Refined and well-spiced, with structured flavors of cherry pastry that are rich and burnished, filled with plenty of cedar and loam notes. Underbrush accents linger on the firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2025.

Lots of toasted bread, chalky minerality, dried pineapple, and white flower notes emerge from the 2019 Chardonnay Estate, a medium-bodied, balanced, juicy Chardonnay that shows the classic style of this estate beautifully. It picks up a kiss of nuttiness and subtle oak with time in the glass and is a terrific appellation release.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard is a bigger wine, yet it still has a complex, peppery, almost Old World vibe in its red and black fruits as well as peppery herbs, earth, leather, and underbrush-like aromas and flavors. Nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it has lots of character and should keep for a good 4-5 years.

Also from the Russian River Valley, the 2018 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard gives up a big nose of mulberries, red cherries, spice, and sappy underbrush. This carries to a medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a seamless, elegant texture, nicely integrated tannins, and a classy finish. I love its overall balance, and it's just a charming, delicious, balanced 2018 to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years.

Lastly, the 2017 Journey Red sports a deep ruby/purple color as well as a balanced, elegant, incredibly juicy style in its ripe red and black fruits as well as scorched earth, graphite, and chocolate aromas and flavors. It has solid fruit, chewy tannins, and solid length on the finish. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and should have a solid decade of prime drinking.

The 2019 Chardonnay Kelli Ann Vineyard comes from the Russian River. Its medium gold hue is followed by lots of melon and subtle tropical fruits supported by classic Chardonnay creamy, toasty, spicy nuances. As with all the Matanzas Creek releases, it's impeccably made, has good acidity, a distinct sense of minerality, and a great finish.

More loamy earth, spice, and dried strawberry notes emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Unforgettable Estate Vineyard, another classic Anderson Valley Pinot Noir with its savory, mineral-laced style. This elegant, charming Pinot Noir is best enjoyed over the coming 4-5 years.

The 2018 Pinot Noir 9 Barrel is deep ruby, almost opaque, and offers a beautiful, medium-bodied, elegant style in its assorted red and black fruits, dried flowers, earth, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. Nicely textured, balanced, and silky on the palate, with a slightly short finish, this top barrel selection is terrific today yet will keep for 4-6 years.

Ripe black cherry and darker raspberry fruits as well as spice and forest floor notes all emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Sealift Vineyard, a more medium-bodied, nicely focused, firmer Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that has good purity, ripe tannins, and solid length on the finish. It should benefit from just a year in the cellar and drink well over the following 4-6 years or so.

Another 2017 I was able to taste was the 2017 Pinot Noir Green Valley of Russian River Valley, which comes from a cooler region in the Russian River Valley. Revealing a medium ruby hue as well as perfumed kirsch, mulberry, and cherry fruits, it's medium-bodied, has a seamless, elegant texture, nicely integrated tannins, and a wonderful finish. It's a complex, textured, fruit-driven, spicy effort to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.

The deeper ruby/plum-hued 2018 Winemaster's Blend comes from the estate in Alexander Valley and I suspect is a mix of Bordeaux varieties, although I don't know the blend. Lots of red and black currants, tobacco, cedar pencil, and loamy soil notes define the nose, and this medium to full-bodied beauty is nicely textured, has wonderful overall balance, and enough structure and tannins to keep for a solid decade.

Coming from the Santa Maria Valley, the 2019 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands has a more mineral-laced, seaside style that offers plenty of peach and orchard fruits, notes of iodine, crushed stone, and toasted almonds, medium body, bright acidity, and a great finish. It's going to keep for 4-5 years.

Another impressive Chardonnay with a singular character, the 2019 Chardonnay Sable Mountain Vineyard reveals a lighter gold hue as well as savory, mineral-laced notes of white flowers, poached pears, spice, and toast. It's impressive on the palate as well, with medium-bodied richness, wonderful overall balance, and a clean, nutty finish that keeps you coming back to the glass.

Coming from a region just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the 2018 Pinot Noir Marin County should be a good value. Offering cool climate spice, sappy herbs, and forest nuances, medium body, supple cherry and strawberry fruits, and background oak, it's one textured, undeniably delicious Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 4-5 years.

Coming from a notable vineyard in the Anderson Valley, the 2019 Pinot Noir Maggy Hawk is classic Copain with its more elegant, mid-weight, yet balanced, charming style. Tart cherries, dried flowers, citrus rind, and earth all emerge on the nose, and it's going to continue drinking nicely for 4-6 years.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Sealift comes from the Sonoma Coast and fits in nicely in the lineup, offering subtle cherry and strawberry fruits, medium body, juicy, vibrant acidity, and classic flower and sappy herb notes. Revealing a kiss of salty seaside air with time in the glass, it will benefit from a year or two in bottle and keep through 2029.

Always a fruit-forward, sexy, incredibly charming wine, the 2018 Prequel Red Wine is no exception and sports a dense purple hue as well as smoky, meaty notes of blackberries, cured meats, peppery herbs, and chocolate. It's rich, full-bodied, and mouth-filling while staying balanced and light on its feet. It's a killer barbecue wine to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years.

Based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the 2018 Bootleg Red Wine is another fruit-forward, delicious, satisfying red from this estate. Coming all from Napa Valley fruit, its deep purple hue is followed by loads of blue and black fruits as well as notes of chocolate, scorched earth, and tobacco. A big, mouth-filling, chewy, lengthy wine, it's going to pair nicely with red meat and should keep for 7-8 years, although it's not a wine I'd recommend aging.

Cut from the same cloth as the 2018, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale has lots of cassis and blue fruits as well as ample background oak, graphite, crushed stone, and violet-like aromas and flavors. These all carry to a medium-bodied Cabernet with wonderful purity, the straight, focused style of the vintage, some obvious minerality, and a great finish. The balance is spot on, and it has building yet ripe tannins as well as a great finish. Drink this beautiful Cabernet any time over the coming 10-15 years.

An elegant Cali Cab with great natural acidity lifting up the core of fruit as it’s framed by a prominent tannin structure. This wine can still age another five or more years, but right now, it’s singing with balance.

Nice, rich, and aromatic on the nose. Smells like a faint whiff of caramelized pears and fancy French bistro butter. The palate has excellent balance with frothy acidity and a comfy, grippy mouthfeel. Great to just sip on its own or with some hard cheeses.

This has a distinctive, red-berry and confectionary nose with some ripe, intense, sweet and fleshy raspberry and red-plum flavors on the palate. Pastry-like layers to close. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This broad-shouldered red is structured with brooding raspberry and pomegranate flavors that draw in black tea and bay leaf flavors, building tension toward medium-grained tannins. Hands off for now. Drink now through 2028.

This straw-colored Chardonnay is very impressive. It opens with an inviting pineapple and lemon zest bouquet with a hint of green apple. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, well-balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a gentle mineral and mild oak influenced pineapple. I also detected hints of green apple and butter mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This Chard would pair well with a chicken and wild mushroom ravioli in a light butter cream sauce.

A soft, delicate, restrained wine with aromas of white flowers and a whiff of almond meal. Cashew-nutty too. A more straightforward style and a trifle short on the finish compared to other vineyards. It's remarkably backward and restrained considering it’s the lowest altitude vineyard and earliest harvested. (100m altitude, south-facing)