At the age of three years, this Cabernet Sauvignon is still very tannic and closed. It has a solid core of black currants, with sweet oak and mineral complexities. The structure is exceptionally refined, and it’s crisp with acidity. A gorgeous wine to age for eight years, if not longer.

This low-production Cab defines Stonestreet’s mountain vineyard, high above the Alexander Valley. It’s very tannic now, with the drying astringency that marks a young wine. Given the fruity concentration, it should have no trouble aging for 10–15 years. High elevation fruit yields an amazing combination of cassis, minerals, tannins and acidic freshness. Drink 2020 and beyond.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard is made of 100% Cabernet and was aged for 21 months in 69% new French oak. Deep garnet colored, it offers up maturing notes of crème de cassis, baked cherries, dried mulberries and sandalwood with touches of dried herbs and tilled soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy with bags of spicy black fruit and a long savory finish.

The 2009 Legacy Red Wine is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 2.8% Petit Verdot and 2.7% Merlot fashioned by Stonestreet winemaker Graham Weerts. Dark red berries, flowers, mint, mocha and espresso are woven together beautifully in this impeccable, polished wine. The fruit profile tends towards the redder end of the spectrum, which differentiates Legacy from the wines Weerts makes under the Stonestreet label. A sumptuous, elegant finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.

A big, thick, massive Cabernet, impressive for sheer volume. Yet it’s very tannic and dry. Deep down inside is an intense core of concentrated blackberry essence, coated in smoky new oak. This feels dramatic and important, but nowhere near ready. Give it eight years in the cellar.

A super premium label of the late Jess Jackson of Kendall-Jackson fame, Stonestreet is the intriguing middle name of Jackson and his father. The wine leaves many pricier California cabs in the dust. It's very dry, featuring pure blackcurrant and blueberry fruit and notes of mint, cedar and tobacco, with solid structure. It should improve with at least a dozen years in the cellar or pair nicely now with rare beef.

The biggest production cuvee, the inky/purple-tinged 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge is fabulous. Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc aged 16 months in 76% new French oak casks, it reveals abundant aromas of creme de cassis, graphite, ink, licorice, and fruitcake in a full-bodied, Pauillac-like style with plenty of sweet tannin. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, this Bordeaux blend is very fine, but young. It needs time to allow the aggressive tannins to resolve and for the blackberry, black currant and herb flavors to emerge. New oak adds a sweet smokiness that will become an integral part of the final wine.

Impressive, peppery, vanilla nose with much welcomed complexity. A dry, elegant style with smoky, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, spicy blackberry jam, cassis, minty cedar flavours. Long and warm this will need 3-5 years to soften. A serious Legacy from an excellent year.

Impressive, smoky, peppery, vanilla nose spiked with spicy, cedar, licorice, clove, black olive and cassis jam aromas. Fine and much welcomed complexity. Rich, round, dry, elegant style but quite intense with grainy tannins. Smoky, vanilla, chocolate, licorice, spicy blackberry jam, cassis, minty cedar flavours. Long and warm this will need 3-5 years to soften. A serious Legacy from an excellent year.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is laced with a myriad of citrus, white flower and mineral notes. This medium-bodied Chardonnay is built on focus, delineation and energy. Bright saline notes punctuate the crystalline finish. A bit tight today, but another year or two in bottle should help.

The 2017s From Sonoma More brioche, smoked earth, stone fruits, and toasted spice notes emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard, and it too is medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity and a gorgeous texture. Coming all from a site in the Alexander Valley and aged 11 months in 46% new French oak, it’s another classic, incredibly high-quality wine from this team.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Gold Run is powerful and inviting. Deep and pliant, with striking depth in its fruit, it is also expansive, creamy and generous. Though decidedly overt, it is also complex and layered, featuring tons of orchard fruit, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes that develop in the glass.

Pure and powerful, featuring precise flavors of crushed stone, dried apple and pear, with well-structured hints of peach pastry. The long finish is filled with rich mineral and spice accents.

The 2016 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is bright, focused and wonderfully detailed. Lemon peel, crushed rock, sage, mint and white pepper give the Broken Road a distinctly saline, tense quality that is hugely appealing. There is plenty of depth and structure here as well.

The 2016 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard shows a more creamy, voluptuous side of the estate. Apricot, peach, lemon confit and chamomile infuse an oily, waxy Chardonnay built on rich layers of texture. Even with all of its intensity, the 2016 has quite a bit of freshness. This is very nicely done.

The 2016 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard is dense, powerful and smoky, with impeccable balance and tons of class. Ripe apricot, peach, chamomile, dried flowers and mint develop in the glass, but like the best Stonestreet wines, the Gravel Bench is mostly about texture. This is a terrific showing.

The 2015 Chardonnay Red Point has a seriously intense tropical and stone fruit-scented nose of pineapple, passion fruit and ripe nectarines with touches of brioche, allspice and coriander seed. The medium-bodied palate delivers a fantastically crisp backbone supporting the intense citrus and tropical flavors, finishing long and spicy.

The 2015 Chardonnay Gravel Bench delivers a wonderfully expressive buttered toast, lemon curd and honeycomb-scented nose with a core of white peaches, ripe grapefruit and cedar. Medium-bodied, it has a lovely creaminess to the texture and mouth-filling ripe citrus fruit and savory layers, finishing long with some nutty nuances coming through.

The 2014 Chardonnay Broken Road (1800-foot elevation) is made from Dijon clones and displays oodles of tropical fruit such as orange, pineapple and apricot marmalade in a deep, rich, crisp, lusty and dramatic style. It is one of the more flamboyant of these Chardonnays out of the gate, and should drink well for up to a decade as well.

The 2014 Chardonnay Red Point is all about finesse. Silky and exceptionally polished, the Red Point is super-expressive today. Beautifully layered and textured, the Red Point captures the more restrained side of the estate. The Red Point is arguably the most refined of the Stonestreet Chardonnays.

The 2014 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is laced with the essence of graphite, pencil shavings, chamomile, savory herbs and dried orchard fruit. Here the impression is of vertical power and intensity. Flamboyant, textured and oily on the palate, the Gravel Bench possesses magnificent richness and overall balance. The 100% new oak is totally integrated. The bold, phenolic style may not appeal to all readers, but in my view, the Gravel Bench is one of California's most distinctive Chardonnays.

Another stunner is the 2013 Chardonnay Broken Road, which exhibits peach, honeysuckle and orange marmalade notes and is made from mostly Dijon clones of Chardonnay.

A full-on, voluptuous Chardonnay, the 2013 Bear Point impresses for its depth and exceptional overall balance. Tropical fruit, honey, chamomile, wild flowers, smoke and peach are some of the many nuances that open up in the glass. The waxy, oily finish is a thing of beauty. The Bear Point is one of the more opulent wines in this lineup. Today, it is striking.

Bright lemon, citrus peel and white floral notes emerge from Stonestreet's 2013 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge. This is another tense, brilliant Chardonnay built on pure energy and cut. The wine's super-intense yet mid-weight personality suggests there will be considerable upside from giving bottles a year or two to fully come together.