The 2019 Merlot is a rich, dense wine. Black cherry, plum, spice, leather and tobacco are all kicked up in this sumptuous, racy Merlot from La Jota. The 2019 is pretty soft for a mountain wine, but it has tons of depth and plenty of stylishness.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford is vibrant and super-expressive right out of the gate. Inky dark fruit, mocha, plum, chocolate licorice and spice are pushed forward. Dollops of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc add dimension, especially in the aromatics. This energetic Cabernet has so much to offer.

Starting with the 2019 Merlot, it gives up a dense purple hue as well as a great nose of spicy red and black fruits, tobacco, loamy earth, and graphite. I love this rich, medium to full-bodied, textured Merlot, and it should keep for 10-15 years.

The 2019 Malbec sports a dense purple, almost blue color and a great nose of ripe cassis and blueberry fruits as well as violets, peppery herbs, and graphite. I love its balance, and it has terrific purity, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Give it a few years.

Based on 82% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and the rest Tannat, the 2019 Merlot offers a deep, saturated plum/ruby color to go with youthful, powerful notes of ripe red and black fruits, scorched earth, Asian spices, and lead pencil shavings. Rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and textured on the palate, this rich, structured Merlot is going to evolve for at least 15-20 years.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is even better, although there are a scant 500 cases made and it's sold direct to the consumer. Coming from gravelly, loamy soils off Highway 29, it has darker black and blue fruits as well as herbal tones in its violet, tobacco, earth, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, wonderfully pure, and balanced, with good acidity, it too is going to shine for at least a decade.

Harmonious aromas of summer fruits, cola, dark cherry and plum. Precise on the palate with fruit balanced by savoury notes and a lovely, fine-grained tannic structure.

Beautifully smoky and crunchy cranberry fruit is vivid and aromatic on the nose. That lovely crunch carries right onto the palate where that same smokiness wraps itself around more of that tart, lovely cranberry fruit. The finish is fresh and mouthwatering and of exquisite balance. What a great value wine.

Full throttle black cherry fruit is currently tucked in behind oak and tannin structure. That said, a return to the bottle after a couple of days on the counter reveals a wine beginning to open and show its charms. This will resolve nicely over time – I would start with about five years. Of course, a long decanting near term will work wonders as well.

Grilled pineapple, dried mango, spiced pear, buttered toast and smoked almond on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied, layered and concentrated. Some waxy and smoky character. Excellent length. Sustainable. Drink now.

An intensely flavorful chardonnay with cooked pear, papaya, clove, tangerine peel, toffee and chamomile on the nose. Full-bodied, layered and textured. Smoky and spicy character to complement the ripe fruit. Phenolic. Delicious now.

Savory, bright and elegantly structured, with hints of underbrush, raspberry and pomegranate building tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2029.

Complex and impressive, mixing power and finesse. Wild blackberry and black currant flavors are ripe, fleshy and plump at the core, but details of black tea, loam, white pepper minerality and chicory add dimension and nuance. Tannins are dense, but velvety and polished. Everything is harmonious on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2030.

Offers a ripe and focused beam of crushed raspberry and blackberry preserve flavors, laced with sweet toast notes but still dependent on fruit, picking up anise and apple wood accents through the finish. Shows freshness at the very end, adding lift. Best from 2021 through 2032.

Offers an explosively spicy aroma, with an alluring creaminess to the concentrated plum tart and raspberry flavors. Pure and minerally midpalate, featuring a lilting finish of wild herb notes. Drink now through 2025.

Offers an aroma of forest floor, with rich minerality to the pure-tasting red fruit flavors. Hints of mocha show midpalate, leading to a finish of ground cooking spice notes, accented by lively acidity and medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2025.

Offers polished notes of toffee, baking spices, tobacco and cedar, featuring a core of plush, plump plum, kirsch and blackberry flavors that are succulent, juicy and polished. Shows seamless integration on the finish, with a chorus of flavors and velvety tannins. Drink now through 2035.

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.