COMMENTARY: The 2018 Cenyth Rosé of Cabernet Franc is a straightaway success. This wine is fresh and bountiful. TASTING NOTES: This wine brightens the glass with fresh strawberries in its aromas and a little bit of earth in the flavors. Enjoy its lively and persistent personality with fresh salmon and avocado handrolls.

I'm not sure I can think of another prestige wine that gets as little respect these days as California Chardonnay. I can't tell you the number of times I've spoken with winemakers the past few years and be them from the Okanagan or Argentina, they all take great pains to claim that the Chardonnay they're making is not "California" style. What they mean, of course, if a wine that has a significant oak influence and emphasizes the buttery, tropical fruit notes of the grape when grown in warm climates. But is that really the California-style in 2020? If it's this bottle from Southern Californian powerhouse Brewer-Clifton - it's not. I don't think I've had a more delicious Chardonnay this year (and I knocked more than a few Puligny-Montrachets when I thought the world was going to end). It's fermented in neutral oak (think: minor wood influence) and doesn't see any malolactic fermentation (think: not interested in "softness"), but this isn't one of those endless new world wines that claim to be made in the Chablis tradition (think: very few of them ever pull it off). Instead this is a wine that shows the heights of new world Chardonnay: it's got 14.5% alcohol, thanks to the warm SoCal climate, but it carries that with a absolutely focussed skeleton of acidity that keeps it light and fresh while still highlighting ripe pear and crisp peach notes. People love to describe wine with terms that are only tangentially related to taste: it's austere, it's classy, it's mature. You know what this wine is? Flipping delicious. Most importantly: it's happily Californian in the best sense of the word.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from a site on a panoramic ridgetop located at 1150 feet in elevation, west of the town of Occidental and facing Bodega Bay, the 2017 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard is another magical effort from this estate and is a quintessential Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. White flowers, salty minerality, apple blossom, and tart pineapple all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied and has a wonderful purity, bright (almost racy) acidity, and a great finish. Brought up in 42% new French oak, it shows almost no trace of its élevage, and while tight and slightly closed on the palate, it's nevertheless insanely good. Give bottles another year and enjoy over the following decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From the Russian River and a windy, cool vineyard near Sebastopol, the 2017 Chardonnay Jennifer's (100% old Wente clone) was fermented and aged 16 months in 30% new French oak. It's one of the more dense, concentrated wines in the lineup and offers gorgeous caramelized pineapple, flower oil, chalky minerality, brioche, and lemon curd-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it packs an incredible amount of intensity yet still stays chiseled, elegant, and focused on the palate, with incredible length. It's a stunning wine in every sense. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Lastly, the 2017 Le Desir is 80% Cabernet Franc, with the balance mostly Merlot mixed with a splash of Malbec. It has a wonderful Cabernet Franc floral character as well as awesome black raspberry, cedarwood, forest floor, violets, rose petals, new leather, and who knows what else. Incredibly complex, it takes lots of air to show at its best and is medium to full-bodied, has a bright spine of acidity, fabulous tannins, and a great, great finish. The elegance of this wine paired with its richness and depth is something to behold. It’s another damn near perfect wine from this estate, and to see this quality from a challenging vintage like 2017 boggles the mind. Hats off to the father-daughter team of Pierre and Hélène Seillan.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Not far behind, the Merlot-dominated 2017 La Muse offers a big, rich nose of chocolate-covered black cherries, espresso, damp earth, and leafy herbs that gains more bass notes and richness with time in the glass. It tastes like a great Pomerol from La Conseillante. Full-bodied, it has an incredible sense of elegance and purity, plenty of mid-palate stuffing, and a great, great finish. Made from 100% Merlot (this is the first time this cuvée has been all Merlot), it’s another incredible wine from this estate that has the flesh and texture to shine today yet the freshness, purity, and balance to evolve for 30 years or more.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From a site on the Sonoma Coast (this comes all from a block within the Durell Vineyard), the 2017 Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard reminds me of a Grand Cru Chablis on steroids, with gorgeous lemon curd, iodine, white flowers, crushed chalky, and a touch of green almond, with its oak beautifully integrated. Showing medium to full-bodied richness as well as flawless balance, this is a Chardonnay that builds with time in the glass as well as on the palate and has bright, salty acidity and incredible length. Beautifully done, it’s another thrilling Chardonnay from this estate.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018One of the standouts in the lineup, the 2017 Pinot Noir Jennifer's comes from a vineyard south of Sebastopol, which sees lots of influence from the Petaluma Gap. Brought up largely in neutral oak (32% new), its deeper ruby/purple hue is followed by terrific notes of black raspberries, cedarwood, bay leaf, forest floor, and graphite. This head-turner is medium-bodied and has beautiful concentration, bright yet integrated acidity, and a killer finish. Locked and loaded, it needs 2-3 years of bottle age at a minimum, and my money is on it drinking brilliantly at age 20. It's a stunning, singular wine from this estate!

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from a block located on a northern facing ridge north of Fort Ross, on the Sonoma Coast, the 2017 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard was destemmed and spent 17 months in 32% new French oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it offers a deeper, richer, more savory bouquet of black cherry and darker currant fruits as well as loads of ground herbs, chocolate, forest floor, and spice. This rich, opulent, incredibly sexy Pinot Noir has a wealth of fruit, a rounded, seamless texture, and a great finish. It's a rock star in this stacked lineup and a gem of a wine in the vintage. I love it!

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from the Sonoma Coast, the 2017 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard nevertheless seems to have a touch of Russian River-like opulence and power, showing loads of mulberry and cranberry fruit as well as notes of scorched earth, graphite, licorice, and damp forest floor. Rich, concentrated, and medium to full-bodied, it shows the more focused, backward, chiseled style of the vintage yet is far from austere or angular. The cellar will be your friend on this one, and a solid 2-3 years of bottle age are warranted. Nevertheless, it's packed with potential.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from an incredibly cold site in the Russian River Valley that was planted in 1975 to the heritage Martini clone, the 2017 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard was completely destemmed and spent 16 months in 44% new French oak, which is on the higher end for this estate. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it offers a more fresh, focused, backward style to go with classy Bing cherry and raspberry fruits as well as notes of spice, sappy herbs, and spring flowers, It has a kiss of background oak (which will integrated with 1-2 years of bottle age), good acidity, and ripe tannins, yet unquestionably needs 2-3 years of bottle age to show its full potential. This beautiful, potential-packed beauty that will be one of the longer-lived releases here.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The only white brought up all in new oak, the 2018 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard comes from a higher elevation site and was fermented and aged 11 months in 100% new French oak. There are a scant 244 cases produced. This Burgundian styled effort offers a rich, opulent, full-bodied style as well as ample sautéed apple, white flowers, gunpowder, and rocky mineral aromas and flavors. While all of these 2018s have more moderate, integrated acidity, the wines stay light and elegant on the palate and hold onto a terrific sense of tension and freshness. It's a terrific combination, and the wines drink beautifully today (as do just about every 2018 Chardonnay out there), yet my money is on these aging beautifully as well.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Chassagne-Montrachet-like notes of white flowers, crushed chalk, toasted brioche, honeyed orchard fruits, and a liquid rock-like minerality all emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard. A beautifully balanced, elegant white from this estate, it builds on the palate, showing a distinct salinity, medium to full-bodied richness, bright acidity, and a great, clean, blockbuster styled finish. This is pure class and just a complete, gorgeous Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years or more.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The flagship Chardonnay, the 2018 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard comes from a high elevation block and spent 11 months in 46% new French oak. It shows the more rounded, supple style of the vintage and has beautiful depth and richness, a seamless texture, and layered notes of white currants, white flowers, crushed stone, and subtle brioche. Its oak is nicely integrated, and this rich, powerful, flawlessly balanced Chardonnay should continue drinking nicely for 7-8 years or more.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% each of Petit Verdot and Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Red Wine spent two years in 55% new French oak. This inky colored effort has an awesome nose of blackcurrants, charcoal, lead pencil, and smoke tobacco, with more chocolate and subtle oak emerging with time in the glass. It's concentrated, full-bodied, fabulously balanced, and just a gorgeous Sonoma Bordeaux blend that's going to have 20-25 years of longevity.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From the Anderson Valley and a mix of clones (115, 667, 777 and Pommard), aged 16 months in 34% new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters reveals a ruby/translucent color to go with a kiss of the blue fruit that's always present in Anderson Valley Pinots intermixed with Bing cherries, savory herbs, dried earth, and candied violets. Playing in the medium-bodied end of the spectrum, it has good acidity, plenty of structure, and a great finish, yet its seamless, pure texture is what stands out. My money is on this blossoming with 2-3 years of bottle age, and it's going to drink nicely for a decade. It's impressive.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Lastly, the 2018 Chardonnay Gold Run saw the longest élevage in the lineup and spent 16 months in 78% new French oak. The wine handled the élevage beautifully and just has subtle creamy oak tones as well as lots of brioche, spice box, white flowers, and orchard-like fruit aromas and flavors. Beautifully balanced, opulent, and concentrated on the palate, it has notable acidity, plenty of focus and cut, and a great finish. It's another classically styled, brilliantly done Chardonnay from winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs that I'd be thrilled to have in the cellar.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2018 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is also terrific, with lots of minerality as well as stone fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and toasty oak. As with most of these 2018, it has a forward, supple texture, beautiful balance, and a great finish that shows a touch of salinity and more minerality. This is a straight-up classy, elegant yet textured Chardonnay to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years or so.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2017 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard comes from a vineyard located on a hillside in Green Valley, south of the town of Forestville (which gets a lot of fog, hence the name), and was brought up in 47% new French oak. It shows its cooler region nicely yet still has plenty of richness and depth, offering spiced cherry and berry fruits as well as autumn leaves, spice, and dried herb aromas and flavors. Silky, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, It's a complete, thoroughly satisfying Pinot Noir that has the capacity to evolve positively for a solid 7-8 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Another release from the cooler, Green Valley region of the Russian River Valley, the 2017 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1995 (clones: old Wente, Rued, Dijon 95 and Clone 15) and was fermented and aged in one-third new French oak. Baked apples, toasted bread, spice, honeycomb, and caramelized pineapple notes all dominate the bouquet, and this beauty has a touch of Meursault-like style in its rich, powerful, waxy, honeyed profile. Balanced and textured, with good acidity and a great finish, it's another seriously good Chardonnay from this estate to drink over the following 7-8 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, which comes from multiple sites and was brought up in 27% new French oak, it has a vivid ruby hue to go with classic Russian River notes of mulled cherry and raspberry fruits, cola, spice box, and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, round, and beautifully textured, it's a totally charming, balanced, elegant Pinot Noir that punches way above its weight.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018More brioche, honeysuckle, pineapple, and caramelized citrus notes all emerge from the 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards, which is beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and textured on the palate. It shows the more supple, easygoing style of the vintage for Chardonnay yet still has beautiful freshness, good concentration, and a great finish.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Checking in as 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot all from the Alden Park Vineyard in the Alexander Valley, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Innovant saw an extended maceration and aging in 40% new French oak. It has a terrific nose of blue and black fruits as well as classic Cabernet tobacco, bay leaf, violets, graphite, and crushed rock-like minerality. Rich and concentrated on the palate, yet light on its feet and elegant, this thrillingly pure Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will evolve for 15-20 years or more.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from Carneros and aged 17 months in one-third new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Seven's Bench sports a medium ruby/purple color as well as a big nose of spiced cherries, candied orange peel, violets, and spicy oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, and concentrated on the palate, it's another serious release from this estate that's going to reward 2-3 years of bottle age.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2017 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block comes from the Arrendell Vineyard, which is a cold site in the Green Valley sector of the Russian River Valley. From a block named after Don and Jennifer Hartford's daughter, it was all destemmed and spent 17 months in 32% new French oak. It shares plenty of similarities to the Arrendell Vineyard release yet is slightly more approachable, with lots of spice, cherry cola, sappy spring flowers, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It nevertheless has the more focused, pure, and locked-and-loaded style, and is going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age. It's a beautiful wine.