The 2014 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton has a compelling savory character on the nose, offering a mélange of baking bread, yeast extract, salted almonds and brioche with a core of warm pineapples and pink grapefruit, plus a hint of honeysuckle. The medium-bodied palate delivers generous stone and tropical fruit 􀃓avors with a creamy texture and plenty of freshness paving the long finish.

The 2010 Proprietary Red Josephine is composed of 38.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36.9% Merlot, 17.9% Cabernet Franc and 6.7% Malbec (talk about being precise). This wine comes from a vineyard situated near Colgin's Tychson Hill site. Stunning aromatics of bouquet garni, black cherries, black currants, graphite and licorice emerge from this dense purple-colored 2010. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure and long, it can be drunk now and over the next 15-20 years.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Freemark Abbey’s generic bottling from Napa, is a brilliant example, and at $50, a heck of a value. It is also one of their larger cuvées at 24,332 cases. A blend of 75.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.9% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, this wine spent nearly 26 months in oak. Opaque purple in color, it exhibits beautiful blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with hints of white chocolate, allspice and tobacco leaf. It is rich, full-bodied, seriously concentrated, and has 2013's relatively serious structure and tannic clout. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 25-30 years.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged nearly 25 months in oak. The wine shows the floral/blueberry notes that often come from higher elevations on Spring Mountain. A nice hint of chocolate, toasty oak, bay leaf and spice box. It’s rich, layered, full-bodied and another beauty. This is also a fairly small cuvée of 335 cases, making it the smallest of any of these cuvées from winemaker Ted Edwards.

Good bright ruby-red. Refined, restrained, slightly medicinal aromas of cassis, licorice, herbs, lead pencil and coffee. Sweet, plush and energetic but youthfully reserved, with the medicinal quality carrying through on the palate. Most impressive today on the broad, slowly building finish, which features firm but very suave tannins and terrific lift. This may merit an even higher rating by the time it's released next fall.

Deep medium ruby. Precise aromas of black raspberry, licorice, espresso and spices. Less obviously sweet in the early going than the Helena Dakota, showing more mineral firmness to the flavors of black raspberry, spices and tobacco. Finishes very long and firm, with solid tannic structure for aging.

(14.8% alcohol) Saturated bright ruby. Aromas of cassis, violet, licorice and menthol, plus a whiff of cocoa powder. Sweet and chewy but with lovely aromatic lift to the black fruit, brown spice and floral flavors. At once structured and silky, powerful and stylish. Finishes with firm tannins and noteworthy verve. From a vineyard planted at an elevation of 750 feet. The gravelly silt and loam soil here is a bit less firm than the sandy gravelly loam (volcanic ash) used to make the Helena Montana wine.

Bright medium ruby. Aromas of medicinal blackberry, licorice, violet, graphite and crushed stone. Rich, sappy and quite concentrated, showing a tactile, chewy texture to the youthfully clenched flavors of black fruits and minerals. No shortage of acidity here. This powerful mountain style of cabernet will need time in bottle to absorb its powerful, building tannins time in bottle to absorb its powerful, building tannins.

Good deep ruby. Crushed blackberry, graphite and licorice on the nose. Lush and seamless in the mouth, but with no easy sweetness to the chewy flavors of black fruits and minerals. The least sweet of these Stonestreet reds but this offers impressive mouth coverage. Finishes with substantial dense tannins that call for at least seven or eight years of cellaring.

(from vines at 1,800 feet): Bright straw-yellow. Nuanced nose offers peach, apricot, lime and anise. Supple and gently fruity, with a glycerol quality leavened by bright acidity. Became silkier with air but without losing its edge of acidity. This highly concentrated and very long chardonnay needs some time in bottle to harmonize its sweet and acid components.

Dark ruby-red. Musky, reduced aromas of black cherry and dark berries. Surprisingly plush and ripe on entry, then tighter in the middle, showing medicinal restraint to the dark berry flavors. This very dry, backward wine finishes with serious tannins that will require patience.

Ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of black raspberry, licorice, bitter chocolate, violet and menthol. Silky on entry, then dry and classic in the middle, with kirsch and dark berry flavors lifted by violet and licorice. Really spreads out and builds on the back. Powerful without being brawny or unrefined, this very young cabernet avoids the hard tannins that characterize so many Spring Mountain reds.

Saturated deep ruby. Crushed black fruits and minerals on the lively nose. The densest and richest of these 2006s, with a compelling sweetness to its extremely primary dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors. Not yet complex but has terrific stuffing to support its big, chewy, broad tannins. Lay this one down.

Full ruby. Briary dark berries, licorice and tar, lifted by a floral nuance. Impressively concentrated but tightly wound and backward, with powerful flavors of briary berries, chocolate and truffle. Finishes with chewy, firm tannins and excellent aromatic persistence. This has turned out very well, but calls for at least five or six years of bottle aging.

Glass-staining ruby. Brooding dark berry, kirsch and licorice aromas and flavors are enlivened by a zesty blood orange nuance and an intense floral quality. Dense and chewy in texture initially but softens and becomes livelier with aeration. Shows excellent power and focus on the finish, which is firmed by dusty tannins and a touch of smoky minerality. The yield from this vineyard was reportedly under a half ton per acre in 2012.

Bright red. Exotic red and dark berry compote, cherry-cola and potpourri aromas are complicated by smoky minerals and herbs. Fleshy, seductively sweet raspberry and candied cherry flavors are strikingly pure and concentrated, with silky tannins adding support. Gains weight with air and finishes with excellent clarity and persistence. Put this one away for a couple of years, at least.

Deep red. Brooding aromas of cherry pit, licorice, dried rose and dark chocolate. Powerful, palate-coating dark fruit flavors slowly unfold to display sexy baking spices and flowers. The licorice note repeats strongly on the finish, which hangs on with great tenacity. I'd give this some time in the decanter or cellar.

Pale lemon-yellow. High-pitched aromas of orange blossom, lemon and minerals. Bright, lively and intense, with citrus, nectarine and stone flavors nicely framed by strong but well-integrated acidity. Very juicy, tautly structured chardonnay with a youthfully firm, lingering finish. I like this!

Oyster shell, honeydew rind, lime candy, and grass aromas make for a complex, zesty nose on this bottling. The palate is zippy and grassy as well, almost like a Sauv Blanc, showing brisk lime zest flavors. 

The 2022 Windracer SeaLift Vineyard Pinot Noir from the West Sonoma Coast shows a medium to dark blue ruby core edged by a neon pink rim, with aromas of dried violets, blue plum, macerated strawberries, juniper berries, and a touch of cedary herbs rising vividly from the glass. The palate carries generous blue fruit and tangerine oil notes supported by fine-grained tannins and moderate plus acidity, creating a balanced, expressive finish

The 2023 Siduri SeaLift Vineyard Pinot Noir from the West Sonoma Coast was aged for 14 months in 10% new French oak and reveals a brooding yet elegant personality. Scents of red currant, wild blueberry, and dried sage drift from the glass alongside hints of crushed stone and subtle cinnamon bark. The palate is bold and structured, showing layers of dark raspberry, plum compote, and earthy undertones that unfold with firm but refined tannins. Notes of clove and cocoa linger as the wine tapers to a smooth, savory finish. 154 cases made.

The 2024 Siduri Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley opens with supple poise, its ruby hue leading into notes of mountain blueberry, red currant, crushed thyme, violet flower, and a flicker of white pepper. Medium-bodied and finely shaped, this Pinot carries a savory, lifted freshness through gracious fruit, delicate herbal tension, and a brisk, composed finish.

The 2024 MATANZAS CREEK WINERY Taylor Peak Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma County opens with lifted white peach, tangerine peel, and acacia, shaped by a cool maritime snap. A clean, saline thread carries notes of gooseberry, honeydew, and crushed fennel seed through a brisk, polished finish.

The 2022 Matanzas Creek Winery Red Wine from Alexander Valley carries its Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon blend with finesse, moving through black plum, Morello cherry, crushed boysenberry, and clove-laced warmth. Supple and layered, it feels poised rather than showy, with savory undertones, refined tannins, and a graceful finish that keeps unfolding with time in the glass.

The 2022 Matanzas Creek Winery Merlot from Alexander Valley shows a composed, medium-plus frame, shaped by hillside fruit, measured French oak, and a supple core of black plum, red currant, cocoa nib, and bay leaf. Polished and confident, it carries balanced acidity and fine-grained tannins through a rounded finish that keeps the wine generous without losing its poised Alexander Valley character.