Dark garnet color in the glass. Brooding aromas of blackberry jam, ripest cherry, dark red rose petal, earthy flora and vanilla. Blackfruited in a mid-weight-plus style with a good compliment of spice. Very gutsy with plenty of sap but everything in focus and balance. More giving when tasted several hours later from a previously opened bottle. Decant if you must drink now.

Deep ruby color. Juicy strawberries and red cherries are met with rhubarb, rose petals and some cola. Fleshy, juicy strawberries meet with light tannins and vibrant acidity. Cherry rhubarb pie flavors mix with white pepper, black tea some oregano. Fun and fresh despite the juicy fruit, this has a smooth, accessible feel but shows solid complexity for the price as well. Aged 12 months in French oak.

Medium yellow color. Aromas show apricots and lemon drops with lemon verbena, light butter, some bright, sudsy, floral tones. Crisp but flesh on the medium-bodied palate with lemons and peaches, bright but not light on the flavor. Lemon drops and honey mix with some almond and some brighter floral tones. Approachable, fun, yummy, value-driven stuff. Aged eight months in French oak, stainless steel and concrete eggs.

‘Cabernet Sauvignon from contour blocks planted in 1971.’ This is just ballistically good. If this was made by Penfolds they’d charge you 500 bucks for it. It has might and power but it’s not over the top; fruit-wise it’s ‘only’ medium in weight and, indeed, it boasts both an elegance and a fruit freshness. But my oh my, what a swagger of tannin, what an infusion of fragrant shrubbery, what commanding length. Oak, smoky and cedar-like, plays a key role but safe to say, the wine is up to it and then some. Roll me in a river of this. Smoked tobacco. Old dry bay leaves. Fresh redcurrant, into black. This is a cabernet.

Grown on vines planted in the 70s and 80s and matured in all-French oak, mostly barriques but also foudre. Oak fragrance and flavour is strong here but so too is overall quality. Indeed it may well be medium in body but this is a merlot that plants its feet firmly. Big cracks of tannin, explosive berried fruit flavour, creamy vanilla and smoked cedar wood flavours all combine here to fantastic effect. Structure. Shape. Seduction. This wine is a definitive quality statement.

The 94 McD Rockfall Cab 2015 is ready to drink if you bought some on my recommendation and kept your mitts off it. It still has plenty of shelf.

What’s clear from the outset is that this tastes markedly different from the cabernet, and from the merlot. Which is a good start. There’s a plushness to the fruit here and beautiful integration of mocha-like oak. It puts the wine into swish territory straight up. Dark chocolate, rich plum, kirsch, woodsmoke and foresty herb notes all contribute, pretty much in that order, before tannin ripples on through. This is warm and rich, unashamedly, but it feels controlled and deliberate. It’s top notch quality, no doubting it.

Both the 2017 and ‘16 Stonestreet Estate Cabs are excellent values; 92 McD under $45 for a top-flight Alexander Valley 100% Cab, aged 19 months in 38% new French oak, is a bargain. Both are just entering their window.

Both the 2017 and ‘16 Stonestreet Estate Cabs are excellent values; 92 McD under $45 for a top-flight Alexander Valley 100% Cab, aged 19 months in 38% new French oak, is a bargain. Both are just entering their window.

Oregon pinot noir has commanded a voice at the varietals table, as well. WillaKenzie Estate Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir 2018 had bright cherry flavors that yielded to a spicy olive tapenade and wet earth note on the finish. It was medium-bodied, and had a snappy acidity.

The John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 delved into blackberry and blueberry fruits - rich with some compelling tobacco pipe spice.

Unearthed at my local wine store, the Siduri Pisoni Vineyard 2014, made by Siduri founder Adam Lee, had aged gracefully with black cherry, blood orange and some forest floor sweeping in at the finish.

The Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2019 had Christmas spice, nutmeg and black cherry aromas. Black cherry flavors mingled with a fruitcake spice on the finish that has a supple mouthfeel.

Also using the coastal influence of the Pacific Ocean are pinot noir from California's Sonoma Coast. A blend of two vineyards four miles from the ocean and planted at 1,000 feet above sea level, the Hartford Court "Land's Edge Vineyards" Pinot Noir 2018 captured the many facets of the AVA in one bottle. Far Coast Vineyard near Annapolis is at the north end of the coast, on a second coastal ridge that softens the impact of the frigid Pacific air and thus ripens three to four weeks before its counterpart Seascape. Located on the first coastal ridge, Seascape is at the southern edge of the coast and stares down at Bodega Bay. It is shrouded in fog and high humidity throughout the growing season. Harvest in Seascape can happen as late as mid-October. Red fruit, eucalyptus, bacon fat, mushroom, ground cloves and baking spice-rack aromas rose from the glass. Flavors of cranberry, cherry and spice built layers of character into silky tannins and a great mouthfeel.

The Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 is sublime. There's sweet cranberry, cherry, raspberry, tobacco and clove flavors. There's red and black fruit in a duel for attention on the nose. Fine tannins frame the fruit, yet there's an alluringly silky mouthfeel. A loamy earth scent is the aromatic lift that transports your senses right to the green hills, cold, windy days and ocean smell that permeate the AVA. Featured in the bottle are 3D, Hapgood and Machado vineyards: a snapshot of the entire appellation in one bottle.

The Upper Barn Chardonnay 2016 and ‘17 were highly touted by RP. They are selling around $100 and worth it for those who enjoy complex, buttery chardonnay from Sonoma’s North Coast Alexander Valley. If possible, buy the ‘16.

This is a nice, inexpensive Chardonnay. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lemons, some apples and spice. On the palate, this is crisp with apples. Nice finish. Serve chilled. This should be consumed in the next year or two. It is very food friendly and would work well with sea food or lighter foods.

There is no denying 2017 was a super hot year in Italy. Still, for some reason, the Super Tuscans led by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot managed to make the best of the sunshine, as evidenced by this terrific bottle of Il Fauno. Fresh, dense, and power-packed, this is a delight to drink even now, although I suggest it is a wine that deserves a decade in the cellar. And at this price, that makes it a superstar for the cellar. Spicy licorice spills out of the glass along with powerful black fruit, thankfully held in restraint by the touch of French-born winemaker Pierre Seillan. The textures are equally expressive — stock up.

Tropical notes of pineapple and guava meet citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon. This sauvignon blanc also has a hint of honeysuckle and a lingering finish. Pretty.

Kudos to Nielson for their 2019 Chardonnay’s bold and appetizing floral and chalky aromas. The wine’s zesty flavors, including pineapple, citrus and other bright fruits, are likewise appealing. Santa Barbara County’s diverse viticultural regions, which include proximity to the coast, contribute to this Chardonnay’s unique character.

Smells like cherries and cinnamon with a whiff of wet stone. Fruit is lean, with a decent oak vibe pushing up from the core of the glass. It doesn’t hang around much on the finish but would be a good social lubricant at a get-together.

2017 Les Cadrans de Lassegue Saint-Emilion Gran Cru is a happy marriage of merlot and cabernet franc from Bordeaux. Les Cadrans will show you why people love Bordeaux.

Quite ripe, but vivid, with lushly textured plum, açaí berry and blackberry reduction flavors layered seamlessly, framed with mocha- and vanilla-accented toast and backed by violet and warm earth hints on the finish. For the hedonist crowd. Drink now through 2026.

A nod to the Australian archetype with cabernet leading the way at 53% of the blend; yields oscillating across blocks between 3–5t/ha. Minimal messing about and assiduous attention to detail, as always. The shiraz adds sweetness and breadth to the Bordelais' austerity, imparting black plum, iodine, lilac and anise. The cabernet, clearly the authority with its chiselled countenance of currant, graphite and sage. A delicious meld. Sumptuous without being jammy. Taut, without being hollow. Extremely long.

This hums a mighty fine tune. Starting light and bright with raspberries, red cherries, star anise and a fleck of woodsy spices. It seems almost pretty until the savouriness kicks in. A touch of meaty reduction, lots of tangy acidity, with textural tannins working across a medium-bodied palate. It delivers plenty of flavour, yet it's all well contained.