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.

This delivers the fresh and vivid profile of the vintage, with a burst of iris and violet notes backed by juicy red currant and cherry compote details. Apple wood and iron accent the finish while letting the fruit course through. Best from 2026 through 2038. 1,649 cases made.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard from this great vineyard holds the heat of the vintage well, displaying both richness and freshness with ample tannin and structure. The dark berry fruit is accented in cardamom, clove, and nutmeg with earthy notes of forest and sage. Drink or cellar through 2030.

From the southern end of the appellation, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard was grown in sandy, rocky soils where the water percolates right through. A powerful wine always, but particularly in this warm vintage, it showcases a depth of dark fruit, earth, and clove, with meaty, savory accents. The oak keeps it cohesive and in check. Drink now through 2030.

The 2023 Pinot Noir is defined more by acidity than tannin, displaying an elegantly light, bright and broadly appealing degree of freshness and breadth. A little more whole-cluster fermentation (15-20%) was used than in warmer vintages, adding spice and complexity. It should age well 5-7 years.

was a light to medium yellow/gold color with a dark gray penumbra. Aromas were lovely warm white chocolate, pome blossoms, citrus and dusty oak notes. More than medium-bodied, not quite dry, fair acidity, luscious, beautifully balanced oak, and great flavors reflective of the aromas with apple and white pepper notes. Finished long on the trailing palate, accelerating ginger, and a spot-on 13.5% alcohol. Paired perfectly with my fried chicken. Worth every penny!!!

Dark plums, black fruits, chocolate, and spice notes emerge from the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows good density and mid-palate depth, with ripe, velvety tannins and outstanding length. Drink over the coming 7-9 years.

Sleek and dark Pinot Noir from the wonderful Zena Crown vineyard, facing west towards the Van Duzer Corridor in some of the most esteemed real estate in the Eola-Amity Hills. It shows cool blue fruits on the nose with pretty violet aromas and a hint of turned earth. The palate gives mouthfuls of wild mountain berries as fresh blue fruits dance around hints of wild meadow herbs and a kiss of fresh mint on the finish. Drinking Window: 2025 – 2030

This is the top bottling in the Willakenzie Chardonnay site; there's a block in the Clairere section of the estate on the western side of the block towards the top of the hill, at 620ft of elevation. Aromatically soft and inviting with spices, poached pomme fruits, and a brisk note of flower pollen. The palate fills out but is dazzlingly fresh, with tart citrus cream and a lengthy, rich finish with a note of lemon curd.

In the steepest and windiest portion of the site, Triple Black, the wind builds structure, and the Western exposure gives it more power, ripeness and dark fruit. There's excellent freshness to
be found in mountain herbs and violets and freshly crushed Oregon blackberries. It's ripe and redolent for the Willakenze bottlings but delivers excellent minerality and freshness through the Finish.