The 2018 Pinot Noir Cascade offers pleasantly rustic amaro and earth notes on the nose with fresh black and red berry fruits. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated, firm and fresh, with floral-laced fruits lingering on the finish. It's a lovely expression of powerful fruit in an elegant frame.

This pitch-black colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Jackson Estates opens with a mild black currant bouquet with hints of black cherry and black olive. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a graphite infused black currant, blackberry and black licorice blend with notes of oak. I also detected hints of chocolate and black pepper mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins drift away nicely. This wine would pair well with Roy’s rib roast.

Pale ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Vista has a nose of loamy earth, licorice, prosciutto, dried flowers and blackberries. The medium-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with concentrated, layered, floral-laced fruits and a long, flavorful finish.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Slope has fine accents of cinnamon, autumn leaves and potpourri with savory red and black berry fruit. The concentrated, medium-bodied palate has a compelling dichotomy of firm, broody fruits and fresh, spicy uplift, and it finishes long.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Conifer opens slowly to notes of red berries, powdered sugar, dusty earth and amaro with accents of dried flowers. The palate is delicate, silky and fresh with a lifted finish.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes opens with singular perfume of laurel and dried violets with notions of dusty earth and fresh red and black berries. The light-bodied palate is broody and firm with a long finish and should age well in bottle over the next 3-5 years.

Pale ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Terres Basses has broody scents of aniseed, underbrush and earth with floral-laced blackberry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is firm and juicy, with a dichotomy of broody earth and bright fruit character, and it finishes long and lifted. Give it another couple years in bottle.

This is the first vintage of the Ridgecrest cuvée from Penner-Ash. Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Vineyard has lovely aromas of crushed blackberries and boysenberries with notions of tea leaves, dusty earth, aniseed and dried flowers. The medium-bodied palate is silky and fresh with bright, crunchy, fresh fruits and a long, juicy finish.

Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton has broody aromas of crushed cherries and blood orange with accents of forest floor and exotic spices. The medium-bodied palate is silky with uplifted, floral-laced fruits and a long, vivacious finish.

The 2018 Chardonnay Estate offers pretty tones of hazelnuts, candle smoke, flint and beeswax with a core of white peaches. Medium-bodied, the palate is silky, elegant and expressive, with delicate but lengthy flavors and loads of verve. This should improve with another couple years in bottle.

Another new cuvée from Willakenzie, the pale ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Clairière has earthy tones of underbrush, bay leaves and tobacco with fresh cranberry and citrus fruit. The light-bodied palate is delicately styled with elegant, pure, lifted fruit character and a long finish.

Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard opens with delicate notions of charcuterie, aniseed, forest floor and dried blackberries, offering up more nuance with time as it sits in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is firm and juicy, with broody, earthy fruits and loads of energetic lift, finishing long and savory.

The 2019 Viognier explodes from the glass with lychee, dried green herbs, white peaches and musk. The palate is medium-bodied, silky, fresh and bright with loads of floral fruits and a lifted, energetic finish. Lovely!

The 2018 Tourdion Cuvée Blanc is a brand new bottling composed of 35% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Blanc and 30% Pinot Gris. The nose is bright and fresh with scents of apples, white blossoms, bakers yeast and beeswax. The light-bodied palate offers loads of crunchy fruits and juicy acidity, finishing long with a touch of texture. This is a fun, fresh wine to drink immediately, but it offers enough fruit intensity to pique my interest in what this will taste like with another 2-3 years of bottle age.

The 2018 Chardonnay Willamette Valley has touches of candle smoke and flint over floral-laced white peaches. The palate is medium-bodied and rounded and slowly expands to gently honeyed fruits, finishing long and lifted.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley has classic scents of tea leaves, tar and earth with a core of red and black berry fruits. The medium-bodied palate is silky and fresh, with a ripe frame, earthy fruits and a lifted finish.

The 2018 Chardonnay Willamette Valley has a savory nose of baked apples, beeswax and baker's yeast with touches of dried herbs. The medium-bodied palate is silky and super fresh with crunchy, uplifted fruits and an energetic finish.

Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard has dense, broody scents of spicy blackberries, tar and turned earth. Medium-bodied, the palate is firm, fresh and earthy. This feels a touch youthfully mute and may warrant a higher score as it unfolds in the bottle.

The latest release of NV Brut Rosé is made up of 57% Chardonnay and 43% Pinot Noir, with aromas of baked apples, mushroom and pie crust. Dry and broody in the mouth, it has energetic mousse and a spritely finish.

La Crema winemaker, Jen Walsh, came to visit Miami over Sobe Food & Wine Festival week in February, and we had a fantastic night out on South Beach innocently dining at Juvia. I’m not at liberty to tell you about the end of that evening, but it involved Mojitos and not Chardonnay. However, prior to the Mojitos and salsa dancing, there were a few bottles of La Crema Chardonnay. Full disclosure–I am typically an ABC type of gal, but I was most impressed by Jen’s wines, especially the Saralee’s Vineyard Chardonnay. Just a perfect bottle of Chardonnay, if you ask me, and you totally didn’t, but I’m telling you anyway.

Le Désir is the Cab Franc dominant bottle in the trio of Vérité wines (La Muse, La Joie). As a Cab Franc lova, I was immediately drawn to this particular blend (82% CF, 12% Merlot, 6% Malbec). I’m too tired to write out my tasting notes, but you should just know it’s a damn good bottle. If you made any money this year, you should spend it on buying a few bottles of Vérité, or paying your rent, which is probably about the same.

Another take on blending a variety of the Valley’s vineyards to create a greater picture of why this is a special place for Pinot Noir. Pinot grapes from twenty different vineyards and multiple growing regions. The wine is darker in fruit character, with aromas of mocha powder, cinnamon and black plum. The palate though offers fresh minerality, turned earth, moss, and lots of blackberry flavors.

Sourced from a small one-acre parcel with marine sedimentary soils, this chardonnay brings focus to the savory qualities of the region. The wine plays up the salinity yet brings forward a beautiful floral character.

This ruby red colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Carmel Road opens with a musty blackberry and oak bouquet with hints of vanilla. On the palate, it is medium plus bodied, smooth and juicy. The flavor profile is blackberry, raspberry and chocolate blend with notes of light tart cherries, spice and vanilla. The finish is dry with mild tannins that are pleasantly extended. I would recommend pairing this good value Cab with a juicy cheddar and mushroom burger with sautéed onions.

Sparkling Wine — And The Best Bubbly For The 2020 HolidaysThis is quite a treat! Complex aromas of dark red berry fruit, fresh strawberries, slightly underripe raspberries, baked pear, with some toasted brioche. The palate is equally intriguing with some additional tangerine flavors. Lots of depth to this one. It’s equal parts fascinating and delicious!