The 2022 White Pinot Noir was raised in neutral oak for 10 months. It’s a bright straw silver color and is expressive with savory notes of orange peel, chamomile, yellow apple, and melon. Medium-bodied and silky textured, with an approachable floral feel on the finish, it’s a very pretty white to enjoy over the next 5-6 years.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Edmeades Vineyard was raised for 10 months on large 500-liter French oak puncheons and is based on 40% Swan and 60% Calera clones with some whole clusters. A new wine for the estate, it’s a youthful ruby color and is bright in the glass with notes of bright red cherries, fresh roses, orange peel, and lifted spice. Mediumbodied, it has an elegant, weightless feel, with fine tannins and a clean finish. It’s a very attractive wine to enjoy over the next 5-7 years

A deeper bright yellow/golden hue, the 2021 Chardonnay KelliAnn Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1989. It offers a good deal of concentration in its notes of toasty spice, lemon curd, brioche, and baked apple. Rounded and full-bodied, it keeps light on its feet, with elegant, clean lift on the palate and a delicate touch of beeswax. Drink 2024-2034.

Pouring a bright medium yellow color, the 2022 Chardonnay Saralees Vineyard was also entirely barrel fermented and was aged for 9 months in 35% new French oak. In the glass, it takes on a touch of flinty wet stone on the nose, with notes of golden apple, preserved lemon, fresh flowers, and saline. Full-bodied, it has an elegantly rounded feel, with notes of almond coating the palate. It has a lovely, decadent feel, very pretty and silky, without ever feeling weighted, and reveals a very nice, rounded finish. It shows the sunny elegance of the vintage and is going to have a wide drinking window over the next 5-6 years.

A straw/silver color, the 2022 Chardonnay Three Vistas reveals ripe, waxy aromas of golden apples, white flowers, honeyed lemon, and almond. Aged for 10 months in 29% new French oak, it comes from both the Fulton Estate Vineyards and the Piner Vineyards. Full-bodied, it has a lovely kiss of melony fruit floating through the palate and an elegant floral feel on the finish, with oak spice floating on the back palate. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.

Bright yellow/straw-hued, the 2022 Chardonnay Sable Mountain Vineyard is entirely barrel fermented and sees 23% new French oak. It’s a touch savory, with notes of chamomile, lime, and salted pineapple, and the Wente clone adds richness on the palate. It has a full-bodied structure, and it fills the palate with a coating feel, a creamy texture, sweet melony fruit, and a long, elegant, sweet oak finish. Drink it over the next 6-8 years.

A ripe golden yellow hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Cloud Landing is 100% barrel fermented and was aged for 10 months in 32% new French oak. Aromatic of fresh pineapple, fresh flowers, golden citrus, and a kiss of baking spice, it’s full-bodied on the palate and keeps lovely freshness in this sunny vintage, with a juicy feel and a lovely, pithy, textured finish. It’s showing well today and will drink well over the next 5-6 years.

A deeper red hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Three Vistas comes from the Russian River Valley and offers more roasted, ripe aromas of baked cherries, sweet spices, cola, and mossy earth. Classic and medium-bodied, with a ripe, juicy feel, ripe tannins, and a lot of charm, it’s going to show its best over the next 5-7 years.

A youthful ripe ruby red, the 2022 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley is partly from the Skycrest Vineyard at about 1800 feet elevation and is blended fruit from the Edmeades Vineyard, which is much closer to the ocean and adds freshness to the blend. The wine was aged for 10 months in 25% new French oak barrels. It leaps from the glass with notes of raspberry coulis, candied violets, sweet herbs, and baking spice. Medium-bodied, it retains good freshness and lift through the finish, with fine tannins and good tension, while keeping a ripe profile. Drink over the next 5-7 years.

The 2022 Zinfandel Russian River Valley is magenta with a hint of purple. It has a more resinous feel, with notes of compote blackberries, menthol, wood spice, forest floor, and candied purple flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it brings more tension to its fresh, even acidity which propels it through the finish. It’s going to age well over the next 6-8 years.

Coming from across the neighborhoods of the Russian River Valley, the 2022 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is ripe with aromas of toasted spice, orange rind, preserved lemon, honeysuckle, and baked apples. Full-bodied, with a ripe, classic feel, it has a nice, rounded mouthfeel and offers a lovely sense of place. Drink 2024-2030.

Pouring a bright yellow/green hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards comes from the Laguna Ridge and shows notes of preserved lemon, poached pear, baking spice, and a touch of ginger. Full-bodied and elegant all the way through its long finish, it has a rounded but weightless feel and is going to show its best over the coming 7-8 years.

This is the second vintage which sees Valadorna in its new guise as a 100% Merlot, sourced from two separate plots; one on limestone soils, and one on clay. Ripe, plummy dark berries and menthol lead to a warming palate with that 14.5% alcohol taking centre stage, dominating the rich dark fruits. Slightly drying, chalky tannins can't quite support the weight, and it initially feels quite top heavy but then, dried flowers, coffee, bitter herbs and balsam emerge on the mid-palate, instigating a fresher second half with bright acidity and a long, spicy finish. It will be interesting to see if this comes into balance with time.

This blend of Chardonnay from eight vineyards across the Western Cape has multiple layers and enough acidity to balance its richness. Aromas of tropical fruit, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla shine on the nose. The palate is abundant in baking spices and offers light notes of stone fruit.

Dense aromas of black plum, violet, cherry and cola show on the nose of this bottling. The palate is bold and ripe with more black cherry getting doused in heavy clove, nutmeg and star anise spices. Drink up, as this one feels ready to go and may not last long.

Salted butterscotch, lemon curd, Buddha's hand and quince notes are fragrant and lip-smacking in this version, which offers a touch of crunchy sea and plenty of vivid acidity. The aromatics add wonderful complexity, with lemon verbena, thyme and litsea oil accents that linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now. 261 cases made. M.W.

An elegant version on a sleek, mouthwatering frame, with precise notes of Asian pear, lime and Honeycrisp apple, plus details of crunchy sea salt, lemon zest and tarragon. Drink now through 2031. 272 cases made. M.W.

Aged in French oak, this is a rich and toasty, with buttery apricot and citrus aromas. A full-bodied palate with good depth of juicy stone fruit and ripe lemon, countered by fresh, racy acidity and a lip-smacking salty finish.

Mint, creamed honey, lanolin, maybe a little fresh apricot too. It’s slippery, a lot of slightly greasy flavour, but cut with bright acidity and fine chalky texture, there’s also some raw almond and lemon peel, and that stony grip is quite good, though the finish is a little slippery and diffuse, though that’s Rhone whites for you. Always the good times, with some of the bad times. As it stands, this is a viscous and interesting wine, that offers texture and a point of interest.

Brewer–Clifton is a champion of the much-heralded Sta. Rita Hills appellation and winemaker Greg Brewer and his team work under the doctrine of discipline, neutrality, and deliberate intent. Only neutral barrels are used, and the fermentations are all whole clusters complete with fully ripened stems to allow for a well structured, earthy wine to offset the big fruit. In 2021, the fruit comes off three sites, 3D, Machado and Hapgood, bringing a rich selection of clones including Swan, Pommard, 667, and the Merry Edwards clone. This was just tasted last month, so no big changes, although this bottle is singing. A lot of work goes into getting the most finesse they can from this wine, which they have done, but make no mistake, this is a powerful pinot. The nose is a dusty mix of red fruit and tea leaf, with an intense earthy forest floor and baking spice palate that finishes long and warm. The bigger the food here, the better. Peking duck would be a treat, or an even more decadent pork dish.

If you have ever wondered what cabernet smells like when perfectly ripe, this 2018 Stonestreet would be the one. It is always a mix of the best cabernet sauvignon grown at Stonestreet’s Monument Ridge and the Mayacamus Mountains, at the 5100 acre Alexander Mountain Estate. Only 900 acres are planted in 235 individual blocks. Savoury and aromatic, translation Alexander Valley, the fruit sets the stage for a slick, robust, muscular cabernet packed with blackberry, black licorice, menthol, smoke, and tobacco. In 2018, the weather gods cooperated, and this wine has risen to a quality level that reflects its price. A splash of petit verdot is aged 20 months in 35% new French oak. Again, you could drink this wine now, but I recommend cellaring it through 2028 for best results.

Delicate, detailed and light in body but quite expressive nonetheless, this wine offers dark cherry aromas and flavors with appealing accents of baking spice and just a whiff of toast. Fine-grained tannins firm the finish enough to make it promising for the table, but it could also just be sipped with pleasure. 

Supple yet crisp at heart, with expressive orange blossom, green apple amd white peach flavors that glide on the vibrant finish. Drink Now. 982 cases cases made. -T.F.

Sourced from vineyards on the western side of the Mayacamas mountains, planted on a 40° slope. Grapes are whole-cluster pressed, with native-yeast fermentation partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in neutral, 600L German oak puncheons, then eight months on the full lees. Beautiful floral aromatics open into notes of honey and pineapple, wet stone and a bolt of lemony acidity. 

This bottle shows how quenching wines from the cool-climate sites of California's Central Coast can be. The nose is earthy with saline and crunchy fruit notes. There's a refreshing minerality on the palate that's perfectly balanced by the fruit.