Collectible California Cabernet Along with its sister brand Lokoya, Cardinale is the crown jewel of Jackson Family Estates. Long-time winemaker Chris Carpenter’s nickname is ‘Mountain Man’ – a reference to his experience making wines from Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt Veeder and Howell Mountain. Cardinale is a delicious symphony from all of them. Very nuanced, with flavours that exude spiciness, savouriness, minerality and a noble bitterness. Extraordinarily long. Drink 2019-2045.

Vibrant ruby color and a bright plum nose; silky and mellow with plum, cassis, and blackberry, plus a refined style and nice depth; balanced and long.

A new offering from the producer, this blends together Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it offers sleek flavors of strawberry puree and brioche that benefit from crisp acidity and stony texture. Balanced and fresh, it finishes in lemon peel and flowers.

Ripe berry aromas; lush and smooth texture with dense flavors of chocolate as well as ripe plum and boysenberry. Rich, chewy, and long with spice and depth—a remarkable value.

There is a bright, edgy quality to this wine, and, in many Pinots, the accompanying firmness bordering on stiffness might be a bit off-putting. Yet, this wine more than overcomes its early drift into the taut end of the spectrum with nicely concentrated fruit that finds its first focus on ripe cherries while just flirting with an underlying cranberry-like note. It will be appealing today to fans of its crisp styling, yet it is also a wine that seems sure to reward those who would lay some away. 1 star.

Not unlike the wine above in that it does come with a whisper of enlivening acidity, it nonetheless is broader in its early appeal because of its greater openness at this point. Its aromas are also a tad riper than its mate but with somewhat less depth, and its flavor profile stays more in the red cherry, fresh berry camp. Like the wine above, it can benefit from a bit of age even if having a bit less potential over time. 1 star.

This is an opulent, richly layered wine, a combination of Merlot, Petite Sirah and Syrah, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Juicy, it offers smoky cherry and grippy tannin around likable layers of weight and body.

This is stainless-steel fermented, opening with a fresh lively nose of legume and pea shoot. Robust in mouthfeel, it has additional flavors of anise, apple and pear, finishing bright and earthy.

Pale straw in colour; spicy, toasty, pineapple bouquet; full-bodied, just off-dry with a spicy, pineapple flavour carried on lively acidity; great length. Richly flavoured.

Best Buys in the Market Not only has Syrah carved out an increasingly important niche in California’s portfolio of fine wines, there are more than a few very good bottlings that are as affordable as they are delicious. Leading the way on this month’s roster of Best Buys, the ** 93-point BOOTLEG Prequel Sonoma County 2015 is a bold, mouthfilling wine rife with Syrah’s dark fruit and spice...

There’s more to Graham Weerts than just Chardonnay! While Capensis focuses solely on Chardonnay, Graham produces single-varietal reds and Bordeaux blends for other brands within the Jackson Family portfolio, including this stunning Legacy Red Blend from Alexander Valley. The 2013 vintage is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot. A Dense purple color, with concentrated black fruit aromas on the nose. This full-bodied wine is layered and rich. Flavors of black cherry, earth, spice, pepper and cedar. This wine is aging beautifully and will only improve over the coming years. An impressive wine.

My personal favorite of the two Capensis Chardonnay vintages I tasted for this piece. This wine is jam-packed with luscious aromas of tropical fruit, lemon, grilled apple, cedar, brioche, vanilla, butter and some minerality. Great mouthfeel. The acid is high which perfectly matches the richness of this wine. A real pleasure to drink and an eye-opening experience of what the Western Cape can deliver. A South African Gem! Delicious now but can be tucked away for a few more years.

2013 was the first vintage of Capensis Chardonnay and it’s a stunner right out the gate. The fruit was sourced from some of the finest and most unique plots in the Western Cape by renowned viticulturist, Rosa Kruger. Noticeable oak (but not overdone) mingles with concentrated aromas of stone fruit, spice and a hint of minerality. The mouthfeel is creamy and round with beautifully balanced acidity. This wine is drinking well now but can be tucked away for at least a few more years.

Top 100 Wines 2019 From Jackson Family Wines, this Jess Jackson-inspired blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot was grown on the company’s Jimtown and Alexander Mountain vineyards, at elevations of up to 2,400 feet. Although it’s not labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon, it could be, with that variety comprising 87% of the blend. Layered and so seamless that no one characteristic sticks out from the others, its solid tannin and acid structure suggest cellar longevity.

Top 100 Wines 2019 Here is a Chardonnay that has both power and purity. It’s full-bodied and rich, with peach, Meyer lemon, guava, and fresh-baked bread character, and a thread of minerality running from the aroma through the finish.

Top 100 Best Buys of 2019 - #48

25 Amazing Sonoma Wines to Drink Right Now In 1994, Texas natives Adam and Dianna Lee founded Siduri Wines. Today, their red-cap labels are a source of high-quality Pinots of extreme value. If you’re in Healdsburg, head to the Siduri Wine Lounge and take full advantage of these creations, like this rich, black-fruited, and juicy Pinot that reveals a silken medium-bodied texture with loads of deep earth notes and spice.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Pure magic in a bottle, the 2013 Chardonnay 3D is one of the finest Chardonnays I’ve tasted from Santa Barbara County! Stunning notes of caramelized lemons, salty minerality, orchard fruits, and white flowers all emerge from the glass. With full-bodied richness, perfect balance, and a huge finish, it’s certainly in a sweet spot today yet promises to continue evolving for another 10-15 years or more. Hats off to winemaker Greg Brewer for this incredible effort.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm This is a new barrel sample blend from what I tasted last year and it contains a bit more Cabernet Franc. This 2017 Le Désir is made up of 80% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot and 3% Malbec. It gives up a wonderfully perfumed nose of lilacs, wilted roses, star anise and black tea with a core of red currant jelly and blackberry coulis with wafts of pencil lead and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is very firm and finely grainy with tons of freshness and a proactively fragrant finish. 2,500 cases are to be made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Harvested on September 20 this vintage, the Helena Montana vineyard turns 20 years old this year. A barrel sample with a very deep purple-black color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard wafts from the glass with flamboyant black plums, warm cassis, ripe blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries with touches of licorice, violets and tar. Medium-bodied and jam-packed with energy, it has layer upon layer of black and blue fruits with firm, ripe tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and savory.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm A barrel sample, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard is very deep purple-black in color and is still a little reduced, giving way to very exciting notions of freshly crushed wild blueberries, black raspberries and red and black currants with touches of garrigue, tar, smoked meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied with a very firm, grainy texture and soft, seamless freshness, the palate grows slowly to a long-lingering black fruit and earthy crescendo. Very promising.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The standout in the retrospective, the 2013 Pinot Noir Machado has that rare mix of opulence, power, structure, and balance that defines great wines. Beautiful blackcurrant fruits as well as notes of ground herbs, flowers, black tea, and forest floor all jump from the glass, and it’s just as good on the palate, with flawless balance, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s a brilliant wine, from a brilliant vintage, from a brilliant winemaker. Drink it any time over the coming decade.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2010 Chardonnay 3D is another stunner, offering mature notes of crushed apple, citrus, salty minerality, and plenty of floral and more exotic nuances. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, it’s the first wine in this retrospective to start to show more mature and nuanced aromatics. It will continue drinking brilliantly for another 4-5 years and have a gradual decline as well.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2015 Chardonnay 3D offers a more masculine, mineral, and salty style that carries incredible caramelized fruit, brioche, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and powerful, with serious concentration, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish, it’s in desperate need of 2-3 years of bottle age, but this magical Chardonnay will keep for 15 years or more!

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Franc is a little closed to begin, slowly revealing redcurrant jelly, blackberry pie, boysenberries and mulberries with nuances of Ceylon tea, raspberry leaves, tilled soil, pencil shavings and underbrush. The palate is wonderfully elegant with a medium to full body and very fine-grained tannins supporting perfumed cherries and black berries layers, finishing long and energetic.