Glistening ruby. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-tinged red berry, cherry cola and incense aromas, joined by a slowly emerging floral nuance. Seamless and nicely concentrated, offering intense black raspberry, bitter cherry, spicecake and rose pastille flavors and a sweetening touch of vanilla on the back half. Finishes spicy and long, displaying a repeating floral note and harmonious tannins that lend subtle grip.

Seductive, generous, supple.This seductive bottle comes from the portfolio of more than three dozen (worldwide) wineries owned by Jackson Family Wines. One harvested primarily from Oakville Reach (Oakville), Keyes (Howell Mountain), Stage Coach Vineyard (Atlas Peak), Bosche Vineyard (Rutherford) and the Sycamore Vineyard (Rutherford) in Napa Valley; it was aged 28.6 months in 60-gallon French oak barrels (35% new). The blend is 75.8% Cabernet (by law to be labeled as such it must contain 75%+ Cabernet Sauvignon) with descending amounts of Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc.Freemark Abbey is a generous red, it doles out inky aromas of intense cassis, vanilla, black cherries, licorice, purple floral notes and baking spices. Just as concentrated, the palate delivers dusty dark fruit, savoury spices, toasted oak and chicory with bittersweet cocoa and espresso lingering on a persistent finish. This wine has it all; balance, structure and authority.

Serenely pale lemon in color, richly seductive in aroma and beautifully flavorful on the palate, Matanzas Creek’s 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is wondrous indeed. Its cornucopia of elegantly balanced fruit flavors includes peach, citrus and pineapple plus a thread of stony minerality, while delicate acidity is the quiet but all-important thread stitching everything together. This blend of 89% Sauvignon Blanc, 7.3% Semillon and 3.7% Sauvignon Musque offers pure pleasure.

The 2016 Château Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is an fantastic showing which shows a wonderful combination for ripe fruit and earthy twrroir driven character. It begins with a beautiful aromatic profile of ripe blackberries, dark cherries, loam, exotic spices, herbs, and hints if cigar bix that all take shape. On the palate this is medium to full-bodied and nicely structured with gorgeous polished tannins that create a wonderful texture. It goes on to display excellent depth, with a ripe core focused around dark fruit and exotic spices that continue to expand beautifully into the supple finish. While this is absolutely delicious now, it also has plenty of potential to age gracefully for years to come.

This very dark ruby and slightly opaque Merlot based wine from Lasseque is a big boy. It opens with a pomegranate, mild cedar, wet stone and black currant bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and savory. The flavor profile is a mineral influenced black currant with notes of cedar and black cherry. The hints of anise, black tea and a touch of Alessi Balsamic reduction sauce. The finish is dry and its tannins build-up and last for a very long time. It reminded me of a very good Petit Verdot even though there is none in it. This wine needs to be decanted in the near term. You can then serve it with a well-marbled steak or Roy’s rib roast.

Not your average buttery Chardonnay, this dry, subtle and bracing wine is driven by minerality, as a chalky and almost metallic sensation dominates subtle apple, almond and lemon-zest notes. Best through 2025.

This flavorful and well-balanced wine offers generous strawberry and cherry flavors, a broad mouthfeel and just a touch of tannin for texture. It’s full bodied, moderately spicy and quite expressive overall. Best through 2027.

Nicely ripe fruit aromas and flavors meet seductive baking-spice and chocolate accents in this medium-bodied, poised and silky textured wine. It’s surprisingly elegant and well balanced for a wine so concentrated.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Chenin Blanc Jurassic Vineyard is a gorgeous wine that shows just how expressive this Loire variety can be in certain sites in the Santa Ynez Valley. Floral notes lift a core of green orchard and citrus fruit in a Chenin that remains light on its feet. There is plenty of depth, while all the elements are impeccably balanced. This is such a delicious and inviting wine.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is bold and effusive from the very first taste. A burst of ripe red and purplish fruit makes a strong opening statement. Open-knit and racy, the Julia's offers terrific immediacy, if not quite the depth or complexity of other wines in the range. It will drink beautifully right out of the gate.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard is dark, fleshy and generous, and yet retains a striking sense of translucence. Dark blue/purplish fruit licorice, dark spice and lavender give the Solomon Hills its distinctive flavor profile. This inward, brooding Pinot needs a few years to come into its own. Today it is a bit mysterious, but there is a certain allure to that.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Chardonnay Hapgood is elegant, lifted and classy to the core. Freshly cut flowers, bright citrus, chamomile and hints of apricot all run through the Hapgood. More than anything else I very much like the wine's weightless feel and translucent personality. This is an especially steely style, which is maybe a bit out of character for Brewer-Clifton, but it is attractive here.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir 459 is a brooding, inward wine. Menthol, pine, sage, spice and a whole range of intensely floral/savory notes make a strong first impression. The tannins are quite potent at this stage, so readers need to be a bit patient. This clone, originally from the Jura, yields a distinctive Pinot Noir with a strong tannic imprint, as is evident in tasting the 2018.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir 3D is exotic and beautifully layered in the glass. Sweet red cherry, cinnamon, orange peel and a host of floral/savory overtones open up first. The 3D emerges from a sandy site, which along with the whole clusters, yields a Pinot with notable aromatic breadth. The 2018 is deep and yet also light on its feet, with superb resonance and a real sense of vibrancy. The 3D needs a few hours of air to open up, as it has so much going on.

Pale salmon-bronze; a bone dry rose with a rapier thrust to its flavours and their glittering acidity, the finish long and equally intense.

A highly esoteric blend of 74% grenache blanc, 12% roussanne, 6% clairaut, 5% picpoul and 3% bourbelenc that is winemaker Peter Fraser's salute to the wines of centuries past. Lest anyone think the vinification is of similar natural antiquity, think again. It will grow rich and textured as it ages.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyLastly, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard reveals a similar translucent ruby/plum color and offers a more gamey, herbal style in its darker currant and cherry fruits as well as notes of leafy herbs, earth, and briny minerality. Medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has a more rounded texture and a great finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years or so.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyThe 2017 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard plays in the same richer style yet brings another level of purity and precision. Terrific stone fruits, toasted bread, caramelized peach, and spicy notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied and has a round, elegant texture, good acidity, and a great finish. It's impressive.

Shimmering ruby-red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red fruit, exotic spices, cola and vanilla, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Densely packed and lively on the palate, offering mineral-laced black raspberry, cherry cola, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that steadily deepen and spread out with air. Delivers both power and finesse and finishes impressively long and subtly chewy, delivering well-knit tannins and resonating floral and spice notes. 33% new oak.

Limpid ruby. A powerfully scented bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits, vanilla, incense and candied licorice, and a suave floral pastille nuance builds in the glass. Sappy, broad and expansive in the mouth, offering sweet black raspberry, boysenberry and cola flavors supported by a core of juicy acidity. Closes on a youthfully tannic note, showing fine clarity and spicy thrust and leaving sweet red fruit preserve and vanilla notes behind.

Deep crimson. Powerful red and blue fruit liqueur, potpourri, incense and smoky mineral scents are complemented by hints of cola and exotic spices. Alluringly sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering densely packed, spice-laced cherry, black raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors and a strong undercurrent of smoky minerality. Fine-grained tannins frame and shape a powerful, mineral-driven finish that lingers with superb persistence and a sweetening touch of vanilla.

My favorite vintage of this wine to date, the 2017 Roux Beaute Roussanne displays lovely honeyed aromas and scents of orange marmalade and pineapple. It's medium to full-bodied, with a plush, silky feel on the palate and long, white pepper-laced finish. Two-thirds of the final blend spent 131 days on skins, while one-third underwent normal, off-the-skins white winemaking. It should drink well for at least 4-5 years.

The 2017 Ovitelli Grenache spent 138 days on skins in its ceramic eggs. It's floral and roseate on the nose, with notes of cranberry and pie cherry as well. Medium to full-bodied yet taut on the palate, its slightly grippy tannins ultimately turn soft and delicate on the long, tart finish.