The 2017s From Sonoma From a site south of Sebastopol planted all to old Wente clones of Chardonnay, the 2016 Chardonnay Jennifer's spent 16 months in 23% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s deeper colored and has a rich, honeyed bouquet of stone fruits, crushed Meyer lemons, orange rind, and crushed rocks. Rich, powerful, and structured on the palate, I expect this singular, exotic white to age nicely.

Tastes like a box of rocks drizzled with citrus oil. Poached pear, orange rind, stony white peach notes, and striking minerality are reminiscent of a Chevalier-Montrachet from the likes of Michel Niellon. With lovely body, acidity, and purity, it should be drunk over the next 4-5 years.

The 2016 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is deep, unctuous and full of flavor, yet also has quite a bit of the freshness that is so typical of Russian River Zinfandels, especially in this vintage. The Dina's has a bit more tannin and structure than the other wines in the range, which makes it reticent. Dollops of Alicante add character and personality to this super-expressive Zinfandel from Hartford.

Jolene’s Vineyard comes from head trained vines planted over 100 years ago. It is aged for 12 months in French oak, 55% new and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Medium to deep garnet in color, the 2015 Zinfandel Jolene’s Vineyard presents black cherry, baked blueberries and blackberry preserves notes with hints of incense, sautéed herbs and dusty earth. Rich, full-bodied and packed with layers of berry coulis and savory flavors, it has a gorgeous velvety texture and great length.

Bright saturated ruby. Extremely dark aromas of crushed blueberry, violet, bitter chocolate, licorice and camphor. Peppery and precise but not green, with outstanding dark fruit and violet intensity accentuated by an electric impression of energy. This seriously tannic Le Desir will need at least eight years of cellaring before it approaches its plane of peak drinkability.

Deep ruby-red. Terrific lift to the aromas of cassis, licorice, mint, minerals and bitter chocolate, accented by herbs and rose petal. The middle palate offers outstanding depth for 2011, as well as terrific definition and energy to the dark berry, nutmeg and cassis leaf flavors. Finishes classically dry, with subtle building length. Seillan told me he uses the malbec for spice, not to add color or volume. A huge success for the vintage.

Good deep red-ruby. Complex aromas of cherry, plum, musky brown spices, licorice and menthol lifted by a floral topnote. Quite dry and youthfully imploded initially, then opened to show a creamy sweetness and growing pliancy to its red fruit and mineral flavors. This has firmed up since I saw it in barrel a year ago, while La Joie has become more harmonious. The most tannic of this outstanding trio of 2007s today, with the structure for a long and positive evolution in bottle.

Bright ruby-red. Black fruits, licorice and cedar on the nose. Broad and round but backward, with a distinctly medicinal reserve to the flavors of black fruits, menthol and smoke. The middle palate is currently dominated by the wine's spine and yet the very long finish is lush and sweet. The least obviously minerally of these three 2006s today, but offers great potential.

(65% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot) Bright ruby-red. Black and blue fruits complicated by licorice, minerals and fresh herbs on the nose. Rich, broad, lush and full, even if it conveys less easy sweetness and personality today than the Muse (but then this is Seillan's Pauillac-style blend). Best today on the sensational back half, which features a major coating of suave tannins and an extremely long, aromatic finish that reverberates with subtle floral tones. Interestingly, this cabernet-based wine has a higher pH than the merlot-based Muse: 3.78 vs. 3.64.

Good bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of cassis, black cherry, graphite, iron, tobacco, menthol and spice cake. Lush and broad on entry, then sweeter and lusher in the middle palate than the Muse, with a captivating chocolatey quality and outstanding volume. As rich and full as this is, there's no sense of excess weight. Finishes long, dense and palate-saturating with major dusty tannins. This Pauillac is sweeter and deeper than Seillan's Pomerol, a comment on the comparative quality of cabernet sauvignon and merlot in California's North Coast.

Very pale yellow. Captivating nose combines exotic apricot, white plum, crushed rock, brown spices and a lavender high note. Intense and tactile on entry, then tightly coiled and penetrating in the middle, a step up over the foregoing wines in its impression of acid spine. Very powerful, youthfully aggressive, palate-staining wine that will need time in bottle to open and expand. Less thick and sweet at the same stage than the 2008, but at the same time more glycerol than the 2009 Gravel Bench. A great example of a California chardonnay, by which I mean that I would not mistake it for Burgundy in a blind tasting.

Broad and plush in feel, with a core of flattering and rather ripe boysenberry and black currant confiture that spills through slowly, laced liberally with singed cedar, espresso crema and ink notes. An echo of cold charcoal lingers as the fruit holds the finish. Offers more oomph than purity but is well-rendered. Best from 2028 through 2041.—J.M.

An intense and floral wine with fresh violets, lemon leaves, red cherries, pomegranates, wax and earth on the nose. The attack is firm, with a medium body, chalky but chewy tannins and flower flavors. Crisp and juicy in the finish, with a blood orange aftertaste. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.

This is showing a little more oak than is ideal, early days and all, but the fruit is excellent, so too the structure and indeed the length. Hold off for 12 months and this will be a ripper. Berries aplenty, woodsy spice notes, flashes of whole bunch complexity and a sinewy, smoky, cherry-berried finish. Tonic, cherries and smokes is the wine’s News In Brief, with twiggy structure accompanying.

What a delicious expression of cool-climate chardonnay this wine presents. For value and for quality you could ask for little more. It’s squeaky with flavour, of the peach and citrus and grapefruit kind, with pear, brine and roasted nut characters also present – but a long way from being dangerous. It sounds boring – it’s not – but cohesion and balance are the heroes here. It’s a wine of tension, flavour, complexity and spread, and of a bit extra too, but none of these assets is pushed too hard. Absolutely Yes on this one.

This is broad, rich and muscular but flows with freshness at an even-handed pace. The core of red currant and plum fruit is focused and backed by lively cedar, mesquite, savory and dried iris accents. A steady note of iron chimes through the well-structured finish, with the vintage’s succulent edge providing reserve energy. Best from 2028 through 2043. —J.M.

What a delicious expression of cool-climate chardonnay this wine presents. For value and for quality you could ask for little more. It’s squeaky with flavour, of the peach and citrus and grapefruit kind, with pear, brine and roasted nut characters also present – but a long way from being dangerous. It sounds boring – it’s not – but cohesion and balance are the heroes here. It’s a wine of tension, flavour, complexity and spread, and of a bit extra too, but none of these assets is pushed too hard. Absolutely Yes on this one.

A superspicy, modern Gallo Nero, showing vanilla, coconut, cassis and eucalyptus. Medium-bodied, firm and extracted, with crisp acidity and velvety tannins that are a bit sticky at the moment but will evolve. Polished graphite finish. Drinkable now but best from 2027.

The 2023 Chardonnay Dropstone opens with a bouquet of wildflowers and Jordan almonds, complemented by pretty white peach. It envelops the palate with masses of ripe apple and pear, elevated by juicy acidity as a crunch of minerality forms toward the close. It tapers off long and gently structured, leaving nuances of candied citrus and mint to fade.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Dropstone cascades from the glass with a spicy blend of crushed black cherries, rosemary, orange zest and clove. It is elegant in feel, with silken depths of ripe red and black fruits carried by waves of tantalizing acidity. Long and staining yet balanced, the 2023 leaves a tart citrus tinge and nuances of blackberry.

The 2023 Kiana Pinot Noir mixes confectionery spices with dried black cherries and nuances of mint to form a darkly inviting bouquet. Savory and sweet notes mingle on the palate, as tart wild berry fruits flow across a silken textural wave offset by salty mineral tones toward the close. It leaves the palate stained with primary concentration as fine-grained tannins flex upon the senses, alleviated by a sour citrus twang.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard opens with a display of crushed blueberries and blackberries complemented by nuances of sage and stone dust. It is round in feel, with vibrant acidity and a solid core of ripe red and blue fruits that envelop the senses, while a tinge of licorice builds toward the close. This finishes with staining length, tense and firm, yet only lightly structured, leaving a subtle citrus inflection.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Pas de Nom is darkly floral and understated in the glass, as plums, blackberries, autumnal spices and dried blood orange emerge. It is surprisingly lifted on the palate, with silken textures and a cascade of ripe wild berry fruits over a saturation of crunchy mineral tones. Violet inner florals linger over a staining of licorice as the 2023 finishes spicy and gently tannic.

This appellation blend offers much of the same energy and juiciness that makes this brand's single-vineyard bottlings sing. Bright aromas go strawberry, crushed rocks and eucalyptus leaf decorate the nose. The palate is full of cherry and rose flavors that are cut by a pine needle kick.

The 2025 Pinot Noir Dakél Viñedo Mar y Cerro from Portezuelo, Quirihue, Itata shows an engaging, fruit-driven nose with pronounced sensuality. Oak is slightly elevated at this early stage following recent bottling, tasted one month after release, bringing notes of vanilla and sour cherry. Broad and indulgent, it flows across the palate with a rich, enveloping feel that is still marked by its youth in bottle.