Most of the Merlot grapes, 86 percent, came from Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley and the remaining 14 percent came from the winery’s estate vineyards in Bennett Valley. The wine has a beautiful dark ruby color with a touch of magenta highlights. Aromas of black cherry, plum and blackberry offer an invitation to get the wine into your mouth to enjoy the wine’s rich black cherry, blackberry fruit layered with dark chocolate. It is silky smooth, finishing with ripe tannins. Serve it with a grilled steak, or even better make the L’Ultime Dark Chocolate Mousse with Lavender Scented Mixed Berries from the recipe on their site at MatanzasCreek.com/blog/lultime-dark-chocolate-mousse-lavender-scented-mixed-berries. Bill and Sandra MacIver established the Matanzas Creek Winery in 1977. Their first winemaker was Merry Edwards and the next winemaker was Dave Ramey. They sold the estate to Jackson Family Wines in 2000.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is packed with inky dark red fruit, cedar, tobacco, espresso, licorice and new French oak. This bold, luscious Cabernet offers tons of immediacy and appeal.

The 2019 Chardonnay Napa Valley is terrific and one classy rendition of Chardonnay from Napa Valley. Coming mostly from Carneros (there's some from Coombsville as well as the Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain), aged in 40% new French oak, it has plenty of ripe stone and melon fruits as well some honeyed toast and nutty nuances. Medium-bodied on the palate, with good acidity, and outstanding balance, it's ideal for drinking over the coming 2-3 years or so, if not longer.

This bright red colored Pinot Noir from Maggy Hawk is really good! It opens with a maraschino cherry and faint strawberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. The mouthfeel is very well-balanced, silky, and suave. The flavor profile is a tasty strawberry and maraschino cherry blend. I also detected hints of red currant, spice, and cinnamon. The finish is dry, and its silky tannins and flavors are nicely extended. This Pinot is very food friendly and would pair well with roasted bacon wrapped quail.

Gran Moraine, Yamhill-Carlton District (Oregon) Brut Rosé NV: There is quite a bit going on here for a Brut Rosé, with strawberry, rose petal, cherry, mixed citrus, stone, and a little yeasty note not often present in the pink sparkler spectrum. I count that as a plus, as it makes the finish quite long, with a nice zesty cherry push coming up from underneath. Very nice!

Silky, balanced, fresh.
From under the umbrella of Jackson Family Wines, this plush Penner~Ash Pinot is an outstanding wine with fragrant notes of cedar and dried violets, sun warmed raspberries and cherry spiked with star anise. It's a fresh and balanced red woven with flavours of berries and earth, white pepper, anise and tealeaf. Silky, bright and elegant.

A vibrant red, with cherry and rhubarb flavors that are laced with savory underbrush notes, finishing with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2028.

Vibrant and minerally, with sleek nectarine and apple flavors that are framed by a rich and supple texture. Drink now.

Such a substantial Merlot, yet still the most mid-weight wine in the Hickinbotham range. 50% of the blend goes into a new large foudre and there is a certain coffeed graininess on palate and finish. Fleshes things out though. Nice texture and balance otherwise – plump, yet not overripe, with not unnatural acidity. Compared to the superstar Shiraz et al this is a step behind – and the oak is a presence. But the balance and poise and naturalness are just excellent. It’s not exactly varietal, but as a clever McLaren Vale red it’s pretty good.

This collection wouldn’t be complete without at least one Yangarra Grenache, although I’ve covered the big dog releases from this McLaren Vale high flyer a month or so back. This is a deep, moody, quintessentially savoury release of the ‘standard’ Grenache too, maybe to the point of being unapproachable. All sourced from the 70-year-old bush vines, with open ferment and typically extended macerations. Matured in older oak and amphora. Despite the whispers of purple colour, this pitches with blood and bone and dark earth, the fruit more mulberry, the tannins rough-edged and a little astringent. I admire the concentration and power here, even if it’s hardly an easy wine, with all the notes of extended maceration giving this serious structural bite, but at the cost of some fruit expression. Best drinking: I’d consider giving this at least 12 months to come together.

Winemaking pioneer W.S. Keyes planted some of the first vines on Howell Mountain in 1888. A decade later, a stone winery was established and named after the Mexican parcel Rancho La Jota. Today, La Jota Vineyard Co. carries on the legacy with its small-production mountain cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. The fruit is a mix of estate grown additions from nearby W.S. Keyes Vineyard. It is a big, brooding, dry, tannic cabernet whose life is all ahead of it. Winemaker Chris Carpenter ferments using native yeast in a mix of open and closed top stainless-steel tanks. The wine was barrel aged for 22 months in 84 new French oak, only adding to its structure. On the palate, it is mountain hefty with dry, peppery, black licorice covered in a dense film of rounded tannins. This bottle will require 10- 15 years of bottle age to show even a touch of maturity. In 2017 the mix was 80/7/6//5/2 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot. Steak, anyone?

The renaissance at Freemark Abbey continues under the Jackson Family Wines banner. The 2017 cab is a reserve style red with a composition of 84% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot, 2% petit verdot, 1.5% malbec, .5% cabernet franc. This blend is a Napa Valley story including valley floor vineyards, western and eastern mountain topsoils, all aged 27 months in French oak barrels, of which 37% are new. The attack is intense, pitching fresh, juicy boysenberry and bing cherry spiced with a savoury cedar undercurrent and a touch of milk chocolate. Napa cab always lends itself to early drinking, but this will sleep a decade with little problem. A perfect wine to gift over the holidays to any serious wine drinker.

Refined nose of flint, dried apple, orange pith, hazelnut and toast. It’s medium-to full-bodied with vibrant acidity. Citrus zest evolves to mango and stone fruit. Flavorful finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold.

A Bordeaux from St. Emilion for under $50? That’s not easy to find. But Château Lassègue 2017 fits the bill admirably. It’s intense and grippy with an edge of tannin that lets you know you’re drinking Bordeaux. Lots of red currant, violet, espresso, and pipe tobacco notes with a spicy top spin. Comprised primarily of 50- to 60-year-old Merlot vines, along with Cabernet Franc and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. Splashed into a carafe an hour before dinner, this wine unfurled beautifully and was terrific with slow roasted short ribs.

Big and rich, offering well-structured flavors of red currant and plum tart that show notes of forest floor, followed by loamy touches on the direct, savory finish, with hints of dried mint. Drink now through 2025.

Translucent pink hue. Aromas of cherry blossom, ginger tea and young blueberries. The palate shows sweet stone fruit, nectarine and blue plum. The texture is a pleasingly chalky, a light to medium-bodied rosé, with crunchy acidity and a refreshing, dry finish.

Juicy, with lithe minerality and acidity framing the focused red currant, raspberry and cherry tart flavors. Slate and spice notes show on the racy finish. Drink now through 2024.

Well-structured, with crisp acidity backing the intensely savory and precise flavors of dried cherry, slate and plum. The finish offers toasty accents to the pure minerality. Drink now through 2024.

Dense, featuring ripe dark fruit flavors, backed by firm tannins and acidity. Slate and underbrush notes lengthen out midpalate, with a taut, savory finish. Drink now through 2024.

Plush and rich-tasting, featuring ripe boysenberry and raspberry flavors, accented by seductive pastry notes. Creamy midpalate, with a long, Asian spice–filled finish. Drink now through 2024.

Svelte and fine-grained, with a rich, savory essence to the dried berry and cherry flavors. Mineral and forest floor accents show on the finish. Drink now through 2024.

Juicy, with rich minerality to the vibrant red plum and wild cherry flavors, supported by suave acidity and silky tannins. Broad-textured and spicy on the finish. Drink now through 2024.

Redolent of cherry tart, with plenty of pastry accents. Juicy and fresh, featuring hints of black licorice midpalate. Slate and spice details show on the crunchy finish. Drink now through 2025.

Well-structured, with focused minerality to the green apple, pear and citrus flavors. The taut finish lingers with dried tarragon and thyme notes, accented by rich, smoky hints. Drink now through 2025.

A well-made wine that overdelivers on its price, this is creamy in pear and rich, rounded texture, complete and gracefully structured. A hint of flint gives it a stony mineral component that works well in contrast to the fruit, finishing in a burst of nutmeg.