USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Chardonnay Hapgood has soft notions of citrus blossoms, white peaches, salted almonds and spring honey on the nose. In the mouth, it's medium-bodied with bright, mineral and citrus-laced fruits, and it finishes long, bright and uplifted.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir 3D has a nose of dried lilac, blood orange, cranberries and rhubarb with spicy accents and an earthy undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied and silky with bright, crunchy fruits and lifted acidity, finishing spicy.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills has very pretty aromas of perfumed quince, pears and peaches with notes of honey and hazelnuts and a bright lemon peel lift. The light to medium-bodied palate is slow to unfold to delicate, seamlessly fresh fruits with savory bass tones and a long, lifted finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2018 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has a perfumed nose of warm blackberries, bright red cherries and cranberries with nuances of underbrush, dried flowers and warm spices. Medium-bodied, it’s bright, open, juicy and lively in the mouth with loads of spice and perfume, finishing long.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageMedium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard offers cranberry sauce, blueberries and blackberries with nuances of earth and floral perfume. The palate is medium-bodied, concentrated and perfumed with a grainy, fresh frame and long finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageMedium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands has bright, open-knit aromas of red and black cherries, warm earth and roasted cranberries with nuances of tar, black tea leaves and underbrush. Medium-bodied, it’s bright and pretty in the mouth with touches of floral perfume, a grainy frame and good freshness, finishing long.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is scented of blackberries and smoked cranberries with touches of citrus peel, tea leaves and spices. The palate is light to medium-bodied with an equally earthy, fruity character, a silky texture and bright, uplifted finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Pinot Noir Parsons' Vineyard has a nose of cranberries and dried cherries with notes of earth, bay leaves and mossy bark. The palate is light to medium-bodied with earthy fruits and bright freshness, softly framed and with an understated finish.

Very SolidThis is a solid cheap bottle of bubbs. It has good balance and vibrant bubbles. It’s not often that a Prosecco is good in this price range, so grab this one if you see it.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintagePale ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County has delicate scents of cranberries, blackberries, tree bark, mushrooms and earth. The palate is light-bodied and tangy with tart, earth-laced fruits and a bright finish.

The Most Popular Wines to Buy in 2020Best Alternative Pinot Noir: Root & Rubble 2018 Pinot NoirThis wine is made via carbonic maceration and is expectedly fresh and resonant in the glass, showing plenty of fruit and lots of glimmering brightness.

La Jota Vineyard Co. Merlot 2017, Napa Valley, is no kissy-face little number designed to quaff and forget it. No, this one carries the clear intention of nobility, dignity and longevity, a true vin de garde. The history of the property on Howell Mountain is long and complicated, as is the case with many wineries in California, especially if they were established in the 19th Century, as this was. Suffice to say that Jackson Family Wines acquired La Jota in 2005, naming Chris Carpenter as winemaker. La Jota Merlot 2017 is a blend of 89 percent merlot and 11 percent petit verdot, fermented by native yeasts in open and closed-top stainless steel tanks and aged 20 months in French oak, 91 percent new barrels. The color is deep black-ruby with a lighter violet-hued rim; the first impression is iodine and iron, mint and graphite gradually unfurling notes of black currants and blueberries permeated by the herbaceous qualities I associate with mountain-side vineyards — sage, bay leaf, wild thyme; dense, dusty, rock-ribbed tannins frame a package animated by bright acidity and lush black and blue fruit flavors that hold, at their core, elements of lavender and licorice, espresso bean and bittersweet chocolate; interesting that I don’t detect forest and loam depths here but more like high meadows, hillside flowers, heather; no mistaking that this is a sizable, mouth-filling merlot designed for years slumbering in the cellar, but despite its proportions and aims, its darkness and dimension, this La Jota Merlot ’17 delivers an exhilarating effect of poise and vitality. 14.5 percent alcohol. Production was 1,232 cases. You could drink this tonight with a medium-rare ribeye steak, hot and crusty from the coals, but it might be better to wait, say from 2022 through 2032. A world-class merlot.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesLimpid ruby-red. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes raspberry preserves, cherry cola and exotic spices, and a suave floral topnote emerges as the wine opens up. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering intense red and dark berry, lavender pastille, spicecake and succulent herb flavors that show notable depth and appealing sweetness. Finishes impressively long and sappy, delivering repeating florality and pliant tannins that meld smoothly with the vibrant fruit.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesDeep, shimmering garnet. Assertively perfumed black raspberry, boysenberry, potpourri and exotic spice aromas show fine definition and pick up subtle vanilla and cola nuances with air. Stains the palate with concentrated red and blue fruit, cherry cola and candied rose flavors that are braced by a core of juicy minerality. Delivers a compelling blend of depth and energy and finishes extremely long and gently chewy, with well-integrated tannins and resonating florality.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesDeep, glistening magenta. Expressive aromas of fresh, spice-tinged red and blue fruits and candied rose pick up cola and mineral nuances with air. Juicy, focused and seamless in texture, offering penetrating raspberry, cherry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily as the wine opens up. Smoothly blends power and finesse. A very long, gently tannic finish echoes the floral and spice notes.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesDark, vibrant red. Spice-accented raspberry, cherry cola and potpourri scents take on a smoky aspect as the wine opens up. Thanks to a core of juicy acidity, this wine conveys an impressive blend of power and delicacy to its sweet red and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors. Fine-grained tannins come in late on the finish, which hangs on with strong, red-fruit- and floral-tinged persistence.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesLimpid ruby-red. Vibrant red and dark berry, cherry and floral scents are complemented by hints of pungent flowers and allspice. Sappy and penetrating in the mouth, offering bitter cherry, raspberry and floral pastille flavors that show very good depth and take on a hint of licorice with air. Smooth tannins frame a persistent, spicy finish that leaves black raspberry and candied rose notes behind.

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands: What a Difference a Year MakesBright ruby-red. Fragrant cherry and red berry scents pick up floral and spice accents as the wine opens up. Smooth and energetic on the palate, offering gently sweet raspberry and cherry flavors that show very good depth and seamless texture. Finishes long and supple, with repeating florality and discreet tannins framing a lingering berry note.

Masters of Merlot - Mt. Brave Merlot 2016

Masters of Merlot - La Jota Merlot 2017

I love California’s Alexander Valley. I am a fan of Cabernet Sauvignons from there. But Matanzas Creek’s Chardonnay is great too. Winemaker Marcia Torres Forno has done a great job. Robert Parker recognizes that with a 91 point score. It starts with aromas of lemon curd, apple and ginger. The palate is creamy with just enough oak presence: only 24% new French oak was used. It is medium-bodied and silky and finishes with great acidity. It’s a very food-friendly wine but also easily enjoyed by itself.

11 Best Wines for Thanksgiving 2020, According to a SommelierBrewer-Clifton's take on cool climate Syrah is absolutely exquisite. Ex Post Facto features rich notes of plum, dark berries, pepper, spice, and lavender. It's a personal favorite with rosemary-studded roast beef, and the wine I prefer to sip on while I'm preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

The nose is impressively complex and deeply scented herb, red berry and briar. The palate entry is velvet-like spiced cherry and black plum with a vibrant spine of herb and mineral through the core. It carries stunning balance throughout. Drink 2020 - 2027.

The nose is dense black plum, blueberry and licorice with a palate entry of tobacco, herb and juniper. The core is bright and vibrant with youthful mouth-coating acidity. Decant or cellar. Drink 2022 - 2032.

The nose is lean, crisp and resinous lemon enveloped in dry mineral and crushed nuts. The palate entry is a bright and extracted citrus that persists in the core with lengthy acidity that goes a long way to sculpting the character. Finishes with pineapple and pink grapefruit. Drink 2020 - 2027.