The 2008 Chardonnay Red Point exhibits full-bodied notes of brioche, honeysuckle, caramelized nectarines and oranges, and plenty of lemon zest as well as spice. It is a dense, full-bodied beauty to drink over the next 5-8 years. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

Quite oaky, with vanilla and caramelized meringue notes dominating, but underneath is a dry, crisp Chardonnay of enormous size. It's minerally, with a rich vein of pineapples and mangoes.

This vineyard has a long, distinguished history, even before it passed into Jackson Family's hands. It's a great mountain property, yielding focused, concentrated flavors of tropical fruits that are well oaked. There's also a firm minerality. One of the few Chards that can age.

Lush and opulent as are Stonestreet's other Chards, with potent flavors of ripe mashed pineapples, creme brulee, vanilla custard, vanilla and smoky sandalwood. Dramatic and compelling. The crisp acidity and tightness suggest short-term ageability. Nov-2013.

This is a first release from the winery's estate vineyard, high atop the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking Alexander Valley. It's intense and concentrated in pineapple crème brûée, peach purée, green apple, honeysuckle and smoky sandalwood flavors, undergirded with a firm minerality. Delicious and compelling, and should develop over the next six years.

This is a very powerful Chardonnay, brimming in guava, golden mango, white peach, pear and Key lime pie flavors, to which smoky oak adds even richer layers of butterscotch and caramel. A crisp edge of peppery acidity provides a clean, zesty balance to this enormous wine.

2005 CHARDONNAY BROKEN ROAD ALEXANDER VALLEY A new offering is the 300-case cuvee of 2005 Chardonnay Broken Road, which was aged in 42% new French oak, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and was put through full malolactic. It possesses abundant mineral and honeyed citrus characteristics along with a subtle notion of wood, an excellent texture, and a long, tannic, structured finish. Produced from a vineyard planted at an 1,800 foot elevation, this beauty is, sadly, limited in availability. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years.

Possesses elegant citrus oil, orange and lemon blossom notes, a beautifully textured, full-bodied mouthfeel, tremendous purity, and a long finish with well-integrated wood.

Winemaker Adam Lee's first crack at a Santa Barbara County blend is a hit, and he plays in the lighter end of the Pinot Noir spectrum as well. Aromas of crushed slate, red cherry and rose petals lead into a bouncy palate that's tart in flavors of pomegranate and raspberry.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2017 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard comes from a single vineyard in Anderson Valley and sees upwards of 50% stems and is aged in neutral oak. It has lots of blue fruits as well as notes of violets, forest floor, underbrush, and hints of mint. It's rounded and beautifully textured, with sweet tannins and nicely integrated acidity. It's a rocking wine.

The 2017s From Sonoma Notes of pine forest, spice, violets, wild strawberries, and lifted blue fruits emerge from the 2017 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard, which is medium-bodied, with a silky, elegant texture and no hard edges. It’s one of the perfumed, pretty, elegant wines and ideal for drinking over the coming 4-6 years.

The 2017s From Sonoma From a vineyard formerly known as Keefer Ranch, the 2017 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard is made from a mix of clones and saw 25% stems. This forward, rich, sexy Pinot Noir offers tons of ripe currants, spice, forest floor, and earthy aromas and flavors. Nicely balanced and with tons of fruit, it has ripe tannins and a great finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast comes from multiple sites on the coast and was fermented with close to 50% whole clusters. Aged in just 17% new oak, it has a ripe, sexy style to go with wild strawberry and blueberry fruits, some smoked earth and underbrush notes, medium body, a rounded texture, and rock-solid balance. It's a beautiful wine.

Lurid ruby. Vibrant and focused on the nose displaying intense red berry preserve Asian spice and floral scents and a touch of smoky minerality. Juicy and sharply focused on the palate offering lively raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that deepen and unfurl steadily with aeration. Fine-grained tannins add framework and closing grip to the finish which echoes the red fruit and mineral notes.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir is a beautiful wine. Coming from two sites and fermented with 20% stems and aged 15 months in 30% new oak, it offers a deeper ruby color as well as a classic bouquet of red currants, black cherries, scorched earth, spice, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and layered, it's a gem.

A juicy, fleshy style, with caressing tannins amid a core of plum, cherry and wild berry flavors, highlighting floral scents of fresh berry and wilted rose.

Exhibits a generous core of fleshy blackberry and wild berry flavors, giving this depth and dimension. Finishes with a long, elegant, juicy aftertaste.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Sweet tobacco, earthiness, leather, and smoke all open up in the 2016 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard. This is an especially dark, meaty style, but it all works very nicely. I would give the 2016 a few more months in bottle as there is quite a bit of tannin that needs time to soften. The Barbieri speaks with tons of character.

Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard offers notions of red roses and baked cherries with hints of cranberry sauce and tilled soil plus a waft of mossy bark. Medium-bodied with a plush, delicate frame of soft tannins and background acid, it fills the palate with earthy and red fruit layers, finishing long and savory.

2016 PINOT NOIR, BARBIERI VINEYARD The nose is cherry, dense blackberry, espresso, lavender and tobacco. The palate entry is a bold, saturated and sleek black fruit through the core. Beautiful structure of cranberry and silky notes of cocoa.

Demure and lightly earthy in forest and cardamom, this wine is defined by that underlying spiciness and a lengthy background of oak. Its balanced take on fruit includes strong twists of orange and wild strawberry.

2016 PINOT NOIR, PERRY RANCH VINEYARD The nose is a candied marzipan and cherry lozenge along with soy, cedar and clay. The palate is a full, ripe red fruit – raspberry, cherry and plum with dense silkiness in the core. Gains in the glass, filling out the finish with a firm black cherry, integrated acidity and polished ripeness.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Pratt Vineyard-Sexton Road shows the more overt side of the Russian River Valley. Black cherry, plum, spice, leather, tobacco, and menthol are all given a kick of energy by bright acids that keep the wine from being heavy. Dark, pliant and inviting, the 2016 has so much to offer.

Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness Deep, bright-hued red. Dark berries and cherry-cola on the highly perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Juicy and appealingly sweet, offering palate-staining black raspberry, cherry preserve and floral pastille flavors and a touch of spiciness. Chewy and incisive on the impressively persistent finish, featuring building tannins, a smoky nuance and lingering florality.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Hawks View Vineyard is light to medium ruby in color with a tinge of purple, beautifully scented of fresh red cherries and redcurrants with intriguing layers of blood orange and red flowers, touches of crushed rock and spice. The palate is light to medium-bodied, offering cola, wood smoke and floral notes with very fine tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing long and very lovely.