Beautifully crafted, rich and explosive, with a push of plush plum, blackberry, cherry, herb and mocha flavors that are tight and focused, ending chewy.

Beautifully crafted, rich and explosive, with a push of plush plum, blackberry, cherry, herb and mocha flavors that are tight and focused, ending chewy.

Bitter tannins lock this wine down in mouth-numbing astringency. Below the tannins is incredibly pure fruit, by way of blackberry and plum flavors. It has firm minerality, like a lick of stone, while oak aging brings its own flavor profile as well as additional wood tannins. This is nowhere near ready, so give it at least eight years in the cellar.

This shows the tightly knit tannins of Spring Mountain, and is unapologetic about them, demanding that you cellar this wine. It’s very finely constructed, with brisk acidity and a firm, grounding minerality below the intensely concentrated core of blackberry and cassis flavors. It should hit its stride in 8-10 years and go for well beyond that.

Made in the Lokoya style, which is darkly colored, full bodied, tannic and dense in mountain fruit. A spicy oak tone joins with massive blackberry, cassis and violet flavors to make this wine delicious from the start. It’s very tannic and needs a great deal of time. Begin to enjoy this wine in 2016, and it should go far longer than that.

The style of this wine may not be for everyone, but there’s no doubt that it’s a great success for its type. Dry and full bodied, it shows intensely concentrated blackberry, cassis and mineral flavors, wrapped into huge, thick tannins. This absolutely requires aging; begin drinking it in 2016, but even then, it will be just starting to mellow.

Bright, deep ruby. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of cassis, violet and crushed rock; hints at a distinct mineral austerity. Then almost surprisingly lush and sweet on the palate, with rich, clean dark berry flavors expanding to fill the mouth and building on the finish. This highly concentrated, multi layered wine finishes with noble tannins and terrific lingering violet perfume.

Shares the muscular, tannic profile of the other Lokoya's, yet has a seam of supple cream woven within, offering mocha, dried currant and dark berry, ending with dry, extracted tannins.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain, which comes from a high-elevation site on Spring Mountain, shows telltale floral notes mixed with blueberry and raspberry fruit. All from sedimentary, volcanic soils, it is fresh, lively and probably the most finesse-styled of this quartet of brilliant Cabernet Sauvignons fashioned by winemaker Chris Carpenter. Unfortunately, production was virtually nothing - 113 cases.

Extraordinary wines produced by Jackson Family from three mountain vineyards. Big, intense but beautifully balanced.

Extraordinary wines produced by Jackson Family from three mountain vineyards. Big, intense but beautifully balanced.

There's something almost Zinny about this wine, with its brambly, briary, notes of wild blueberries and blackberries and sun-warmed summer bark and dust. It possesses fabulous intensity, but those mountain tannins are palate-numbing, and they shut down the finish. Demands time beyond 2010.

Exhibits a Château Marqaux-like nose of flowers, raspberries, black currants, cherries, licorice, and smoky oak. Rich and full-bodied, with beautiful fruit, considerable elegance, and fine balance, this full-throttle wine is a pure expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.

From the Reverie Vineyard, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain (475 cases produced) displays a dense purple color (that has not changed since I tasted it eight years ago) along with wonderful notes of graphite, burning embers, charcoal and sweet cassis as well as licorice. Full-bodied with excellent fruit purity, it is the most evolved and fragrant of these three wines. Drink it now or cellar it for another 15-20 years. Winemaker Chris Carpenter, who has worked for the late Jess Jackson for many years, hit pay dirt at Lokoya in nearly every vintage. Certainly these 2001s have aged magnificently over the last decade. These 100% Cabernet Sauvignons are aged for 18-22 months in 100% new French oak and are bottled with no fining or filtration.

A new wine in this range, the 2017 Petite Sirah is a total knockout. Rich, ample and explosive, with terrific freshness, the 2017 exudes class. Winemaker Graham Weerts has done a fabulous job in taming the Petite tannins. Then again, it is quite possible that this field blend, from a dry-farmed site planted in 1894, was set up to be inherently well balanced. A rush of dark, inky blueberries, mint and lavender develop in the glass, with a closing floral note that adds freshness. What a gorgeous and hugely promising wine this is.

A vivid, powerful wine, Legacy's 2014 Red Wine exudes depth, richness and intensity in all of its dimensions. The flavors are dark and boldly sketched. Black cherry, plum, rose petal and grilled herbs give the brooding personality. All of the best qualities of the year come through loud and clear in this exceptional wine.

The 2013 Chardonnay emerges from the Upper Barn parcel on Alexander Mountain Estate that also informs one of the Stonestreet Chardonnays. Ample, broad and creamy, with tons of mountain structure, the 2013 exudes class and polish. Honey, butter, orange peel and exotic floral notes blossom effortlessly in the glass. Subtle and yet powerful, the 2013 is marvelously complete, yet it also needs time to peak.

Napa 2016 Vintage: 5 Consecutive Years of Fantastic Wines This is a layered and round-textured wine with dark berries, chocolate and terracotta. Full body. Juicy fruit. Flavorful finish.

This is an excellent California Merlot, among the best I’ve tasted in recent years. It looks forbiddingly dark, but serves up gorgeous, open berry aromas that are backed up with equally generous flavors of Bing cherries and blackberries. With that said, don’t mistake this for a juicy fruit bomb, as it is bolstered by spicy oak and buttressed by firm but fine-grained tannins. It will surely benefit from five years of cellaring, but would prove thoroughly enjoyable now either as a stand-alone sipper or with food… and not just a giant steak or grilled wolverine, but even a nice veal chop (which is where Merlot can show an edge over Cabernet). I don’t wish to gloss over this point too quickly: It is a significant achievement to produce a wine that can be sipped, or dined with, or cellared -- all with equal appropriateness, and all upon initial commercial release. Very impressive.

Rich purple color. Lovely depth of fruit on the nose (fresh blueberry, juicy black currants, tangy black cherries), along with complex elements of graphite, mint, eucalyptus, pipe tobacco and vanilla, along with mossy rocks and forest floor. On the palate, this is full but suave with solid tannic backbone, but vibrant acidity keeps it so fresh. Gushing black cherries, tangy red and black currants, blueberries, the fruit is tangy and vibrant and laced with mint, coffee, dark chocolate, along with earth, charcoal and incense sticks. Lots of savory elements to come out with time, this needs a serious decant or, preferably, five to ten years in the cellar. Exquisite stuff. Includes 10% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in French oak, from vines planted at about 1,800 feet in elevation.

Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Merlot Howell Mountain sports a deep garnet-purple color and nose of pure blackberry, black cherries and black plums with touches of garrigue, menthol and baking spices, with a waft of violets. Full-bodied, rich and packed with generous black fruits framed by velvety tannins and great freshness, it finishes long and spicy.

Lively and textured with awesome blackberry, mocha, and black pepper. The finish is refined with mineral, and spice. Drink now or hold for five years.

Blended with 10% Petit Verdot, this age-worthy beauty is impressively oaked and tannic in its youth, with a concentration of densely packed red and black currants. Coconut shavings and vanilla appear from the background alongside black pepper and cinnamon.

Bold purple color. On the nose, I get waves of black currants, gushing plums, black cherries and pomegranate, along with rich earth, eucalyptus, sage, sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla and violets — just lovely stuff. Gorgeous structure on the palate, velvety but sturdy tannins, moderating acidity. Plums, currants, black cherries, blackberries, exquisite fruit. Tons of charcoal, graphite, iron, mineral, notes of mushroom and soy, along with cocoa, vanilla, cedar and violets. Deep and complex yet effortless and elegant. So much time ahead. From a 1,800 foot vineyard, this contains 10% Petit Verdot and is aged 19 months in French oak.

The 2014 Merlot is a beauty that shows how good this variety can be on its own. Aged 19 months in 76% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, it offers classic black cherry and plum fruit as well as complex notes of spice-box, chocolate, and dried flowers. With a ripe, sexy personality, nicely integrated acidity, no hard edges and impressive purity of fruit, drink bottles anytime over the coming 15-20 years.