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.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2016 Chardonnay Signature Selection Katherine's is a gorgeous wine from Cambria. Tropical, unctuous and generous in feel, the 2016 lies very much on the more exotic end of the stylistic spectrum. The interplay of textural richness with the natural freshness of Santa Maria yields an impeccable, compelling Chardonnay that will drink well for at least a number of years.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2016 Pinot Noir Julia's Signature Collection is racy and succulent to the core. Super-ripe black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and rose petal infuse this sumptuous, overt Pinot with tons of depth. Creamy, layered and super-inviting, the 2016 captures all the best of the Cambria house style, while remaining gracious and not at all overdone.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future Byron's 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido is creamy, open-knit and inviting. Apricot, tangerine peel, orchard fruit dried flowers and tropical notes meld together effortlessly in a striking, beautifully layered Chardonnay that shows all the pedigree and nuance this site is capable of.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Chardonnay Nielson expresses all the richness of Wente Clone Chardonnay in its lush, tropical profile. Pineapple, butter, sweet French oak and hazelnut add to the wine's extroverted personality. Even with all of its intensity, the 2017 preserves a good deal of freshness and energy.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is powerful and pungent, with a blast of savory and spiced notes that race out of the glass. Deep, pliant and supple, the JSV has a ton to offer. It is also one of the more complete wines in the range. Red/purplish berry fruit, blood orange, mint and rose petal meld into the striking, nuanced finish.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future From a site in Los Alamos, the 2017 Chardonnay Bar M is perfumed, lifted and wonderfully gracious in feel. Citrus and floral notes abound in a very pretty, expressive Chardonnay that shows the aromatic style that is so common here. White flowers, mint and saline overtones add closing layers to this pretty and inviting Chardonnay from Greg Brewer's Diatom label.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir 459 brilliantly blends fruit density with structure. Creamy and ample in feel, with lovely brightness from the whole clusters, the 2017 has so much to offer. Citrus and floral overtones open up in the glass, rounding out this silky, understated Pinot. The 459 is all class.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is a gorgeous appellation-level wine from Brewer-Clifton. Creamy and ample, the 2017 is absolutely delicious. Tangerine, mint, lemon peel and sweet spice notes all meld together in a striking, nuanced Chardonnay that hits all the right notes. The 2017 is positively stellar. That's pretty much all there is to it.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard opens with black licorice and peppercorn hints over a core of crushed blueberries and black cherries, warm blackberries, turned earth and a lilac hint. Light to medium-bodied with luscious black and blue fruits in the mouth, it's framed by soft baking spice, firm, grainy tannins and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long on an earthy note.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple with a nose of black and red cherries, crushed stone, licorice and cranberry with touches of potpourri and warm earth. The palate is light to medium-bodied with concentrated, energetic spice-laced fruits seamlessly framed by grainy tannins and juicy freshness and finishing long and flavorful.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Entirely whole-cluster fermented, the 2017 Syrah has a medium ruby color and pretty nose of pipe tobacco, blackcurrant, dried black cherries, chargrill, smoke and garrigue with hints of peppered meats, crushed blueberries and loamy earth. Medium to full-bodied and silky, it gives restrained ripe fruits in the mouth, fleshing out to savory layers, with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long. Yum!

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County This comes from a smaller section within the 3D vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills and is all Hyde selection. The 2018 Chardonnay Santos Road has a vibrant nose of warm white peach and nectarine, orange blossom, tangerine, cut hay and hints of lime peel, hazelnut and crushed stone. Light to medium-bodied, it's precise, citrusy and mineral-driven in the mouth with juicy freshness and a long, energetic finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M has an open nose of quince, warm hay, green apple and pear, baker’s yeast, acacia and dried chamomile with white peach and nectarine plus hints of lime peel and crushed stone. Light to medium-bodied, it has a wonderful core of spicy fruit and wicked minerality in the mouth, amplified by juicy freshness and a long, energetic, layered finish. Yum!

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby color and wonderful nose of sweet red cherries, raspberry preserves, rhubarb, warm cranberry and strawberry jam with cola, black tea leaves, amaro, dust and dried earth with orange oil and dried flowers hints. Light to medium-bodied, it has restrained fruit in the mouth with lots of spicy notions, a frame of grainy-textured tannins and seamless acidity, finishing long. This saw 45% new oak, and 225 cases were produced.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Made using 45% new oak, the 2016 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby color and opens with oak aromas of chocolate and nutmeg, fleshing out to potpourri, black tea leaves, cocoa, red cherry sparks and black cherries with savory/meaty accents—that oak is present, but there's plenty else here of interest and depth. Medium-bodied, it's lushly fruited in the mouth with tons of spice, very finely grained tannins and wonderful juicy freshness, finishing long and chocolaty. Give this plenty more time in bottle.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California A pinpointed cabernet franc with blueberry and raspberry aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a delicious finish. Shows a stone undertone. Pretty finish. Drink or hold.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California Aromas of plums and fresh mushrooms with balsamic undertones. Hints of dried sage and other herbs. Medium body. Savory and fresh. Holding on beautifully. Drink or hold.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California The red fruit with clay, tile and dust are very attractive here. Some spearmint and fresh herbs. Medium to full body. Firm tannins frame the wine. Subtly flavorful at the finish. Drink or hold.

Warm and rich in feel, with a multilayered beam of plum and cassis flavors, laced with smoldering vanilla bean, tobacco and loam notes. Black licorice details lurk in the background. Ends with a broad swath of fruit and smoke. Drink now through 2032.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County This comes from half Swan and half Pommard clones planted in sand in a warmer, more eastern part of the Sta. Rita Hills. The 2017 Pinot Noir 3D is pale to medium ruby and has aromas of pipe tobacco, perfumed earth, dried flowers and woodsmoke with ripe red and black cherries, rhubarb and raspberry preserves. Light to medium-bodied, it's saline on entry, fleshing out to warm, perfumed fruits, with fine, grainy tannins and juicy freshness, finishing long and earthy.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir 459 has a perfumed nose of violet, lilac, blueberries, woodsmoke and tobacco leaf with a core of red cherry jam, raspberry and strawberry preserves, rhubarb and licorice. Light to medium-bodied, it has a good core of nuanced fruits framed by grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and perfumed.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Chardonnay Machado features scents of red apple skin, hay, crushed stone, warm peaches and apricots plus hints of citrus blossom and hazelnut. It's light to medium-bodied, mineral and precise on entry, fleshing out to ripe, honeyed stone fruits balanced by juicy acidity and finishing long.