The fullest, broadest and densest Hartford Pinot this vintage come from this tiny hillside vineyard in Green Valley. But it's not just muscular, it boasts elegant, floral aromas of plums and strawberries and a tantalizingly long finish filled with dried spices and chocolate.

Presented in a clean, mineral-scented, Chablis style, this youthfully austere wine should develop well. The oak influence is subdued, just hinting at caramel and toast, while the lees character yields a beeswax texture, dried honey and the scent of herbs and scrub along the Pacific Coast. Stone Côte is a small block of the Durell vineyard planted on an ancient riverbed, windswept and cool, and it's grown a firm and lasting wine, one to pull from the cellar several years from now for a plateau des fruits de mer.

At only 300 cases, this will be hard to locate, but worth the search. It's tightly wound, with citrus, herb and grilled-nut aromatics, rich, buttered-pear flavors and a silky, velvety mouthfeel that's to die for.

A California version of Chevalier-Montrachet, it is fashioned from an old Wente clone. Boasting an incredible earthy, liquid minerality intermixed with subtle lemon oil, pear, and white peach characteristics, this full-bodied Chardonnay possesses good acidity and a restrained personality. It is bursting at the seams with intensity as well as power. This stunning offering should age well for 5-6 years, possibly longer. Sadly, only 347 cases were produced.

Ripe and rich; intense and complex with plum and berry fruit; long and luscious with amazing layered flavors.

Lovely wild cherry flavors with notes of spice are the immediate draw here, and the sinuous texture is well worth noting as well. You'll find the projective fruit delightful, suggestive of young Pommard from a fine producer who would emphasize texture and fruit over concentration and wood. Consumption over the next couple years is most advisable, as you wouldn't want these remarkable pinot flavors to fade, especially at the price of admission.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is plump, juicy and quite sensual in feel. Soft contours and silky tannins help push the fruit forward. Red cherry jam, pomegranate, blood orange, spice, lavender and mint build as this succulent Pinot shows off its considerable charms.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard is plump, racy and super-inviting. Plush fruit and silky, polished tannins give the Fog Dance a feeling of sensuality that is impossible to miss. Bright red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, hard candy and rose petal build into the succulent finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Land’s Edge Vineyards reveals a wonderfully expressive nose of pomegranate, red and black cherries and mulberries with touches of rhubarb, forest floor and yeast extract. Medium-bodied, the soft, silken palate has bags of elegance and restraint with red and black fruit layers and earthy accents, finishing with great length.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir (Marin County) is plump, juicy and open-knit, with terrific fruit presence and tons of sheer appeal. Ripe red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, hard candy and mint are all pushed forward in this racy, alluring Pinot. This is a fabulous appellation-level wine and a real overachiever.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 17 months in 26% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita comes sashaying out of the glass with seriously spicy notions of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and black pepper with a core of red currant jelly, kirsch and raspberry preserves plus a waft of wild thyme. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely restraint with elegant red fruit layers framed by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a mineral note.

The 2017s From Sonoma Lots of strawberries, raspberry, rose hips, and violet notes emerge from the 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita, which comes from the Dierberg-Drum Canyon Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. From a mix of Calera, Swan, and Dijon 115 clones, aged in 26% new French oak, it’s medium-bodied, with an elegant, focused texture, ripe tannins, and some classic Sta. Rita Hills minerality and salinity. It’s showing nicely today yet should cruise for 10-12 years.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Pinot Noir Warrior Princess comes from several blocks in the Zena Crown vineyard, aged for 16 months in 29% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with bold black cherries, black raspberries and blueberry scents with hints of spice cake, red roses and red licorice plus a touch of underbrush. Full, rich and packed with perfumed black fruits, it has a plush texture and refreshing lift on the finish.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block, from Arrendell Vineyard is another very pretty wine in this range. The Hailey's is distinguished by its striking inner perfume and silkiness. Medium in body and gracious, the 2016 has a lot to offer.

Abundantly flavorful and full bodied, this wine has lots of dark berry and black-cherry aromas, a big rich mouthfeel and deep layered fruit flavors sprinkled with spices from cinnamon to bay leaf to black pepper. It tastes extra ripe and has the moderate tannins and good acidity to support that ripeness.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail is pliant, supple and inviting, with striking purity of fruit and terrific overall balance. The sweet red berry fruit and blood orange flavors are beautifully textured in this racy, inviting Pinot. The Muldune Trail is full of Anderson Valley character.

The fruit for this wine is sourced from the estate as well as sites across the appellation. Juicy waves of cherry and cardamom ride a full-bodied, concentrated framework of exotic flavors, bright acidity and velvety texture.

This earthy wine is not loud on the nose in fruit tones, yet brings notes of mushroom, chalky, soot and compost to the fore. It's tannic and dense on the palate, with a forest-floor character alongside notes of savory Asian spice and ripe red fruit.

This is a distinctive and detailed wine that starts with floral and spicy aromas, follows with generous fruit flavors and intriguing accents of tea, rhubarb and wet stone. It's ripe but not overly so, and that little bit of restraint gives it an appealing structured mouthfeel and fine sense of balance.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Jennifer’s is from a vineyard in the so-called Petaluma Wind Gap. This is from the Swiss 123 selection that is known as Wadenswil in Oregon. Very fragrant Volnay-like aromatics of strawberries and cherries are gently touched by some toasty oak. In the mouth, more apple notes emerge from this elegant, dark ruby, medium-bodied Pinot Noir, which seems destined to be consumed over the next 4-6 years.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard comes from Dijon clones 115, 667 and 777 grown in another cold, windy area in the Green Valley, south of the old hippie town of Forestville. Soft, spicy, tart red cherries in addition to some plum, Asian spice, and forest floor are all present in this luscious, sexy, complex wine that offers up loads of fragrance, medium to full body and a heady finish. Drink it over the next 7-10 years.

Dark reddish purple color in the glass. Embracing aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate lead to a full-bodied wine balanced with muscular tannins and bright acidity. Flavors of anise and dried herbs augment the black cherry core. This wine will certainly improve with more time in bottle and prove to have age ability, but it is hard to resist now.