The 2001 Chardonnay Laura's offers a stunning array of tropical fruits along with hints of butterscotch, orange marmalade, and spring flowers. Full, rich, and extremely pure, with a multilayered texture, this is another brilliant Chardonnay that showcases Mike Sullivan's winemaking talents.

Lush and elegant; lovely oak, spice and smooth fruit; complex and long.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2016 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard also has a marine influence in its mulled cherry, spice box, earth, and shrimp broth-like aromas and flavors. Showing a good mix of sweet fruit and savory notes, it’s medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, and has a complex, singular style. Aged 17 months in 39% new French oak, it can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for 7-8 years.

The 2017s From Sonoma A classic Sonoma Coast release, the 2016 Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards offers perfumed notes of candied cherries, orange rind, rose petals, and sandalwood. I always find the true Sonoma Coast releases to have a rounded, supple texture and that’s certainly the case here. This medium-bodied wine has a silky texture, ripe yet polished tannins, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming decade. This cuvée comes from two Sonoma Coast sites located 4 miles off the coast and spent 31% new French oak.

The 2017s From Sonoma From a single vineyard in Marin County located north of the Golden Gate bridge, the 2016 Pinot Noir Marin County was mostly destemmed and spent 17 months in 38% new French oak. It’s a medium to full-bodied, textured effort that has loads of bright cherry and cranberry fruit, plenty of loamy earth and compost, a touch of smoky stem character, solid mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. It will be thrilling to drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it keep even longer.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond A new wine in this range, the 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita is gorgeous. Bright and vibrant in the glass, the 2016 offers terrific drive in a mid-weight, energetic style that holds considerable appeal. Red and purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender and mint are all beautifully focused. A touch of whole clusters adds lift without being especially evident.

The 2017s From Sonoma Another Anderson Valley release, the 2016 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail comes from a warmer, higher elevation vineyard located on a ridge at 2,000 feet above sea level. This puts the vineyard above the fog line, so it sees higher day temperatures and cooler nighttime temperatures. Aged 17 months in 32% new French oak, it has a classic, savory Anderson Valley bouquet of black and blue fruits, dried spice, loamy soil, cured meats, and forest floor. It’s rich and medium to full-bodied, with a mouthfilling texture and a great finish.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard emerges from the heart of this well-known site. Soaring aromatics make a strong first impression. Blood orange, mint and rose petal are all beautifully lifted in the glass. Medium in body, gracious and exotic, the Arrendell has a lot to say.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters rocks up with boisterous notions of crushed black raspberries, blueberries, red plums and black cherries plus hints of cloves, cinnamon stick and chocolate box. Full-bodied, plushy textured and decadently fruited in the mouth, it delivers mouth-filling black fruits and spices, finishing long.

Velvety and luxurious on the nose, this is named for the producers' son and is from a vineyard near the coastal town of Occidental. Dark cherry and chocolate travel along a smooth spicy thoroughfare of integrated oak and tannin, the body bold and full bodied. Forest pine and orange peel add complex nuances of aroma and flavor.

The 2015 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is even more impressive from bottle than it was from barrel. Bright and lifted, with terrific focus, the MacLean's deftly balances fruit intensity with structure. Whole clusters and elevation also add to the wine's savory and mineral-driven personality. I very much like the sense of energy here. This is a terrific showing from Hartford Court.

This wine has a tannic intensity to it and a depth of rich red fruit. Rose and lavender aromatics season a seductively velvety texture of leather, nutmeg and Asian spice, the spiciness warming and muscular within a full-bodied boldly ripe core.

This wine is slightly reductive on the nose, and tannic in its youth, with a strong floral component that brightens the proceedings. From a foggy hillside site overlooking Forestville, it sings in forest pine, tart tangy blood-orange acidity and sprinkles of Asian spice and soy.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard is generous, supple and absolutely delicious. Lifted floral, citrus and spice notes add nuance to a core of red berry fruit. Medium in body, yet pliant, the 2015 has turned out beautifully. As always, the Seascape is done in a forward, fruit-driven style for the coast, but it also has quite a bit of minerality and brightness.

Bold dark-fruit aromas and mouthfilling flavors make this full-bodied wine taste generous and concentrated. A deep core of black plum and black cherry fills the palate and lingers nicely on the finish. It is both ripe and savory but doesn't go over the top, maintaining good balance and a fresh dry aspect.

Marin County lies to the north of San Francisco, just across the Golden Gate Bridge and goes up to Bodega Bay. This is a cool, foggy region and the 2015 Pinot Noir Marin County was destemmed and spent 16 months in 32% new French oak. Cranberries, white cherries, spice, bay leaf, and sassafras notes all flow to a beautifully balanced, medium-bodied Pinot Noir that shines for its complexity and nuance. It’s one of the fine, ethereal wines in the lineup, yet doesn’t lack for intensity or depth. It’s going to keep for 10-12 years.

This wine speaks to cool-climate sensibilities, fleshy and fruity with a vibrancy and intensity. Sage, thyme and forest floor fill the nose before unleashing full-bodied succulent flavors of strawberry and raspberry that take on a kirsch-like complexity.

Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Hailey's Block gives up Bing cherry, ripe raspberries and pomegranate notes with touches of baking spices, tree bark and wild thyme. Medium-bodied, very finely crafted and refreshing in the mouth, it has lovely silken-textured tannins framing the vibrant fruit, finishing long.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard is terrific. Rich, ample and enveloping, the 2015 is wonderfully complete. The new oak, which was evident from barrel, has integrated very nicely. Sumptuous and racy, with tons of aromatic and flavor breadth, the 2015 has terrific balance of fruit, acids and structure. The old Martini clones yield a Pinot with beguiling complexity and nuance. The Arrendell remains one of the most distinctive Pinots in the Hartfort Court range.

As for the 2014 Pinot Noir MacLean’s Block, this emerges from a gentle east-facing slope east of Occidental. Made from clones 67 and 777, the wine is a stunner, with notes of forest floor, white flowers, black cherries and raspberries. The gorgeous fruit follows through on the medium to full-bodied palate with impressive purity, texture and length. This wine should drink nicely young and keep for at least a decade.

Another saturated ruby/purple wine is the 2014 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard. This comes from a mountain ridge north of Fort Ross at a 1,000-foot elevation. Dense ruby purple, with notes of sassafras, forest floor, red and black cherries, raspberry and underbrush, the wine exhibits medium to full body and terrific texture and length. This is another 10-year Pinot Noir, but should be drinkable during that entire window of opportunity.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail comes from a vineyard at the southern end of the Anderson Valley planted at an elevation of 1,600 feet. Again unfined and unfiltered, this has a dense ruby/plum color that is more saturated than its two predecessors and notes of fresh herbs intermixed with wet gravel, blueberry, raspberry and pomegranate. It is medium-bodied, long, rich, and made from Dijon clones 115 and 777. This is a broad, savory, impressive Pinot Noir to drink over the next decade.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail comes from an Anderson Valley vineyard at a 1,600-foot elevation. Aged in 31% new French oak, this wine offers the cranberry, blueberry and traditional red fruits in an elegant, deep plum-colored wine with moderate tannin. As the wine sits in the glass, more raspberries seem to emerge. This is a cool-climate, high-elevation Pinot that’s just beautiful. Drink it over the next decade, as it’s somewhat restrained at present.

Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is very special, offering hi-tone aromas of an array of purple fruits and spice. A little tight, but hinting at greatness, with an attack of purple and black fruits that attracts attention, continuing through a very generous finish. A sumptuous accent of spice and savory herbs adds nuance. Very seductive, with a silky smooth mouthfeel.