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.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard is laced with sweet dark cherry, mint, sage, licorice and incense, all of which give a good bit of aromatic nuance. Like all of these wines, the Barbieri is focused and nicely delineated, if not quite as defined as it can be.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard is bright, floral and energetic. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry, citrus and star anise give the 2017 a very pretty upper register of perfume. The 2017 is a bit nervous and edgy, but it has terrific balance and plenty of vibrancy.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Pinot Noir Ewald Vineyard is bright, punchy and full of character. Sweet red berry citrus, rose petal and white pepper give the 2017 terrific lift and energy. Weightless and nervy in feel, the Ewald is so expressive. The choice to pick this on August 30th appears to have been right on.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) is a very pretty, floral wine with terrific freshness. Crushed red berries, mint, flowers and citrus give the 2018 a terrific sense of energy and verve. Gracious, lifted and finely cut, the 2018 is positively stellar. I loved it.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesA bold, powerful wine, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley possesses tremendous density and tons of pure power. Black cherry, menthol, licorice, chocolate, cloves and French oak (40% new) add to an impression of gravitas and brooding power. This is an especially rich, muscular style.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands melds together the tropical notes that are typical of these wines with more of an airy, weightless feel. White flowers, lemon confit, mint and white pepper add striking brightness to this very pretty, nuanced Chardonnay.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Cloud Landing Petaluma Gap is marked by super-intriguing exotic floral and tropical notes that give it a distinctive personality. Lightly honeyed notes, orange peel, apricot and butter develop later, adding further layers of complexity.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2018 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is made exclusively from Santa Barbara fruit. Creamy, polished and wonderfully inviting, the 2018 has so much to offer. Bright floral accents from a touch of Musqué Clone Chardonnay add lift to this weightless, supremely expressive cool-climate Chardonnay.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is dense, rich and closed in on itself. Dark cherry, plum, espresso and licorice add to a feeling of weight and gravitas. The 2017 is going to be an absolutely fascinating wine to follow as the vines get older. The wine today is maybe just a bit unfocused, but these are young vines.

Seeing 20/20 – Sonoma & Anderson Valley New ReleasesThe 2017 Red Wine Innovant is gorgeous and sleek. Sweet red cherry, spice, mint and mocha give the 2017 striking aromatic presence to match its mid-weight personality. Readers will find a stylish 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine with terrific freshness and plenty of verve.