USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Aged 15 months in 23% new French oak, the pale to medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands gives up crushed blackberries and black cherries, cranberry, moss-covered bark, dried tangerine peel, rose petal, perfumed earth and red berry aromas. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a wonderfully silky texture but still retaining power, with pure fruits and lots of perfume. It has a frame of sturdy, grainy and juicy freshness with a long, energetic finish.

2018 Oregon Vintage: Vineyard Savvy Reaps Consistency and Quality Striking, fragrant lift here with blood-orange, pink-grapefruit and pomegranate aromas, as well as wild red cherries and forest leaves. The palate has very elegant style with bright acidity carrying red cherries long and fresh. Drink or hold.

2018 Oregon Vintage: Vineyard Savvy Reaps Consistency and Quality A very modern, complex style with rich aromas of red cherries and plums, laced with baking spices, fresh forest leaves and stones. The palate has a very supple, smooth-honed feel with a creamy style of tannin, carrying fresh, red-cherry flavors in pure, bright mode. Good definition too. Drink or hold.

2018 Oregon Vintage: Vineyard Savvy Reaps Consistency and Quality Aromas of star anise, red plums and cherries, as well as blueberries. This is enticingly complex. The palate delivers a smooth, vibrant red-cherry core with such silky, smooth tannin. Great balance, too. Really seductive. Drink or hold.

2018 Oregon Vintage: Vineyard Savvy Reaps Consistency and Quality Impressive aromas of fresh lemons and peaches with lime-pith and spiced-biscuit notes, as well as a hint of praline. The palate then delivers a superbly fleshy and smooth core of rich, concentrated, ripe-peach flavors. Very composed and long. Drink now.

2018 Oregon Vintage: Vineyard Savvy Reaps Consistency and Quality This has a very impressive feel with a fresh array of citrus and some gently spicy pastry aromas, too. The palate has a long, fresh and composed feel with such fine, fresh peaches and pears. Drink or hold.

Napa Valley's 2017s There are just over 500 cases of the 2017 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes, which comes from a single block of the Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Seeing no malolactic fermentation and aged in 10% new French, it has Chablis-like citrus, lemon curd, and green apple notes as well as medium-bodied richness, bright yet integrated acidity, a light graceful texture, and a great finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

Elegant nose with aromas of creamy red berry fruit combining nicely with mocha and sweet spices. Silky texture with a long, pleasant finish.

A suave and toasty style, with lusciously spiced flavors of apple pastry, pear tart and brioche, supported by crunchy acidity. The minerally finish features buttery accents that are balanced and fresh-tasting. Drink now through 2025.

Complex and deeply flavored, with loamy notes to the dark cherry, plum tart and wild berry flavors, which are broad-textured and robustly spiced. The dense, powerfully structured finish lingers, revealings smoky touches and sanguine richness. Drink now through 2025.

Weighing in at 14.5% alcohol, the ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Chardonnay by the talented Greg Brewer was sourced from the 3D, Machado, Acin and Hapgood vineyards. Texturally beautiful, the wine yields great brightness and acidity, as well as weight. Baked apple and vanilla creme brûlée flavors mingle with the earthy and citrus rind undertones on this complex palate. While outstanding now, the 2017 Brewer-Clifton ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Chardonnay will provide drinking enjoyment for another decade, picking up tertiary tones as it ages. Drink 2020-2030.

The 2018 ‘Katherine’s’ Chardonnay shows nice salted Marcona almond and pink grapefruit tones that build together aromatically. The palate is exceedingly bright and lithe, showing off a silky texture and yielding medium-bodied lemon cream and saline drenched Challah bread flavors. The long finish is exceedingly good. This has just terrific length and elegance. Fantastic now, this will continue to build for another seven to ten years. Drink 2020-2027.

The 2010 Bordeauxs are proving their merit and age worthiness in bottle. Lassegue's dense and tightly packed St. Emilion Grand cru displays its ambition on its sleeve, still featuring significant oak influence, albeit very high quality wood, alongside roasted vegetal character and especially masses of black fruit, and now the development of tertiary, earthy, mushroom-truffle notes that add interest and intrigue. It's anything but a subtle, elegant wine, rather a full-on bruiser, thick and dense, but impressive in that context, a soldier, not aristocrat. Forget for another 2-4 years, or hold into the mid-thirties. Tasted January 2020.

Vibrant ruby color with a ripe cherry nose; velvety and rich with dense flavors of cherry and raspberry. Lush yet mellow and balanced.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2017 Chardonnay - W.S. Keyes is rich and deeply phenolic, with all of the natural structure that is so typical of Howell Mountain. Bright and fresh on the palate, with terrific energy, the 2017 is wonderfully nuanced and full of character. Savory herbs, chamomile, mint, pineapple and exotic floral notes add to the wine's character, while blocked malolactic fermentation keeps the flavors bright.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore is dark and beautifully resonant from start to finish. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, new leather, mocha, dark spice and licorice infuse the 2016 with notable character as well as volume. Ample and expansive on the palate, with tremendous depth, the 2016 has so much to offer.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford) is powerful, dense and savory, not to mention incredibly expressive. Sweet tobacco, grilled herbs, leather, licorice, chocolate and dried flowers develop in this characterful Cabernet; there is plenty of Rutherford dirt personality as well. This is very nicely done.

2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth The 2018 Chardonnay is a very pretty, nuanced wine that deftly balances textural richness and vibrancy. Lemon peel, orchard fruit, mint and bright floral notes are finely sculpted in this classy, wonderfully polished Chardonnay from Freemark Abbey.

Siduri's Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir is from a site that’s probably more widely known for robust Zinfandel, and it's a wine that makes me wonder why that’s the case. This is a restrained beauty, with lively tart cherry, dry earth minerality and great finish push where the acidity rings and gets your palate going. An excellent foil for fish or fowl.

Structure meets polish, with expressive raspberry, savory tea and spice flavors that build richness and tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2027.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Retrospective The 2009 Le Desir is a blend of 74% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. Deep garnet in color, it possesses a maturing, flamboyant nose of plum preserves, mulberries and Black Forest cake with underlying cassis, pencil shavings, tilled soil and fallen leaves scents, plus wafts of leather and tobacco. Firm, medium to full-bodied and densely packed with taut, evolving fruit, it has loads of mineral sparks and a long, chewy finish. 1,500 cases were made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Retrospective Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall opens slowly to reveal notions of baked plums, warm blackcurrants and blackberry preserves with touches of Chinese five spice, potpourri, cigar box and tree bark plus a waft of aniseed. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a beautiful velvety texture and plenty of freshness supporting the generous black fruit preserves, finishing long and perfumed. Still has loads of life! 505 cases were made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Retrospective Deep garnet in color, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain offers up pronounced notes of baked cherries, blackberry preserves and warm cassis with touches of espresso, mincemeat pie and tree bark plus a waft of dried herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is laden with Indian spices, fragrant herbs and warm black fruits with a chewy frame and earthy kick to the finish. 195 cases were made.

Shows polish and presence, with expressive rose petal and raspberry aromas that pair with multilayered boysenberry and orange peel flavors, finishing with well-groomed tannins. Drink now through 2027.

Buoyant acidity backs a flavor profile that features savory richness to the dried raspberry and cherry notes. Sanguine details emerge on the powerfully spicy finish, offering accents of portobello mushroom. Drink now through 2025.