Bright full ruby. Sexy oak complements aromas of crushed cassis, black cherry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Pliant and dense but with a captivating light touch to the dark fruit and violet flavors. Classic firmly structured Napa cabernet, finishing impressively long and lively, with fine-grained tannins. Winemaker Chris Carpenter is able to select from Jess Jackson's Artisans & Estates' best cabernet vineyards around Napa Valley.

Ripe and fresh with tangy plum fruit and smooth vanilla in the nose; bright and lively, clean, complex and balanced.

Silky and rich; dense and complex with lovely style and finesse; spicy and intense. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot.

Ruby-red. Sexy, varietally accurate aromas of currant, cedar, tobacco and violet. Rich and ripe but dry, with lovely purity of black cherry, chocolate and dusty earth flavors. The wine's lively acids and fine tannins frame the fruit and carry the finish, which features lovely aromatic character and brooding dark berry fruitiness. Classy, pure wine, built for a couple decades of life in the bottle. (I was unable to taste the 2004, as the wine had recently been racked.)

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Arrowood's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Crown is fabulous. Rich and explosive, the Knights Crown is almost shockingly sensual for a wine from Knights Valley. Racy and silky, the Knights Crown is more texturally finessed than most Knights Valley Cabernets, it is a wine of sheer sensuality and appeal.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Revelation is laced with expressive dark cherry, plum, tobacco, incense, lavender and licorice notes. Sumptuous in feel, with soft contours and exotic aromatics, the Revelation is another super-impressive red from Captûre. The higher percentage of new oak here vis-à-vis- the Harmonie adds volume but at the expense of some aromatic freshness.

A rich nose of papaya, mangoes, butterscotch, banoffee pie, dried cloves and vanilla. Full body, loads of tropical fruit, a driven serving of acidity and a long finish.

The single wine from this Chardonnay exclusive producer shows elegant structure and lively style with toasty oak and intruiging hints of spice; complex and graceful

Our favorite of the experimental clones. The smoked bacon and underbrush aromas turn to a big mouthful of juicy black cherries and licorice, accented with a dusting of earth. It's a big, lush Pinot that finishes with chocolate-covered cherries.

Medium-deep ruby color; earth tones, black cherry and floral, violet note; deep and rich on palate, with black cherry blackberry and a hint of chocolate; great structure, long finish. The rich and ripe flavors along with classic structure make this Pinot outstanding.

When first poured, this is as bright as the sun reflecting off the beach. So bright, it's hard to catch the bottom notes, the fruit slowly revealed below all the dusty red spice that hovers like a cloud-thread of perfume. A chocolate note of tannin emerges as the dust begins to settle, along with a deeper tone of black olives and dense red fruit. But the tension continues, a contrast of grounded strength with elusive perfume, feverish as a young wine and well worth following as it ages.

A complicated wine with two separate personalities. First, it shows some of the greener aspects of Santa Maria Pinot, edging forward with scents of fennel, anise, roasted carrots, yams. . .as if an unformed mash of holiday flavors. Then there's the raspberry side, the brightness of color developing into a bright fruit flavor as it gives up the initial blackness. The fruit yields from an espresso-like tannin, intense & impacted, growing ever more powerful in the glass. Give this several years in the cellar to resolve & it should prove fascinating (1200 cases).

Exhibits buttery popcorn notes, rich full-bodied, powerful purity, and the longest finish, with the most intensity and nuances. It is a fabulous Chardonnay capable of lasting 4-5 years. These are all handsomely rendered Chardonnays.

It's fascinating to taste a wine from a single clone, especially when it tastes this good. This wine starts off with a lot of raspy high tones, like rosin or radish, then slowly settles into its deeper black cherry and black fig flavors with air. Oak melds into the fruit with a lasting aroma of cherry wood smoke, and that finishing note seems endless, wrapped around a succulent black fruit flavor. The impression is dynamic and intense without a lot of weight.

Cambria is not as well known as it should be in Canada. This is what Santa Barbara pinot is all about. The reserve is clear notch about regular version in intensity, flavour and wieght---with superb balance. Look for gobs of cranberry/black cherry fruit flavours in along luscios, showy finish

World Series! Fragrant nose of black cherries and smoke. Very rich, saturated, dense black fruit flavors with tar and smoke. A big Pinot Noir.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two Racy and explosive on the palate, the 2016 Pinot Noir Clone 2A shows the more overt side of Santa Maria Pinot. Super-ripe red cherry, raspberry jam, rose petal and mint all grace this extroverted, undeniably alluring Pinot. The Clone 2A is quite forward in style and yet retains plenty of class.

Another flagship release is the 2015 Pinot Noir Signature Collection Barbara's Clone 667, which comes from a single clone planted in Julia’s Vineyard and spent 14 months in 70% new French oak. It's slightly more ruby-colored and gives up a more Burgundian bouquet of spiced cherries, forest floor, and dried herbs. It's medium to full-bodied, has terrific purity, and a supple, elegant, layered texture that carries ripe tannins. Drink it over the coming decade.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Clone 2A is one of the best wines in the Cambria lineup. Rich and explosive from the outset, the 2013 possesses striking mid-palate richness, voluptuous texture and tons of up-front fruit. All the elements meld into place in an effortless, gracious Pinot that is firing on all cylinders today. The 2A is a great example of the Cambria house style.

A big, rich, meaty effort, the 2012 Pinot Noir Clone 23 is another release that was fermented and aged in 100% new French oak. Bacon, leather, pepper, black raspberry and sweet cassis all flow from this muscular, rich and concentrated effort. It has a rocking mid-palate, notable balance and terrific length. Drink bottles anytime over the coming 5-7 years.

Medium-deep ruby color; deep, earthy, herbal aromas; deep, stewed cherry flavors with earthy notes, some oak and tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, rich Pinot with lots of earthy notes.

One of a number of clone-specific bottlings from winemaker Denise Shurtleff, this isn’t a shy pinot noir by any stretch. There’s plenty of new oak, along with warmth from alcohol, but the fruit remains light and bright, tinted toward strawberries and acidity with the ping of pomegranate seeds. It has a sunny persistence that’s appealing and it could use more time in bottle to settle into itself—its beguiling fragrance seems to unfurl as it takes on air.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Clone 115 is one of the more fragrant wine in this range of single clone Pinots. The Clone 115 wafts from the glass with sweet red berries, dried flowers, spices and mint, all in a high-toned, feminine style that is all about grace. Today the Clone 115 is firing on all cylinders. Here, too the wine's balance is simply impeccable.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Clone 2A is gorgeous! Loaded with raspberry, wild strawberry, incense, mint and spice aromas and flavors, it flows onto the palate with a seamless, pure texture, no hard edges and beautifully polished tannin. Long, elegant and supple, with fantastic length, it will impress over the coming 7-8 years. Drink now-2021.