Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Jennifer's is bright, finely cut and nuanced. Lemon confit, crushed rocks, mint, white pepper and a whole range of saline notes run through the 2017. This is one of the more precise, sculpted wines in the range.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard from a vineyard in Green Valley, is rich and unctuous in the glass. Apricot, orange jam, wildflowers and light tropical tones infuse the Fog Dance with lovely textural depth and resonance.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard is another super-expressive wine in this range. Rose petal, mint, lavender and inky red and purplish fruit all infuse the 2018 with notable dimension that reveals itself fully with aeration. Head-trained vineyards in this site on Wood Road yield wines of real character. The 2018 is layered, silky, and most importantly, flat-out delicious.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard is rich, boisterous and super-expressive, with tremendous energy and real presence. A wine of character and presence, the Highwire exudes depth, richness and power. Inky dark cherry and plum, chocolate, licorice, spice and menthol add to an impression of gravitas.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Sky Crest is supple and wonderfully nuanced. Apricot, lemon confit, white flowers and light tropical notes all run through this pliant, creamy Chardonnay. Drink it over the next handful of years.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Stormin' is a wonderfully complete wine that captures so many of the qualities that make these wines so appealing—sweetness, perfume and depth, to name a few. Rose petal, blood orange, mint and sweet red cherry all grace this super-expressive Pinot.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Unforgettable is bold and savory in feel. Black cherry, sage, menthol, spice and lavender infuse the 2017 with striking layers of nuance as well as dimension. This is such a gorgeous, captivating Pinot.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is a powerful, heady wine. Exotic spice, blood orange, mint, cedar and new leather infuse the 2017 with quite a bit of character. The aromatics are especially deeply-pitched. Then again, the MacLean's Block is one of the wines in this range that gets a dollop of whole clusters.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Muldune Trail, also from Anderson Valley, presents a darker profile and more muscular tannins than the Velvet Sisters Pinot tasted alongside it. Spice, leather, coffee, a savory herbs play off a core of dense fruit. Powerful and explosive in the glass, the 2017 needs time to soften, but it is very clearly a special wine in the making.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard is bright, fruity and beautifully focused. Sweet red cherry, raspberry, mint and earthy notes grace this expressive, coastal Pinot Noir from Hartford Court. This mid-weight, gracious Pinot has so much to offer.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard balances nervy tension with a good deal of mid-palate richness. White flowers, mint and white pepper add a brilliant upper register that gives the wine a feeling of energy and vibrancy.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Sevens Bench, from a site in Carneros, is rich and ample in feel. Tropical overtones add nuance to a core of orchard fruit, lemon confit, spice, butter, almond and chamomile overtones.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard is soft, pliant and super-expressive, with lovely stoniness that gives the wine a feeling of structure and mineral-laced persistence. This is such a pretty wine. Apricot, orange confit, mint and honeyed notes all come together effortlessly.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesIn 2018, the Zinfandel Jolene's Vineyard is wonderfully approachable and inviting. Floral notes, red and purplish fruit and blood orange infuse this mid-weight, silky Zinfandel with tremendous character. The Jolene's is one of the more lifted, succulent wines in the range.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Zinfandel (Russian River) is bright, punchy and full of the energy that makes this vintage so compelling. Succulent dark cherry, plum, chocolate, lavender, licorice, spice, menthol and pine add aromatic character to this bold, dark Zinfandel.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Maggy Hawk is bold and expansive in the glass, with terrific textural resonance and body but, as always, it is done in the mid-weight style that is typical of these wines. Sweet dark red cherry, red plum, spice, blood orange and cedar add aromatic nuance as the wine turns delicate with aeration.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Syrah Sea Lift is another gorgeous, expressive wine in this range. Inky blue and purplish fruit, sage and lavender notes are framed by the incisive tannins that are typical of the coast. The 50% whole clusters are nicely balanced. The 2018 is a bit stern today, but it has plenty of time to fully come together in aging. The tannin is a bit aggressive, but it works.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Sea Lift is bold and expansive in the glass, with terrific textural resonance and body but, as always, it is done in the mid-weight style that is typical of these wines. Sweet dark red cherry, red plum, spice, blood orange and cedar add aromatic nuance throughout.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Edmeades is 100% Pinot Noir, but vinified off the skins—en blanc, as the French would say. A white of crystalline precision, the 2017 is exquisitely beautiful. Orchard fruit, flowers and mint add brightness.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Jolie is soft, supple and wonderfully engaging, with soft curves, pliant fruit and striking immediacy. Sweet red cherry, plum rose petal and spice all grace this elegant Pinot from Maggy Hawk.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters, from the Jackson Family's Maggy Hawk estate, shows the natural exuberance of Anderson Valley in its forward fruit and bold, luscious personality. Soft curves add to its racy, inviting personality. The 2017 will offer superb drinking pleasure over the next decade, maybe more.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block is rich and exuberant, with tons of fruit richness to match its racy personality. This forward and luscious wine is brimming with red and purplish fruit and spice that make this one of the more juicy, overt wines in this range.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards is a wine of richness and phenolic intensity. Old vines convey a real sense of weight, oiliness and gravitas. Readers will find an especially dense, savory Chardonnay with tons of floral and herbal character, but less in the way of overt fruit.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Three Jacks is one of the racier wines in this range. Cream soda, spice, orange confit, butter and exotic floral notes are nicely pushed forward. The 2017 is open-knit, expressive and so inviting.
Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Tidal Break is brisk, finely cut and nuanced, as wines from this part of the Sonoma Coast often are. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper all add brilliance.