USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Tradition comes 76% from Alexander Valley and 24% from Lake County, made in stainless steel with lees stirring. It offers gregarious scents of tarragon, chive and mown grass with kiwi, gooseberry, white peaches, flint and lychee notes. The palate is light-bodied and lively with pure fruits, bright acidity and a long, refreshing finish. 7,500 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 Pale cherry-pink in color, the 2018 Rosé of Sangiovese opens with raspberry leaves, tarragon, white pepper, spiced pears, red berries and crushed stone. The palate is light-bodied, clean and flavorful with a refreshing finish. 325 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2017 Pinot Noir Jolie, aged in 45% new French oak, has a medium ruby color and opens with a touch of tar and rubber, slowly giving way to smoked cranberries, black cherries, scorched earth, charcuterie and dried herbs with Angostura bitters accents. The palate is medium-bodied with a silken texture and good intensity of earthy red and black fruits, framed with well-woven freshness and grainy tannins, finishing on a red berry note. This needs a good decant. 460 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2018 Pinot Noir is the inaugural release of the label, made by Adam Lee. It is 100% concrete aged and fermented. It has a vibrant, pale to medium ruby-purple color and is shy on the nose, slowly giving up black cherries, dried flowers, warm earth, citrus peel and red berries with a rocky tinge. Light to medium-bodied, it's bright and lively in the mouth with a soft structure and juicy acidity, finishing with loads of berry flavors. Fun! 500 cases produced.

Rich and loaded with fruit. Strawberry and eucalyptus. Fantastic wine. Whoa. Outstanding.

A tad meaty with dark fruit and a bit of earth. Another lovely wine: great fruit, balance, spice. Yum. Excellent to Outstanding.

A lovely nose of black cherry pie with a sliver of vanilla ice cream on the side. Wonderful balance, with luscious fruit, nice level of tartness, slight tannins, lovely finish. Whoa. Excellent to Outstanding.

Strawberry jam a go-go on the nose and also on the palate, this is a lovely, fruity expression of Pinot. Excellent.

Cherry vanilla with a bit of spice and earth. Big fruit and quite tannic, this is a rather healthy, muscular wine. Not really my style, but it is darn good. Excellent.

Strawberry jam in a glass. Tons of fruit here. Tons. Rich and delicious. My wife’s wheelhouse. Excellent.

Dark red fruit, a bit of earth, some lovely notes, most of them dark. Spice. Very nice. Excellent.

Syrah Master 2019: Silver

Syrah Master 2019: Silver

Syrah Master 2019: Silver

Give these expensive wines with their own stories for the holidays Tony Rynders, the winemaker who put Domaine Serene on the map and more recently Tendril and Child’s Play Wines, is the man behind the new launch of Kendall-Jackson’s Maggy Hawk winery in Anderson Valley. Everything he seems to touch turns to gold and this series of four spectacular pinot noirs is impressive.

Pop a cork or two for Christmas Deliciously good, lush, wine made by good people with good intentions.

Top 100 Wines of 2019 - #86 The 2015 Helena Dakota Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is absolutely fantastic in this vintage. This outstanding Knights Valley Cabernet was aged 13 months in 70% new French oak barrels and it shows a wonderful combination of ripe fruit and earthy characteristics throughout. As this slowly unwinds in the glass it releases profound aromatics of ripe black cherries and crème de cassis which are joined by fresh violets, loam, roasted coffee, warm gravel, cocoa powder and even roasted herbs which all come together beautifully. On the palate this is well-structured, with gorgeous textural richness, as well as outstanding concentration. It goes on to display wonderful opulence and depth, as layers of ripe dark fruits expand on to the long mouth coating finish. Even at this early stage the Helena Dakota certainly offers incredible appeal, however it will ultimately require some additional bottle age before it enters its optimal drinking window.

Big bottle. Big price tag. Big wine. Despite the all-around size, it is wonderfully balanced and nuanced, combining richness and verve. Matanzas Creek, which has been an iconic source in Sonoma County since 1977, notes on its website that they’ve built its reputation on Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, which is true. They should probably add Chardonnay to that list, judging by this wine.

Solid Pinot nose of cherry, cranberry and a bit of earth. Quite tart cherry on the palate, with decent depth, some spice. Really tart though. Excellent.

Dark and brooding in the glass with more black fruit than red. With menthol and a bit of funk. Big and bold on the palate. This is a beefy one, but well done. Excellent.

Go-To Wines for Gifting Siduri's appellation series (as opposed to its vineyard-designate wines) consistently delivers exceptional value. The 2017 Anderson Valley pinot noir is no exception. The nose is fetching, showing a floral note and a bright cherry aroma, and those characteristics follow through on the palate. The wine is beautifully balanced and ready to drink now.

Dark in the glass with red fruit, vanilla, cigarette smoke. A bit too one-dimensional on the palate, with good fruit and drying tannins, but lacking depth. Very Good to Excellent.

50+ high-end wines for holiday splurging: 2019 guide $31-$40 … The 2016 La Crema Pinot Noir (Cal, $40) from Russian River Valley had a beautiful mouthfeel with fresh cherry, just a hint of red licorice and light tannins. …

Elegant and distinctive, offering fresh raspberry, sage and white pepper notes that are precise, supple and juicy, with a thread of fresh loam and forest floor, supported by polished tannins. A touch of matcha green tea lingers on the finish.

Powerful yet restrained, offering creamy notes of fresh wild strawberry, red licorice, toasted cumin and violet. The complexity and detail keeps gaining momentum on the long, expressive finish, where accents of white truffle and spice linger. Drink now through 2036.