Moderate dark reddish purple color in the glass. Intoxicating aromas of ripe strawberries, black cherries and black raspberries with hints of spice and violet. Mid weight plus flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and cassis with a well-proportioned backbone of acid and tannin. A highly enjoyable wine of great character.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard bursts from the glass with layers of intensely perfumed fruit. The aromatics are especially pronounced, but it is the wine's balance and overall sense of harmony that elevate the Seascape. Small red berries, crushed flowers, mint, pine and licorice wrap around the intense, saline finish. This is a very typical west Sonoma Coast Pinot. The purity of fruit is simply striking. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.

Bright ruby-red. Intensely perfumed bouquet of fresh red berries, cherry-cola and Asian spices. Sweet raspberry and gingerbread on the palate, with silky tannins adding shape. Gains sweetness and intensity with air, picking up black raspberry and floral character while maintaining superb clarity. This very elegant pinot is balanced to age.

The vineyard is near Occidental, in the cooler southwestern part of the valley, and you can taste the fog and the sea and crisp nights in the acidity like biting into a Gravenstein apple. Yet this perfect vintage has resulted in perfect fruit. It's hard to imagine richer blackberry, cherry and licorice flavors. Impeccable and impressive, but young. Best in the narrow window of 2011-2013.

Another brilliant effort is the 2007 Pinot Noir Jennifer's, from a hillside vineyard in the cold Sebastopol hills area of Russian River. It exhibits a flowery bouquet with both blue and red fruit scents, tart acids, a generous mouthfeel, and impressive density. Everything is still playing it close to the vest in this rich, concentrated wine. It will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age, and should keep for 10 years. One of the best wineries in Sonoma, Hartford Family Winery, under the guidance of winemaker Jeff Mangahas, continues to fine tune an impressive portfolio of wines, all from cool climate sites.

The similarly-colored, expressive 2007 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard (another Green Valley site) is one of my favorite Pinots in this line-up. Loads of rose petal, black raspberry, and other floral characteristics emerge from this full-bodied, layered, multidimensional wine. It reveals a subtle hint of oak, very good acidity, and unmistakable amounts of minerality. One of the best wineries in Sonoma, Hartford Family Winery, under the guidance of winemaker Jeff Mangahas, continues to fine tune an impressive portfolio of wines, all from cool climate sites.

A blend of various vineyards from the far or true Sonoma Coast, and also Hartford Court's highest-production Pinot Noir. Always beautiful and balanced, the '07 in particular is remarkable for its silky tannins and overall seamless quality. Really excites for the complexity of currant, cola, licorice and cedar flavors. Now through 2013.

There's a sweet fruit and pasty quality to this wine that's reminiscent of a cherry tart, with its vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and smoky buttery pie crust flavors. It's very delicious but also brilliantly structured as a wine, with fine tannins and a sunburst of citrusy acids. One of the best Carneros Pinots of the vintage. It will provide pleasurable drinking now-2013 at the least.

Planted to the Martini clone in the late 1980's, Arrendell sits in a cold spot in Green Valley, where restricted yields produce fruit with a wild berry character and foresty spice. This 2007 is rich and complete, the texture making it satisfying all the way through. Even so, the brightness of the fruit cuts through the wine's darker tones and leaves a mouthwatering impression. It's a boysenberry-cherry-earth combination that would be delicious with roast duck.

Planted to the Martini clone in the late 1980's, Arrendell sits in a cold spot in Green Valley, where restricted yields produce fruit with a wild berry character and foresty spice. This 2007 is rich and complete, the texture making it satisfying all the way through. Even so, the brightness of the fruit cuts through the wine's darker tones and leaves a mouthwatering impression. It's a boysenberry-cherry-earth combination that would be delicious with roast duck.

Rich, racy flavors of blueberries, cola and hugely appealing brown sugar and spice; lush, and breathtaking.

It reveals a Côte de Nuits-like earthiness with forest floor, underbrush, Allspice, plum, pomegranate, and cherry fruit characteristics. Rich, savory, well-textured, super-complex, and totally different than the Arrendel cuvée, the Sevens Bench will also drink well for 5-6 years.

[One of ] The top 100 wines of the year.

Blackish purple. Full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted. Quite tannic. Berries, vanilla, smoke. Aromas of crushed, superripe berries persist in this boldly structured red. Amazingly concentrated and already developing the subtleties that will make it magnificent in a few years.

The first Charonnay to be released under the Hartford Court label is the 1995 Chardonnay Arrendell Vineyard, of which, sadly, there are only 300 cases. It is a spectacular Chardonnay, offering a complex, smoky, hazelnut, honeyed, citrus blossom-scented nose, followed by layers of creamy-textured, concentrated fruit nicely buttressed by adequate acidity. New oak barrels have provided a subtle notion of smoke and toast, but the fruit dominates the wine's personality. This full-bodied, rich, elegant Chardonnay is undoubtedly going to make heads turn. It should drink well for 2-3 years.

The 2017s From Sonoma The largest production cuvée from Hartford Court is their 2017 Chardonnay Russian River Valley. Its medium gold color is followed by a rounded, supple, textured Chardonnay that has classic notes of pineapple, white flowers, honeysuckle, and toasted spice. Rounded, fleshy, and textured on the palate, with plenty of oomph, it shows the quality of this estate beautifully.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard is laced with apricot, chamomile, mint and lightly honeyed notes flesh out in this racy, layered Chardonnay. The Far Coast is rich and unctuous in the glass, and yet retains a good deal of freshness to balance things out.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard, from a site in Green Valley, is bright, floral and light on its feet. Orchard fruit, white flowers, mint and persistent saline underpinnings make for a refreshing Chardonnay endowed with a good deal of character.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard is a very pretty, gracious wine. In the 2016 vintage, the Stone Côte is especially floral and lifted, with lovely orange peel, lemon confit, spice and chamomile notes. Bright acids give this mid-weight Chardonnay energy and focus. There is so much to like.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard exudes beautiful lemongrass, lime leaves and fresh grapefruit scents with hints of yuzu, wet slate and croissant. Medium to fullbodied, the palate gives a cerebral, mineral and earthy character with a citrus core and fantastic vibrancy, finishing long and chalky.

The 2017s From Sonoma Ripe and upfront on the nose, with tons of caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, brioche, and some spice, the 2016 Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard is another rounded, textured, yet fresh Chardonnay from this estate. With good acidity, plenty of length, and a balanced, high-quality feel, it's already drinking nicely and should keep for 5-7 years.

A dense, powerful wine, the 2016 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard captures all the textural breadth this site is capable of. The apricot, orange peel, spice and tropically-leaning flavors are beautifully layered and delineated. The Three Jacks is one of the more ample, oily wines in the Hartford Court range.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard gives up beautiful lemon curd, peach preserves and guava scents with suggestions of pineapple, allspice and brioche. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, it delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and tropical layers with a satiny texture and a long, ginger-laced finish.

Muted on the nose at first, this white becomes pretty in white flowers and nutty on the nose, with a character of candied ginger and honey. Preserved lemon flavors add richness to a grittiness of wet stone and quince. Structured and textured, it has ribald ripeness at its core that finds balance in its coastal provenance.

This is a substantial complex white, reduced nobly on the nose, with an exotic hint of oak spice and matchstick. Bright focused acidity lifts a grainy texture of mineral-laden stoniness, as high-toned aspects of tangerine and grapefruit underline the freshness that lingers with length.