A deeper ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Gran Moraine Vineyard is ripe with black raspberry fruit, forest earth, and porcini. Medium-bodied, it offers ripe fruit upfront that tapers to more tangy fruit on the finish, with graphite and pine. It has a wonderful savory nature on the palate that will make for great drinking over the next 6-8 years. Drink 2024-2030.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Dutton-Perry Ranch is pure ruby in appearance and offers notes of
ripe wild strawberries, cinnamon spice, and fresh herbs. The palate is medium-bodied
and offers immediate appeal, with juicy red raspberry fruit and fresh orange peel lift on
the finish. It has fine tannins and a good, clean finish. Drink 2023-2030.

Dark ruby purple, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bloomfield Vineyard is inky with aromas of
blackberry liqueur, dusty earth, and forest herbs. Full-bodied, with good angular acidity and notes of dark mineral earth, black cherry, plum, and tea leaf, it has a tangy nature, as do all of these wines from Siduri. Drink 20240-034.

he 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Bennett Valley is more reserved aromatically, with flinty wet
stone, chive, and melon. Medium-bodied, it takes on a bit more viscosity, with bright and driving acidity, and is more citrus-driven on the palate, with pithy white grapefruit and a hint of savory fresh herbs. Drink it over the next several years.

A medium yellow/golden hue, the 2021 White Pinot Noir is rounded with light aromas of peach, tarragon, chive, and raspberry. This medium-bodied white also has a fair bit of structure, with pithy orange and fresh herbs, as well as fresh acidity. This savory white will have great versatility for food pairings. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Sealift Vineyard sports a darker ruby/purple hue as well as aromas of black cherry liqueur, mocha, and pressed purple flowers. Full-bodied and generous with immediate fruit up front and a good lift of fresh acidity on the finish, it’s lush with pine and black and red fruit, with its rosy floral perfume lasting on the finish. Drink 2023-2028.

With a youthful golden straw color, the 2021 Chardonnay Tidal Break Vineyard offers a bit of sea spray, tropical fruit, and fresh flowers. It’s more expressive on the palate, with rich, forward, mouth-filling fruit of mango and peach, followed by a bit of fresh salinity on the back, with lemon curd and toasted vanilla. Drink this ripe but well-balanced wine over the next 4-5 years.

The 2021 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Sable Mountain Vineyard is lifted with lime blossom, melon, and fresh herbs. Full-bodied, with generous extract in its notes of guava and grapefruit, as well as its salty finish, it has warmth but wears it well. Drink this over the next 5-6 years.

The four white presented to me by Kendall-Jackson were all a youthful golden hue. The 2021 Chardonnay Three Vistas is ripe with fresh pineapple, honeysuckle, and orange rind.Ripe and round, this full-bodied white is classic with generous ripe pear, juicy fruit of apricot, and a long floral perfume of lemon curd and vanilla bean. It is juicy and ripe but has clean lift on the finish, with a delicate saline touch. Drink it over the next several years.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Three Vistas is ripe with boysenberry, fresh violets, and potting soil, as well as a hint of blue fruits shining through. It’s full-bodied and generous, with approachable ripe berry fruit, fine tannins, and fresh lift on the finish, with some brushy earth. Drink it over the next 6-8 years.

A youthful and saturated ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is ripe and
spicy, with aromas of fresh pine, cherry liqueur, and fresh wildflowers. Medium to fullbodied, with ample richness on the palate, it reveals notes of ripe berries, turned forest floor, and toasted baking spice, and it has a classic feel, with good structure and a long finish. Drink it over the next few years. 15,000 cases were produced.

From a cool site in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills, this wine has the district’s windswept scents of pine and sage framing dark red-cherry fruit. It’s given contour by a tart cranberry edge, all of it delivered with nimble acidity and a lively mouthfeel. -P.J.C (353 cases)

Back to a more rich and meaty profile, the 2020 Syrah Sealift is ripe with blackberry
preserve, lavender, and Kalamata olive. Full-bodied, with building structure, it has firm
tannins that will take time to settle, but it’s ripe with iron richness, as well as meaty black cherry fruit, tea leaf, and scorched earth. Give it another couple of years and drink 2025-2032

Lifted with ripe aromas of fresh peach, the 2021 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is generous with orange peel citrus, delicate baking spice, and fresh white flowers. Medium-bodied, with snappy, refreshing acidity (but not austere), it offers notes of ripe green apple,vanilla custard, and lemon balm. This is a fresh and inviting white to drink now or over the next several years, and it offers great value.

All these Pinots from Copain are a concentrated ruby color with a pinkish hue. The 2021 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is ripe with wild raspberry, fresh herbs, and pressed flowers.Medium bodied and attractive, with good structure, the palate opens to crunchy fruit with mixed berries, fresh earth, and a floral flourish on the finish. It’s a solid wine to drink over the next several years.

A saturated but transparent purple/ruby, the 2021 Grenache Syrah Mourvedre Hawks
Butte is juicy with ripe mixed berries, pine, and fresh mountain herbs. Medium to fullbodied, it has good freshness that holds things together nicely in terms of its structure, with crunchy fruit of grenadine, wild berries, and candied violets. It needs some time to soften a bit, as the tannins are ripe and angular, although I enjoy the freshness and lift it offers. Drink 2025-2032.

Moving to a darker expression, the 2019 Bootleg Red Blend pours an inky black hue and offers up aromas of pencil shaving, boysenberry preserve, and sweet tobacco. Fullbodied, with full, ripe tannins, it reveals notes of preserved black plum, crushed purple flowers, and turned soil.

A youthful medium yellow hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard is herbaceous and fresh with thyme, yellow pear, and citrus flowers. Softly textured and medium-bodied, it opens with notes of ripe pear, fresh orange, and wet stone as well as a touch of lemon
curd, with softness throughout and a lasting floral perfume. Drink 2023-2028

This has a wonderful plumpness to the velvety core of blackberry preserves, with notes of green cardamom, black pepper and toasted cumin. Reveals details of chai tea, salted black licorice and dried rosemary and sage on the long, expressive finish. Drink now. 148 cases made, 105 cases imported.

Polished, well-balanced and agile on its feet, this offers raspberry and blueberry flavors laced with bittersweet mocha and savory spices

Named in homage to W.S. Keyes, who planted vineyards on Howell Mountain in the late 1800s, the grapes for this excellent Chardonnay are sourced from altitudes of 1,600 feet. The W.S. Keyes vineyard is one of the last blocks of Chardonnay vines existing on Howell Mountain, which makes this wine even more special. It opens with aromas of white flowers, toasted hazelnut, and white peach. It offers pronounced minerality with flavors of Fuji and Granny Smith apples, buttered toast, and brown baking spices. It is full bodied and bold on the mid palate with a long finish in the post palate. Drink now or over the next five to seven years.

Packs generous pear, lime and apple flavors, with notes of lemon zest, fresh-clipped herbs, smoked salt and toasted green tea. Shows fresh, crisp acidity on the juicy finish.

Savoury, with earth and graphite notes on a slightly reduced and closed nose – a function of nutrient-poor grey clay loam soils. In the mouth it reveals ripe plum, cherry and dusty fig flavours, with meaty undertones and a hint of tobacco. Still very young, this 100% destemmed Pinot needs time to flesh out. The fruit comes from the saddle of the Sexton vineyard, planted to the MV6, G5V15 and Abel clones.

Old oak. Lovely weight and texture here with pear, white peach, a bit of table grape character, showing nice texture and some fine mineral notes as well as generous fruit. Lovely balance here with some generosity but also a bit of structure

Drink now - 2038. Certified Organic/Biodynamic with ‘Australian Certified Organic’. 20% whole bunch, 30% whole berry and 50% crushed. Beautiful deep inky hues of ruby edging into purple. A punchy nose, full of classic peppery tones, and fermented sausage (hello 'Nduja), yet with a lifted elegance fuelled by jewel-like red fruits and an earthy, cedary spice. The palate hasn’t quite pulled together at the same pace as the nose. Acid is fresh, fruit is dense and powerful, and the French oak is elegant and makes its presence known. This is a wine determined to make an impact, and it delivers. Tannins are loosely woven and ropey, a muddle of damson and red plum sways with star anise. Give this a few years in the cellar and let those tannins soften. Decant if you can’t hold off.