting spice and mineral tones. Drink 2026-2038.

The 2023 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is a youthful magenta color and is ripe and fruity on the nose with notes of mocha, baking spice, black raspberries, candied flowers, preserved berries, and dried earth. It’s juicy and fruity on the palate, with an approachable feel, a silky, fruity texture, and a medium to full-bodied frame, with more red fruit lifting the wine nicely. Drink 2025-2032.

A deeper ruby/magenta color, there’s more Petite Sirah in the field blend for the 2023 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, which has darker, more intense notes of cigar box, blackberries, cherry preserve, dark spices, lavender, and mossy forest earth. The palate is full-bodied, with ripe tannins, even acidity, and a broader feel on the finish. It has a deeper tannin structure and a bit more richness of earth and grip on the finish, with a slightly more a rustic feel to its structure, but it’s well-balanced and can handle richer marbled steak and braised meat.

A similar magenta/ruby hue, the 2023 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is ripe with floral and herbal sapidity, revealing notes of pressed flowers, mocha, crushed sage, and blueberries. The palate is compact and mouthwatering, with zesty, snappy acidity that gives it a brighter feel, and it’s full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a long, savory finish with hints of orange oil. Drink 2026-2040.

Coming from the vineyard formerly known as Keefer Ranch in the Russian River Valley and pouring a bright ruby red color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Dutton-Perry Ranch is very pretty on the nose, with an attractive floral perfume lifting from the glass, with elegant, savory notes of fresh red cherries and sweet spices. The palate is pretty and elegant and has a fresh evenness of acidity, as well as a silky, rounded feel. A very pretty wine for this vintage, it’s only going to improve, keeping its pure fruit but allowing for the more savory elements to start to shine and layer the wine. Drink 2025-2037.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard is a jeweled red ruby color and offers a deeper and more introspective nose, with notes of dark cherries, pine needles, peppery spice, and fresh blue flowers coming through. It fills the palate with mouthwatering, bright acidity, and it has a riper, more angular, salty and savory feel with more richness and intensity. Drink 2026-2040.

A pale silver/straw hue as well, the 2023 Sauvignon Blanc Taylor Peak delivers a bit more intensity on the nose. Coming from more red gravel soils. It has a cooler climate feel from the wind that comes through the site, and it leads with a deeper tropical perfume of fresh guava, lemon candies, white grapefruit, and wet stones. It also has a more intense and focused feel on the palate, with bright, refreshing acidity, a windswept feel, and snappy, ripe f inish. It was raised in concrete egg and neutral puncheons and has a lovely evenness and roundness of texture without feeling oily or oak-influenced. Drink 2025-2035.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Nine Barrel comes from the top barrels of the vintage, and as with the Chardonnay, they are going for a more opulent feel. It pours a deep red color and it’s spicy and decadent, with notes of toasted cedar, preserved black cherries, woodsy earth, and warming sweet spices. The palate is full-bodied, with a lush, ripe texture, rich tannins, and a ripe and well-balanced spiced finish. Drink over the coming 8-10 years.

Coming from the steepest vineyard on the property, on a south-facing slope, the 2022 Chardonnay Red Point pours a bright yellow/silver color and leads with a light flint lift, followed by notes of toasted spices, banana bread, walnut, and poached apples. The palate is lush and textural, with a creamy texture and notes of honeycomb and ripe fruit. Drink 2025-2035.

A bright yellow hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Estate is savory on the nose and opens to notes of chamomile, wet stones, fresh peach, honeyed citrus, and brothy richness, although it remains fresh. The palate is full and long, with both ripe orchard fruit and a savory feel. It would be exceptional to pair with roast chicken, which would let this wine shine. Drink 2025-2035.

Bright and focused aromas of raspberries, wild strawberries, confit cherry and spice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and focused acidity, leading into a textural and refined mouthfeel. Delicious. Drink or hold.

From the Les Collines vineyard, 30% whole cluster in all neutral oak for 15 months, Gianna sees similarities between Les Collines and Syrah she used to make on Mt Veeder. It's blue and black fruited with some earth notes and deep violets. The mouth shows ample texture and black and green pepper corns, juicy black fruits, and spice.

Deep crimson. Intense brambly, blackberry, dark chocolate aromas with flinty, touch pepper notes. Richly concentrated and inky textured with abundant blackberry, blueberry, black pepper flavours, fine slinky, touch sinewy tannins and fresh pure long acidity. Finishes firm and tight with flinty, earthy, sappy notes. Would benefit from some more bottle age. Drink 2026 – 2034