Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Another tiny production cuvée from this estate, the 2016 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard is aged 15 months in 20% new French oak. It's a richer, bigger Chardonnay with plenty of classy oak in its ripe orchard and peach fruits. More spice, brioche, and white flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, rounded, and sexy on the palate. It's not for the oak adverse, but it’s a rich, mouthfilling, well-done effort that's a joy to drink.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Leading off the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard comes from clones 777 and 667 and was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 32% new French oak. Bright berry fruits, leafy herbs, spring flowers, candied violets, and subtle incense notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant, and seamless on the palate. This is a classy, balanced Sta. Rita Hills effort that leads with its fruit.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard offers slightly more purity and precision, with terrific notes of melon and subtle tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and white flowers. It has some classic Bien Nacido minerality and salinity, medium body, a rounded texture, and a good finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From a vintage described as epic from Greg, the 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M comes from a vineyard just off Highway 101 and vines planted in 1996. It offers Chablis-like lemon notes as well as hints of tropical fruits, a medium-bodied, rounded, textured style on the palate, beautiful fruit, and a clean finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2010 Pinot Noir Machado also offers a medium to full-bodied, balanced style and carries outstanding notes of spiced red and black fruits, tea leaves, earth, and dried flowers. It shines for its elegance and balance and is drinking at point today.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The first vintage for this cuvée, from vines planted in 2007, the 2009 Chardonnay 3D offers outstanding, mature notes of candied lemons, white flowers, and orange blossom. These carry to a medium-bodied, balanced, elegant Chardonnay that still has beautiful acidity, moderate length, and loads of character. Drink bottles over the coming couple of years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s There are roughly 3,000 to 4,000 cases of the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, which offers a beautiful bouquet of baked cherry tart, exotic orange rind, Asian spices, salty minerality, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it has fine tannins and a great finish. Drink this classic Sta. Rita Hills over the coming decade.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Latro Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with baked plums, crème de cassis, cardamom and tilled soil with hints of tapenade, lilacs, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, rich and spicy, it fills the palate with ripe, expressive black and blue fruits, with a chewy texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a perfumed lift. 400 cases produced.

Fall reds to remember Freemark Abbey is enjoying a renaissance of sorts under the ownership of Jackson Family Wines. The Napa label is sizable at 24,000+ cases, but it remains a ‘reserve’ style in taste and quality. The nose and the attack are fresh and vibrant with spicy black fruit, umami-like savoury, tobacco and cedar mixed into a warm, mineral, floral undercarriage flecked with cloves and cinnamon. It’s just settling in at the five-year mark, but there is plenty more to come. Ready to drink too.

A boisterous nose, it wafts sweet hickory smoke, eucalyptus, chewing tobacco, boysenberry, cherry preserves and orange zest. It hits a medium plus stature, the tannins are long, dense and restrained while the acid is slightly elevated. The structure and balance are professional and suggest the making of a wonderful steakhouse wine. The flavors balance nicely between cherry, strawberry, plum, iron, wet dark soil, toasted oak and unsweetened peppermint that collectively produce a deep, penetrating wine. This needs a few hours in the decanter, or better yet, at least five years in the cellar as there’s more there to develop.

The aromas carry a sensual air about it, offering sweet cherry, mountain strawberry, crushed gravel, smashed flower petals and potting soil. On the palate, it has a full and svelte body with tightly-woven tannin and well-balanced acid. The structure holds a lot of promise with more age. The flavors check in with bruised cherry and blackberry, mocha, clove and pipe tobacco. While enjoyable now with a few hours in the decanter, I think this will improve demonstrably with at least five more years of bottle age.

Pale copper color. Complex but airy on the nose, with white cherry, strawberry, grapefruit, topped in wildflowers, hay, honey, with salty, oyster shell notes. Nervy and crisp on the palate with fine bubbles – dry, brisk, salty, bright appeal. Strawberry, white cherry and red apple peel, mixed with chalk, saline but plenty of doughy, honey, almond notes, too. Delicious, complex, bright stuff. Chardonnay with 43% Pinot Noir, fermented in a mix of old French oak and stainless steel, aged 24 months on the lees.

This opaque and very dark red Cabernet Sauvignon based wine from Freemark Abbey opens with a very inviting cassis and blueberry bouquet with notes of graphite and hints of Werther’s Original candy. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mineral infused red cherry with notes of red plum and hints of cedar. The finish is rather dry and its sticky tannins are very lengthy. The Panel thought this impressive wine would pair well with Roy’s rib roast.

Subtle wild red berry aromas mingle with delicate spice, dried violets, and warm earthy undertones. It has lovely levity, is slick and deftly woven on the palate; complex and fresh with plenty of high-toned red fruit grounded by earth and botanical. The finish is lengthy and trails spiced cocoa.

A classic blend made from traditional Bordeaux varieties, which comes from a selection of fine Napa Valley vineyards, this red is seductive. Expect mocha and loads of purple berries, vanilla, cloves, pipe tobacco and sarsaparilla aromas, which roll into generous fruit, and a supple palate weight. It has oomph and concentration with a fine spice and cocoa finish and finely textured tannins.

Very spicy and well-structured, with firm acidity supporting the ripe pear, apple tart and lemon meringue flavors. Concentrated dried mango accents linger on the finish, along with pastry and nutmeg notes. Best from 2020 through 2025.

Fine-edged, providing an elegant mix of dried cherry, red currant and wild plum flavors that are supported by fresh acidity. Hints of white pepper show on the minerally and well-spiced finish.

Zesty and well-sculpted, with forest floor notes to the dried fruit and spice flavors. Dried orange peel and clove accents show on the supple finish, revealing hints of tar and paprika.

Dense, smoky and powerful, featuring notes of freshly ground coffee to the roasted plum and dried blackberry flavors. Hoisin sauce accents show on the tannic finish, with green herbal shadings. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Drink now through 2025.

The nose is a crisp pineapple, lemon and chalk-like mineral. The palate offers a ripe and forward pineapple and lemon with a focused spice. A nice example considering the price. Drink 2019 – 2024.

The nose is bright citrus with notes of coconut and pineapple. The palate entry is supple and extracted golden stone fruit. Dry and refreshing in the core with notes of licorice and golden currant. Drink 2019 – 2024.

Opens with a nose of flinty white fruit, pear and lemon. The palate is a rich nougat, lemon and toast with saturated richness on the finish. Drink 2019 – 2024.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc was barrel aged on the lees in neutral French oak. It has an inviting nose with classic scents of kiwi, elderflower, gooseberry, candle wax, white and yellow peaches and tarragon with a flinty undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied and refreshing but layered, finishing long, textured and energetic. A very classy style reminiscent of great white Bordeaux that should develop well in bottle. 600 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2016 Riesling, with just three grams per liter of residual sugar, opens with a bright, classic nose of petrol, pineapple, petrichor, candle smoke and pure white peaches with accents of lime peel and kiwi. The palate is light to medium-bodied, refreshing and pure, offering intense, delicately styled flavor layers and a long, juicy finish. This is lovely and extremely well made! I look forward to seeing how this ages in bottle. 500 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2016 Merlot Jackson Park Vineyard contains 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged 18 months in 44% new French oak. Deep ruby, it opens to cinnamon, kirsch, grilled plum, hoisin and a hint of dried coconut with accents of dried red and blue flowers, Morello cherries and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied, silky and offers great intensity and layering of flavor, with a very plush, finely grained frame and seamless freshness, finishing long. 500 cases produced.