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.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from plots ranging from 850 to 1,000 feet in elevation and brought up in 50% new French oak, the 2018 Chardonnay Red Point is another rocking wine, offering buttered apple, brioche, spicy wood, and crushed stone-like aromas and flavors. Textured, medium to full-bodied, and with a great blend of opulent and elegance, drink bottles over the coming 5-7+ years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from the Far Coast and Seascape Vineyard (both on the Sonoma Coast), the 2017 Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards has a spicy, complex, incredibly attractive style that shows lots of upfront red and black fruits, dried herbs, and loamy earth aromatics, medium to full body, a rounded, supple texture, and a great finish. It's a great value play in this portfolio and I'd happily drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Buttered lemons, acacia flowers, toasted brioche, and a touch of pineapple all define the 2017 Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard. Coming from a vineyard in the cooler Carneros region of Napa Valley, it has terrific ripeness as well as brilliant purity of fruit. Its acidity is nicely integrated, and while it's already hard to resist, it's going to evolve for a solid decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Brought up in 40% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard comes from the Green Valley portion of the Russian River and has an exuberant, upfront array of tropical fruits, caramelized pineapple, white flower, orange blossom, and brioche. This beauty is rich and opulently textured, with its oak pushed all the way into the background, and follows with a great finish. It's brilliant stuff.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018I loved the 2017 Petite Sirah from barrel last year, and it shows beautifully this go-round, with the classic power and richness of the variety yet a lighter, fresher style on the palate. It has good acidity, and I expect it's going to put on weight in bottle, so give it 3-4 years if you can.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018A tiny production cuvee that's a cellar selection from sites in the Russian River, the 2018 Pinot Noir 40th Anniversary was 90% destemmed and spent ten months in 36% new French oak. It has a more fresh, focused, medium-bodied style offering lots of redcurrant and black raspberry fruit, a touch of background oak, plenty of earthy, charcoal, and graphite notes, ripe tannins, and good acidity. It's a beautiful wine yet still tight and closed. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy through 2028.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From an estate vineyard on Cloverdale Peak and an 80/20 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Pine Mountain has a rocking bouquet of crème de cassis, violets, lots of crushed rock-like minerality, and underbrush. This carries to a medium to full-bodied, elegant Cabernet with silky tannins, beautiful balance, and lush, layered style on the palate. It's a terrific wine as well as a great value in California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Moving to the Chardonnays, the 2018 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard comes from the Alexander Valley (as do all the releases from this estate) and spent 11 months in 57% new French oak. Buttered orchard fruits, honeyed toast, spice, and some subtle oak notes all emerge from the glass. A richer, yet beautifully balanced Chardonnay, it's already drinking nicely yet should evolve for a solid 4-5 years, possibly longer.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018I love the appellation series from this estate and tasting through them is a great way to learn about the difference in regions on the West Coast. Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, it comes from multiple sites and saw 15% stems and 20% new French oak. Its deeper ruby/plum hue gives way to a medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a fresh, nicely structured style as well as terrific notes of black raspberries, strawberries, dried herbs, wood smoke, and earth. It's balanced, has nicely integrated acidity, and is just a smoking good Pinot Noir.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From the Russian River and 40% destemmed and aged nine months in 30% new French oak, the 2018 Pinot Noir Parsons Vineyard offers a great nose of mulled black raspberries, red plums, new leather, candied violets, and peppery herbs. Juicy, fresh, and medium-bodied on the palate, it has wonderful balance and is a delicious Pinot Noir that's going to keep for 5-7 years as well.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2017 Chardonnay is terrific, with pretty pineapple, white flowers, and white peach notes as well as a medium-bodied, elegant style on the palate. Coming all from the Alexander Valley and brought up in 39% new French oak, it's beautifully done and should have 4-6 years of prime drinking.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Another Russian River release, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fogveil comes from three estate vineyards: Barbieri, Olivet, and Piner. Aged 14 months in 37% new French oak, it gives up medium to full-bodied notes of baking spices, mulled raspberries, black cherries, candied flowers, and toasty oak. This rich, nicely concentrated 2017 has a great mid-palate as well as texture and is another beautiful wine in the lineup.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from a site in the Russian River and brought up in just over one-third new French oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Bellflower is another spicy, complex Pinot Noir that has a great core of ripe strawberry and raspberry fruit to go with lots of spice, floral, and earthy notes, medium to full body, a rounded texture, and a great finish. It's a polished, layered, seamless wine from this team, and one of my favorites in the lineup.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From the Anderson Valley, the 2018 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Sable Mountain Vineyard offers more melon and a touch of pineapple fruit as well as subtle background oak, medium body, nicely integrated acidity, and a richer, Montrachet-like character. It's one of the standouts here and well worth seeking out.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Named for Don & Jennifer Hartford's son MacLean and from a vineyard located east of the town of Occidental, the 2017 Pinot Noir Maclean's Block spent 17 months in 38% new French oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Spiced cherries, mulberries, dried flowers, black tea, and some forest floor/autumn leaf notes all emerge from the glass, and it's one of the plumper, more sweetly fruited, and slightly straightforward wines in the lineup. Nevertheless, it brings the fruit and texture and is a textbook Russian River Pinot Noir.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018As with the Chardonnay 9 Barrel, the 2017 Pinot Noir 9 Barrel is a tiny selection made from the Russian River Valley that spent 14 months in 50% new French oak. Rocking notes of black raspberries, wild strawberries, toasted spices, caramelized violets, and forest floor notes all emerge from the glass and it's medium to full-bodied, has a fresh, focused texture, good mid-palate depth, and nicely integrated oak. It's going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and should keep nicely through 2027.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming all from the estate in the Alexander Valley, the appellation 2018 Chardonnay Estate reveals a medium gold color to go with lots of honeyed stone fruits, buttered almonds, brioche, and that classic mineral and white flower character that seems to be present in all of these Stonestreet Chardonnay. It's balanced, medium-bodied, and has loads of character.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From a cool, windy region south of Monterey, the 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands offers a fruit-forward, medium-bodied, classic style that carries lots of black raspberry fruits, a touch of floral and violet notes, and plenty of spice-like aromas and flavors. This rounded, plush, and sexy Pinot Noir is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-6 years.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The flagship Sauvignon Blanc, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Journey is a mix of Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, and Bennett Valley fruit and was brought up all in neutral French oak, mostly larger puncheons. It has an exotic, tropical bouquet that includes plenty of tart pineapple, grapefruit, and floral notes. This carries to a medium-bodied, dry, crisp white with good concentration, bright acidity, and a great finish. It's one of the more serious, age-worthy releases in the lineup and I suspect it will keep for over a decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench comes all from the Knights Valley AVA and includes 5% Sauvignon Musque, which no doubt contributes to the wine’s exotic aromatics of citrus, pineapple, exotic flowers, and honeysuckle. It's another beautifully balanced, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity, plenty of fruit, and a clean, dry finish.