Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Grenache, a new wine in this range, is gorgeous. Bright and floral, the 2018 captures a striking display of varietal character and the bright, intensely mineral notes that are so distinctive here. The purity of the flavors is just striking.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir Abel is pretty, gracious and wonderfully perfumed. Cedar, dried flowers, mint, cinnamon, spice and dried cherry are all laced together in this understated, classy Pinot. All the elements come together beautifully here.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Afleet is pretty and beautifully lifted. Delicate floral and spice notes grace this ethereal, silky Pinot. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries and white pepper, along with 30% whole clusters, give the Afleet its gracious feel.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is pretty, floral and quite savory. Cedar, tobacco, dried herbs, mint and earthy notes all develop nicely with a bit of air. Time in the glass releases some of the wilder, gamier notes that are typical of this Sta. Rita Hills site.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir (Russian River) is a very pretty appellation-level wine in this range. Floral, finely cut and lifted, the 2018 captures all of the energy of the growing season. Crushed red berries and floral notes add energy to this medium-bodied, refreshing Pinot. I can hardly wait to taste the rest of the 2018 Hartford Court Pinots.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Seven's Bench is soft, creamy and engaging—all qualities that make it an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years. Spice, leather, cedar and earthy tones give the Seven's Bench a distinctly brambly character that is quite appealing.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Syrah Les Voisins is a very pretty and expressive Yorkville Highlands Syrah. Savory herbs, tobacco, mint and dried cherry are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop in the glass. The 2017 has so much going on, especially within its peer group.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Côte Bannie is a powerful, dense wine. A whole range earthy, savory notes add to an impression or rusticity that accompanies the dried cherry, plum and sage flavors. This pleasantly rustic Pinot is best enjoyed at the dinner table. There is plenty of personality, that much is clear.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay DuPratt Vineyard is a pretty rich wine, especially given where these wines have been in the past. Orchard fruit, orange peel, spice and tropical overtones add character. This late-ripening site yields a distinctly rich, phenolic style of Chardonnay, but with modest alcohol breadth.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Chardonnay Radian Vineyard is powerful and quite dense, with tropical overtones that gradually emerge with a bit of aeration. There is plenty of depth, if maybe a bit less of the nuance that defines so many Chardonnays off this site. Overall, the 2017 is a solid debut, from Radian, one of the most evocative sites in Santa Barbara, or California, for that matter.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay (Russian River) is a gorgeous appellation-level wine. Bright floral and citrus notes give the Russian River Chardonnay lovely tension. This is such a terrific introduction to the vintage.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir (Marin County) is bold, luscious and easy to like. In 2017, the Marin County Pinot has a lot more richness and body than is often the case. Black cherry, plum, spice, new leather and licorice all meld together here. I would prefer to drink this over the next few years, while the fruit remains juicy.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Truly Rita is a soft, easygoing wine to drink now and over the next few years. There is lovely forward fruit to play off the pretty aromatics, but not quite the complexity found in most of the other wines in the range. The Truly Rita is a blend of Drum Canyon and Mt. Carmel fruit

La Crema is always reliable for a straightforward but unsurprising bottle of pinot noir, and this Monterey-sourced bottling offers few twists for the drinker. Notes of cola on the nose are counterbalanced by a fairly meaty, often doughy body, where notes of black pepper interplay with a core of raspberry, cherry, and some rhubarb. Easygoing and uncomplicated — and about as expected for a wine at this price level.

Few people would dispute the assessment that Russian River Valley, in Sonoma County, is one of the premier regions in California — if not the planet — for growing chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. Of course a lot can happen between the conjunction of nature and human beings in the vineyard and what ends up on the bottling line. La Crema Chardonnay 2017, Russian River Valley, is unfortunately a prime example of that premise. The color is medium straw-gold; the wine indeed displays more density, more complexity that the two models mentioned above, but it also reveals an insidious oak influence that skews its character toward burnt sugar, strident baking spices, roasted citrus flavors and toasted coconut qualities. I know that some people — to my great perplexity — like this style of chardonnay, and for them I bestow a rating of Very Good+ on this wine. It ain’t for me though.

The geographical range narrows somewhat here, though Sonoma Coast is still a vast area that actually makes no sense as a unified appellation; the topography and soil are too varied. Still, this region produces many fine examples of chardonnay and pinot noir. The example here displays a pale straw-gold hue that practically shimmers in the glass; classic notes of pineapple and grapefruit, yes, but infused by hints of jasmine and honeysuckle, quince and ginger, with spare touches of cloves and nutmeg; for the price, this is a chardonnay that delivers superb tone and presence on the palate, as well as keen acidity and a plangent element of limestone minerality that dominates the drawn-out finish. 13.5 percent alcohol. Drinking beautifully now and through, I estimate, 2023 or ’24.

The color is medium straw-gold; aromas of ripe pineapple and grapefruit reveal a touch of baked apple and quince, with a bit of cloves in the background; bright acidity balances tasty citrus and stone-fruit flavors with a tide of limestone minerality and slightly creamy oak that defines the finish. 13.5 percent alcohol. A shoo-in for restaurant and bar by-the-glass programs.

Deep red colour with a good tint of purple and a savoury, faintly earthy bouquet that de-emphasises primary fruit. The palate is full-bodied and round, finishing with firm drying tannins. Good strength of backbone and structure to age. It has more to give if cellared. There's little doubt the ceramic tanks have given it a matured character in lieu of barrels, and they seem to have also imparted an earthy savouriness as well. (Fermented and matured in ceramic eggs; no oak. 100% destemmed fruit. 158 days on skins).

Rich raspberry, cranberry and spice rack on the La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 showed the winery has really stepped up its game.

In a statewide trend, the Siduri Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2018 seems more like its brethren from California for its ripeness, but stays true to its earthy Oregon roots as well.

On the austere side and true to its site, the Siduri Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2018 mellows out with elegant blue fruit, sage and rosemary.

The Siduri Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2018 had raspberry, black cherry and spice rack flavors, while the plush mouthfeel of the Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018 had darker fruits and mountain scrub notes.

The Siduri Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2018 had raspberry, black cherry and spice rack flavors, while the plush mouthfeel of the Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2018 had darker fruits and mountain scrub notes.

This midnight purple colored wine opens with a blueberry and black licorice bouquet with hints of blackberry and coffee. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, slightly acidic and rounds out with some aeration. The flavor profile is blackberry and oak blend with notes of licorice and minerality. I also detected hints of black cherry and black tea. The finish is very dry and initially, its big tannins stick around for a very long time. The tannins settle down nicely on day two and some hints of blueberry emerge. So, in the near term, this wine needs to be decanted for a while before diving in. Then you can pair it with a well-marbled ribeye.

Our Favorite Oaked Wines Right NowAged in Oak Barrels for 9 months this Pinot Noir exhibits aromas of black plum, cherry, rhubarb and hints of eart and loam. Flavors of red plum, raspberry and blood orange are underpinned by distinctive riverstone minerality and savory umami character. Plush and richly textured with juicy yet balanced acidity and integrated toasty barrel spice.