From the great estate in the heart of the appellation, this white is richly developed in succulent flavors of pear, pineapple and melon. Balanced acidity boosts the fruit and integrated oak, with touches of nutmeg spice and jasmine that last on the finish.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Edmeades is a deep, expressive wine. Spice, dried cherry, earthy notes, cedar and tobacco are some of the notes that flesh out in this supple, beautifully open-knit Anderson Valley Pinot. This is such a gorgeous and inviting wine. Drink it over the next handful of years.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Trace Ridge, from the Kellogg Ranch in Knights Valley, melds together intense fruit richness with the more savory and mineral-driven undertones that are so typical of this part of Sonoma. Graphite, tar, black cherry, menthol and licorice infuse the 2017 with tons of depth and sheer concentration.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkeye Mountain is distinguished by its bright aromatics and floral, red-toned personality. A Cabernet of energy and focus, the 2017 Hawkeye has so much to offer. It is one of the more finessed wines in this range, and yet there is plenty of structure as well.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Seco Highlands is bright, floral and very, very beautiful. Crushed red berries, mint, spice and rose petal all grace this exquisite, beautifully lifted Pinot from Kendall-Jackson. This is a "wow" wine.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Red Blend is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, mostly from mountain sites in Napa Valley and about 11% from Knights Valley in Sonoma. Bold and punchy, the 2017 offers an intriguing combination of inky dark fruit and structure. More than that, though, the 2017 offers tons of pure drinking pleasure at a mid-tier price.

I seldom — come to think of it never — open a $125 bottle of wine just for myself, but these trying times can make some of us do unusual things. And so, after chilling the wine, I took a deep breath, popped the cork and poured myself a glass of Stonestreet’s “Upper Barn” Chardonnay. One whiff of the cherry-blossom charged perfume and I was hooked. The haunting flavors (guava, ripe fresh fig, pear, lime zest), underpinned by a shimmer of minerality, provided sheer delight, as did this Chardonnay’s perfectly balanced and elegant texture. On the second night the wine was just as fresh and flavorful. Solo drinking may not be the best way to enjoy a bottle of superior wine, but am I sorry I opened it? Not at all.

Graceful and elegantly structured, with pretty raspberry, stony mineral and tea accents that gather richness and backbone on a long finish. Drink now through 2027.

Ultra-pale partridge eye hue; early-picked estate fruit produces a spicy/savoury wine that has wild strawberry flavours within a bone dry compass. If there are no Spanish restaurants available, go Italian - either will work.

Well made. Cold-soaked, matured in used French barrels for 9 months. Cherry, cherry everywhere - all types, all flavours. It all comes together on the coherent, well balanced palate and aftertaste.

Hand-picked, part destemmed and crushed into 675l ceramic eggs, 131 days on skins, then drained off and the skins discarded, part conventionally fermented in ceramic eggs, the final blend 67% skins component/33% conventional. Has developed convincingly, able to express itself well.

Juicy and full of richly spiced dark cherry, mulberry and dark plum flavors that are flanked by light iodine and hot stone notes. Shows savory focus on the broad, plush finish. Drink now through 2024.

Tasted alongside Cullen Vanya 2012, Mount Mary Quintet 2015, Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 2015, Woodlands Heather Jean 2010, Penley Estate Helios 2016, Balnaves The Tally 2010, Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer 2015 – stiff competition. It certainly meant a pace was set. This quite distinct from most of the more ‘restrained’ wines in that mix, overt, bright, sweeter fruit, less tannin, one could say. This is the ranking for me – Cullen Vanya 2012, Mount Mary Quintet 2015, Yarra Yering Dry Red No.1 2015, Woodlands Heather Jean 2010, Penley Estate Helios 2016, Hickinbotham Trueman 2016, Balnaves The Tally 2010, Wirra Wirra Dead Ringer 2015, with YY and Woodlands very close to equal, and let’s say a little gap after Penley to the next three. That does say a lot about the pedigree of all the wines, however. Has this sweet, candied fruit character rolling through the wine, like jubes or something similar, but also let’s chime in with black jelly beans. Scents show some savouriness, earth, clove, dried leaves, but liquorice and blackcurrant essence is there too. There’s a good swish of grippy, fine, stony tannins but that sweeter fruit character is the main program. Also, mint, green herb, saline flavours. It’s long, medium weight, fresh feeling in character. It’s a pretty cabernet.

Shows presence in an appealingly brooding fashion, with deep blueberry, dusky spice and black tea flavors that build tension toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029.

Polished and plump fruit wraps gracefully around a complex backbone, with an expressive range and dusky spice accents that build toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2028.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Bright magenta. Displays high-pitched red fruit, floral and spice aromas that are accompanied by a smoky mineral nuance and a hint of succulent herbs. Appealingly sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense raspberry, cherry, rose pastille and spicecake flavors that slowly deepen on the back half. Shows sharp delineation and tension on the long, floral-tinged finish, which is given shape by fine-grained, even tannins.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Deep vivid red. A complex, expressive bouquet evokes ripe red berries, cherry preserves and mocha, and bright mineral and spice topnotes lend vivacious character. Stains the palate with appealingly sweet black raspberry and cherry vanilla flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Shows excellent definition and floral lift on the impressively long, supple, cherry-tinged finish, which is given shape by sneaky, well-knit tannins.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Bright red. Highly perfumed red berry preserve, floral and exotic spice scents are complicated by a nervy blood orange quality. Seamless and alluringly sweet, offering palate-caressing raspberry, cherry cola and rose pastille flavors sharpened by a spicy jolt of white pepper. Closes silky, focused and appealingly sweet, delivering well-knit tannins and outstanding, floral- and spice-driven persistence.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Vivid red. Displays powerfully scented aromas of raspberry, cherry-cola, exotic spices and vanilla and a vibrant mineral nuance expands in the glass. Palate-staining, mineral-laced red fruit preserve flavors pick up notes of star anise and candied flowers as the wine opens up. Powerful but surprisingly energetic in character, finishing with sharp delineation and sneaky tannins that emerge slowly.

Big and bold and every inch a Syrah with sweeping aromas of pepper, gamy spicy and blackberries galore all overlain by a veneer of sweet and slightly toasty oak, this lavish, no-holds-barred effort follows with intense, highly extracted flavors to match and fully lives up to its producer’s motto of “unconstrained winemaking.” It is a hedonistic wine by any and all measure, but it is uncannily well-structured and varietally articulate for one as big and brawny as it is, and it is capable of growing for a full decade and more. We expect it will have its detractors for its unapologetically opulent style, but there are bottles that are so breathtakingly sumptuous that they compel admiration, and this is just such a wine. 2 stars, good value.

Terrific Turkey Wine A silky, seductive cool climate California Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Morning fog protects the grapes and lengthens ripening while preserving nervy acidity for seafood, roast chicken and turkey. Medium-bodied and delicious! Pinot Noir food pairings: veal medallions, roasted pork loin, roasted and braised lamb, chicken stuffed with asparagus and goat cheese, venison burgers.

Napa Valley Cabernet 10 years apart Cardinale is a blend from mostly mountain sites in Napa, but always with a proportion of valley-floor fruit blended in to give greater approachability. There's very little perceptible evolution in colour here. The nose is both opulent and vibrant, while the palate remains velvety and suave. The tannins are very ripe, and new oak still dominates the mid-palate. The finish is long, spicy, and chocolatey. Jackson Family Wines founded the label in 1982 and its winemaker since 2001 has been Chris Carpenter.

Italy, Tuscany: Chianti Classico New Releases & A New Wave of Italian Icons The 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva is a nicely integrated and seamless wine, with satisfying fullness and richness. It reveals a very contemporary bouquet with black cherry covered in chocolate. The wine is thinner in the mouth, and the tannins make their presence known. But overall, it shows a very streamlined construction. Pair it with a French onion soup. The blend is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French barrique for 12 months. Some 29,000 bottles were released. Again, Tenuta di Arceno gives you great value for your money.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is a relative newcomer to the range, sourced just off Highway 29, not far from the To Kalon vineyard. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is laced with warm cassis, wild blueberries and boysenberry scents plus nuances of chocolate box, candied violets, cloves and cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has wonderful vivacity with bags of blue fruit and very soft, approachable tannins, finishing spicy. 587 cases made.

South Africa 2019 Special Report Big, bold, rich and reflecting something of the heat of the 2016 vintage, this ambitious, high-end Chardonnay combines fruit from a series of selected Western Cape sites. Savoury, toasty and leesy, it needs a little more time in bottle to absorb its oak.