Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Pratt Vineyard-Sexton Road is one of the more exuberant and expressive wines in this range. Creamy, ample and inviting, the 2017 has so much going on. Sweet floral and spice notes add layers of complexity, but more than anything else, the 2017 is a wine of textural richness and breadth. The 2017 is just superb.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir (Petaluma Gap) shows the savoriness and energy that are typical of this cool micro-climate. Lifted and precise, the 2018 is such a gorgeous and expressive wine. Sage, mint, tobacco, blood orange, rose petal and incense add myriad shades of nuance to this sculpted, beautifully taut Pinot.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Seco Highlands is marked by soaring aromatic intensity and a weightless feel that is rather beguiling. Exotic white flowers, mint, lemon confit and white pepper are all beautifully lifted here. New oak is around 67%, but the wood is not at all noticeable. As always, this is one of the most distinctive wines in the range.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Crown is a bold, powerful wine. Ample and broad, with tremendous depth, the 2016 is complex, nuanced and potent. Black cherry, menthol, licorice, chocolate and dark spice infuse the 2016 with tons of character. Dark and brooding, the 2016 will be even better in another few years' time.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers-Remick Ridge is such a classy, polished wine. Silky, exquisitely perfumed and just striking in its balance, the 2016 is a remarkably elegant wine. Succulent dark cherry, menthol, licorice, spice, tobacco and black olive all add energy and character.

Certified organic/biodynamic. Older barrels used for maturation. You can tell the impetus is tannin and structure here. Great drinking, great wine. Serious feeling but retains drinkability. Game meat, pecan nuttiness, very dark berries, bramble and wild herbs in ferrous earth, or something like that. A jumble of flavour all wrapped up tightly in a very firm weave of ribbons of Italianate tannins. Violets the clincher in perfume. Such a fantastic, brooding but come-hither red wine.

Silky and structured, with a vibrant core of acidity and polished tannins, enveloped by polished cherry and raspberry flavors and highlighted by loamy mineral and smoky spice notes. Drink now through 2028.

Intense cassis and plum reduction flavors form the base for this wine, with streaks of graphite, anise and roasted apple wood adding energy and cut throughout. Youthfully chunky now but well-built, with deeply embedded acidity in place to let everything meld fully. Best from 2024 through 2040.

35% grenache blanc fermented separately, 30% clairaut, 20% roussanne, 10% picpoul and 5% bourboulenc co-fermented in 675l ceramic eggs. In other less skilled hands this could be an orange wine, not a bright, crisp, racy mix of stone fruit, citrus and allspice.

Made entirely from the one variety, this is light in color and beautifully composed, a study in structure and graceful texture. Red cherry and pomegranate play around complementary characteristics of rose, dried herb and cedar, finishing with plenty of fresh acidity.

Graceful and delicate, featuring silky cherry and raspberry flavors, laced with orange peel and underbrush hints, building richness and structure toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029.

Rich and finely detailed, with expressive cherry and blueberry flavors, accented by sassafras tea and rose petal notes, wrapped in a silky finish that lingers. Drink now through 2029.

Dynamic, with multilayered flavors swaddled in a velvety texture. Lively raspberry, blueberry and orange tea notes develop elegant complexity on the detailed finish. Drink now through 2029.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Vibrant crimson color. High-pitched black raspberry, cherry, exotic spice and potpourri scents show excellent clarity and take on a minerally quality with air. Taut and energetic on the palate, offering ripe red and blue fruit and cola flavors that are complemented by suggestions of candied rose, vanilla and allspice. The fresh, impressively persistent finish displays a strong mineral quality, suave florality and harmonious tannins that lend gentle grip.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Limpid ruby-red. Powerful, spice- and mineral-accented red and blue fruit, incense and potpourri aromas pick up a cola nuance with aeration. Densely packed but also energetic in the mouth, offering intense black raspberry, boysenberry, cherry pie, star anise and rose pastille flavors that are supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Smooth, alluringly sweet and focused on the impressively long finish, which features a lingering floral note and harmonious tannins that add framework and closing grip.

Napa Valley Cabernet 10 years apart The aim of Cardinale is to be accessible, though not mature, on release, as well as having the capacity to age, and this 2015 succeeds admirably. There's dense blackberry fruit on the nose, which has power and ripeness without being jammy or overbearing. The mostly new oak is evident on the nose, and the palate, but it's sumptuous and integrated. Plump and full-bodied, the wine is understandably youthful and quite grippy, but it's not too extracted, and the long finish is juicy and vigorous.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard comes prancing out of the glass with showy Black Forest cake, blackberry pie and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of unsmoked cigars, pencil lead, olives and morello cherries. Medium to full-bodied, it has a lovely ripe, rounded tannin texture and layers of black fruits and herbal accents, finishing on a perfumed note. 2,021 cases were made.

Striking, enticing and inviting nose emits pure pleasure and extreme confidence from the stalwart Willamette house. If you don’t know this winery you need to because in their hands pinot noir is lifted to the heights and executed for all the right reasons. Balance is met by the introduction of pleasantries to tension and an accord of moving parts is magically reached. Extraction, concentration and acidity are all on the same page, of complex mathematical design, theory and relative equilibrium. So good. Drink 2019-2026. Tasted September 2019.

Great stuff! This is a fairly deeply coloured, complex and enchanting pinot noir. Ripe black cherry fruit is effortlessly inlaid with wood smoke, cedar, vanilla and forest floor. It is quite full bodied, intense and powerful with considerable alcohol and fine youthful tannin. Very concentrated, very Oregon and very well done. Best 2021 to 2025. Tasted Sept 2019.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard has a level of nuance and transparency that elevates it in this range. Crushed flowers, rose petal, mint, lavender, blood orange and spice are all finely cut. A wine of class and distinction, the Nielson is fabulous. The combination of 667 and Swan Clones works beautifully here.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2018 Chardonnay Katherine's, from the Cambria estate in Santa Maria, exudes depth and old-vine character in its powerful, dense feel. If tasted blind, I might have pegged this for a red wine, such is its phenolic resonance. These 50-year-old, own rooted vines confer striking complexity and character. This is such a compelling wine.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future A wine of denisity and power, the 2017 Machado is another standout in what is a very impressive range from Brewer-Clifton this year. Dark cherry and plum fruit are rich and expansive on the palate. The 2017 needs a few years in bottle to develop more complexity, but it is really quite compelling, even in the early going.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Chardonnay 3D is the most overt and tropical of the four wines in the range, the 3-D will appeal most to readers who enjoy richer, more flamboyant wines. Tangerine, hazelnut, smoke, pineapple and buttery notes are front and center in this decidedly exotic, viscous Chardonnay.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2018 Chardonnay Katherine's comes from clone four, self-rooted vines that are 49 years old. It has a wonderfully open, perfumed nose of ripe quince, peaches and apricot, sweet hay, dried chamomile, orange blossom, spring honey and toasted almonds plus hints of crushed shell, lime peel and saline. The light to medium-bodied palate offers intense, seriously minerally flavor layers with great supporting texture and juicy acidity, finishing long, layered and energetic.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Made using 65% new oak, the pale to medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir Rita's Crown gives up aromas of violet, chocolate-covered cherries, oolong tea, gravel dust, red cherry preserves and turned earth—deeply scented with notions of damp earth and moss-covered bark. Medium-bodied and silky, it gives great intensity and lots of ripe fruits with a strong mineral line, wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and flavorful. Yes!