Blue and black stone fruits, pepper, savory herbs and dark spices are some of the notes that inform the 2013 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard. At once quite ripe and also tannic, the Highwire is a bit explosive in style, but all the elements come together very nicely. The huge, resonant finish makes a statement, that is for sure.

The 2010 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard is a striking wine endowed with tons of finesse, richness and power. All of the elements are beautifully balanced here. A sensual, expressive bouquet leads to dense, layered fruit, all supported by huge tannins. Crushed rocks, licorice, leather and menthol develop in the glass. The Dina's needs time to soften, but it is explosive and full of personality. These head-trained vines are nearly 100 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two The 2016 Dropstone Chardonnay opens with very pure notes of lemon zest, red delicious apples and tangerine peel with honey toast, flowers and hay plus crushed rock accents. The light to medium-bodied palate is fresh and lively with a touch of creaminess to the texture, offering wonderfully concentrated ripe fruits and creamy/toasty accents, juicy acidity and a long finish.

Deep ruby-red. Musky, complex nose combines redcurrant, flowers, cocoa powder, sweet tobacco and spices. Then wonderfully intense and voluptuous, saturating the entire palate with dark fruit, spice and saline mineral flavors. Lovely definition here. Most impressive today on the brisk, very long, firmly built finish, where the ripe tannins are in perfect balance with the wine's fruit. This wine was neither fined nor filtered for the bottling.

(91% cabernet sauvignon and 9% merlot): Bright ruby-red. Restrained but complex aromas of black cherry, cassis, minerals, espresso, Cuban tobacco and sexy oak. Penetrating black- and blueberry fruit flavors are given precision and lift by a strong floral element. Lovely juicy, firmly structured wine that really requires at least five years in bottle to express itself. Not fat but boasts terrific definition and energy, not to mention superb persistence. In the style of the 2007 Cardinale but with even more grip. A distinctly adult style. Winemaker Chris Carpenter describes 2008 as a lighter year, and thus the selection for this wine was 95% from mountain fruit and the other 5% from To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville.

Bright, deep ruby. Vibrant, complex aromas and flavors of cassis, licorice pastille, spices and flowers. Penetrating, dense and juicy, with a slowly building sweetness that carries through to the very long, tannic, gripping finish. Still youthfully imploded but with the structure for an extended evolution in bottle. Classic 2007 in style.

Medium ruby. Aromatic nose combines wild blackberry, Cuban tobacco, chocolate cake, smoke and minerals. Concentrated, lush and impressively sweet, with snappy raspberry and mineral flavors dominating. This is kept fresh by harmonious acidity but is also lush, seamless and expansive. Finishes with broad tannins and impressive sweetness and persistence. This St. Emilion-style blend is still very young and may prove to be the best of the 2001 trio made under the Verite label.

Ruby-red. Brooding, perfumed aromas of dark fruits, violet and chocolate. Sweet and intensely flavored, with lively acids framing the currant, black raspberry, mineral and dark chocolate flavors. Very densely packed wine, with the sheer material to support its big, ripe tannins. Give this plenty of aeration if you plan to open a bottle anytime soon. Or, better yet, lay it down for six to eight years.

Dark ruby-red. Black cherry, mocha and licorice on the nose. Ripe, broad and dry; suave and sophisticated. Flavors of red berries lifted by floral and mineral components. Densely packed, backward wine, finishing with substantial dusty tannins.

Bright medium ruby. Vibrant aromas of crushed cassis, bitter cherry, licorice and leather. Youthfully tight yet already quite penetrating; today the wine's licorice and fresh herb notes dominate its underlying dark fruit flavors. More backward than the 2011 La Muse, even austere today

Bright yellow. Pineapple, medicinal herbs and crushed rock on the nose. Very dense and tactile but less immediately fruity than the Upper Barn. Pineapple and grapefruit flavors are accompanied by strong saline and rocky elements. In a very dry style but broad, rich and long. The hardest of these chardonnays to taste today but a wine with considerable potential.

Pale, bright yellow. Initially closed nose opened to reveal steely, Puligny-like white peach, nutmeg, mint and crushed stone aromas. Dense but airy and dry; tactile and silky-smooth but with a lovely light touch. Today this very subtle young wine is showing more minerality than primary fruit. Finishes broad and weightless. Give this a couple years in the cellar. This stunning set of chardonnays made by winemaker Graham Weerts, who is from South Africa, was one of the revelations of my tastings of California wine this spring.

Bright ruby-red. High-toned, sexy aromas of black cherry, blueberry, licorice, graphite and sweet oak. Plush, sweet and pliant, with a wonderfully polished texture to the intense flavors of brambly dark berry, coffee and licorice. Finishes lush and very long, with building, fine-grained tannins and considerable elegance. This will be even better for five or six years in the cellar.

Medium ruby. Reticent but very pure aromas of blueberry, cassis, licorice and menthol. Shockingly rich and sweet but very young, showing superb concentration to its cassis flavor complemented by sexy oak tones. This really vibrates on the very long finish, where the wine's powerful mountain tannins are buried in fruit. Less showy today than the Howell Mountain cabernet but with outstanding long-term potential.

Good medium ruby. An essence of cabernet on the nose, with blackberry, licorice and floral aromas complicated by an exotic suggestion of fruity tropical chocolate. Then large-scaled, fat and sweet in the mouth, with highly concentrated black raspberry and chocolate flavors. The powerful mountain tannins coat the front teeth. Like a cabernet syrup today, in need of at least seven or eight years of aging and likely to be long-lived.

Good full ruby. Elemental, extremely primary nose features grapey blackberry, licorice and violet pastille. Big, sweet, broad and creamy; a huge, powerful wine with slightly rustic flavors of dark chocolate and minerals. Finishes with compelling sweetness of fruit, and very broad tannins that arrive late. From a block of vines that was recently torn out due to phylloxera. The richest of this trio of cabernets. Winemaker Chris Carpenter notes that the intention here is to make three wines of place by using neutral winemaking techniques. The only difference among the wines is maceration times, he added. All three of these bottlings are close to 15% alcohol.

Good wine, excellent flavour, perhaps a little too firm through the finish but long term it should serve the wine well. Mulberry, undergrowth, pure ripe plums, cloves and smoked meat notes drive a characterful, cool-edged palate with ample light-and-shade.

There’s excellent intensity to the fruit here and a good spread of tannin too. This is hearty fare, done well, though as much as I tried I couldn’t quite get the finish to extend into territory that would warrant higher points. Vanilla, redcurrant, toast, peppercorn and blueberry flavours roll into black olives, smoky bacon and cedar. The flavour profile is classy – and delicious – to say the least.

Intense aromas of spiced apple, pear and river rock jump from the glass on the nose of this wine. The palate carries some weight, with flavors of juicy pear, cinnamon, tangerine and brioche. Plenty of acid balances the structure. This is peak crab cake wine.

There's a nice thread of acidity throughout an otherwise medium-bodied-to-opulently styled expression of rounded red berry, baking spice, and a hint of forest floor earthiness in the 2021 Pinot Noir Unforgettable Estate Vineyard, which finishes awash in grippy, yet refined tannins. Enjoy through 2031.

The heaviest, darkest, and most muscular of the four distinct Pinot Noirs made from the Maggy Hawk estate, the 2022 Pinot Noir Stormin leads with clone 777, exuding beautiful violet and blueberry aromas and flavors and buoyant acidity. The oak is 50% new and, while integrated, a bit more showy on the palate, adding notes of baking spice and toast. Still, this medium-bodied wine, while intense, is also complex and inviting and can easily be laid down for later, through 2032 if not more.

Mouthwatering, intense and generous, with a core of citrus flavors including Sumo orange, lime zest and salted, preserved lemon, plus fresh ginger. Pretty, aromatic notes of orange blossoms and sweetgrass linger on the long finish. Drink now. 5,600 cases made.

This energetic old vine Zin shows aromas of concentrated raspberry, violets, clove and anise on the nose, while the palate brings a savory edge of roasted meats to the concentrated berry flavors on display. The finish lingers with elements of baking spices, sandalwood and the gentle grip of just enough rich tannin for a little aging.

The nose of this Chardonnay brings lifted aromas of pineapple, pear and honeysuckle, while the palate shows bright citrus acidity, plush apple and a beautifully energetic finish loaded with flavors of pithy Meyer lemon peel, sage and river stones. Enjoy with fried rockfish or cod.

This citrus lover's dream of a Chardonnay is punchy and focused, with aromas of bright lemon and tangerine, lemon balm, and orange blossom on the nose. The palate is fresh and racy giving pithy lemon-lime, chalk and white flowers along a mouthwatering finish.