Big and juicy tannins with chocolate, walnut and almond character. Full body, rich and flavorful. Needs time to soften.

The 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Strada al Sasso (100% Sangiovese aged in neutral barrique for 12 months) is a plush and rich wine with dark cherry fruit, plum, moist tobacco and cured leather. The wine spreads evenly over the palate with broad intensity and a long succession of dark fruit flavors. I love the texture and fullness of the wine and the tartness is significantly downplayed, which is not easy to do with the naturally acidic Sangiovese.

A bright and pretty red with dried berry, cherry and hits of hazelnut on the nose and palate. Full body, silky tannins and a fresh finish. Clean and balanced. American owned. Drink now.

Focused and elegant, this red bursts with pure cherry and raspberry fruit, showing accents of violet and kirsch. Firms up on the finish, where dusty tannins reign. Best from 2016 through 2024.

Focused and elegant, this bursts with pure cherry and raspberry fruit.

The successful 2011 Chianti Classico Riserva does a great job of portraying both vintage and territory. This was a warm growing season that produced rich and powerful wines. Yet, the restrained nature of Sangiovese reflects themes of elegance and grace that are so specific to the Chianti Classico appellation. Bright acidity and firm tannins appear on the close.

Smooth and lush with juicy fruit and mature berries; rich, ripe and balanced, elegant and long.

The 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva Strada al Sasso is a compelling wine with power and sheer intensity. Ripe fruit and black currant mingles with exotic spice, espresso and leather. The finish is extra long and smooth. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022.

The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva Strada al Sasso is a gorgeous wine that bursts open with a huge sense of balance and intensity. The seamless bouquet offers generous dollops of red fruit, spice and cola that are stitched together in harmonious fashion. This Riserva is determined and long-lasting thanks to its velvety texture, integrated acidity and full-bodied approach. Owned by California's Jackson family, the estate is located in the Castelnuovo Berardenga sub zone that performs very nicely in cooler vintages such as 2008.

Pierre Seillan made five different blends at Arceno in 2003; this one, based on cabernet franc, is the most elegant and impressive (the blend also includes 24 percent cabernet sauvignon and 17 percent merlot). Franc seems to pick up on the same kind of Tuscan tannin that well-grown sangiovese can, staunch and spicy with the feel of the earth. The fruit has a green peppercorn edge and a crushed stone minerality. Give this a few years to absorb some of the oak, then decant it for pepper steak.

Finest Chardonnay, from a vineyard made famous by Helen Turley. It boasts buttery citrus, grapefruit, and honeysuckle notes, full body, and great fruit presence with notions of minerals, orange skins, lemons and pineapples. A beautifully textured white with a French grand cru white Burgundy-like length, it will drink well for 4-5 years.

Pinot Noir World Series

Here is 'serious' pinot in the sense that it has clearly been vinified for aging. Fine fruit is presently restrained behind oak with which it will eventually equilibrate as the evident tannins recede. A few years' cellaring could pay dividends and probably will, given the clear excellence of pinot fruit in the background just now. However, pulling the cork at present would hardly be a crime, especially if a lightly seasoned and perfectly roasted duck were on the table.

The 1994 Merlot looks to be even better than the 1993. It may turn out to be a worthy competitor to Matanzas Creek Merlot. The wine reveals an opaque purple color, a sweet, smoky, chocolatey nose, full body, terrific fruit, and intensity, and a spicy, rich, layered finish. The wines tannin is largely obscured by the abundant quantities of fruit, glycerin, and extract. This lusty Merlot should drink well for 10-12 years.

What brought California merlot to such present prominence is just the sort of ripe, rich and delicious fruit found here. Plums are the principal impression, with some cassis as well, and the overlay of oak is just as subtle as it should be.

Sourced all from higher elevation vineyards, the 2015 Mountain Blend Farrier is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberries, graphite, camphor, and scorched earth. It’s medium-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant on the palate, yet it falls off slightly on the finish. Drink this balanced, charming 2015 anytime over the coming 7-10 years.

A beautiful Bordeaux blend, rich and flavorful, brimming with blackberries, black currants, black cherries, herbs and new oak. Feels fine and elegant in the mouth. Ready now for its elegant approachability, but has the tannic structure to age through 2014. Right up there with Stonestreet's more expensive wines, which makes it a comparative value.

Supple, complex and harmonious, with layers of smoky oak, currant, cherry and spice. Finishes with smooth, thick tannins and excellent length. A beautifully crafted red wine. (Also appeared 9/30/95).

Soft and luscious, rich and loaded with fruit.

Just what you would expect from a long, cool vintage and hillside vineyards - a tightly wrapped, dense wine that needs some time in the cellar to unfurl its flavors and chocolate, cassis and lead pencil. Has richly textured mouthfeel and, despite some drying tannins, finishes with enough juicy fruit to more than compensate.

Elegant and complex, offering layers of cedar, black cherry, and wild berry with spicy nuances, turning sleek and earthy on the finish where the tannins are mild but firm.

Exquisite...a lush and smooth wine with superb oak, spice and intense fruit.

This ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Stonestreet shows really nice finesse. It opens with a fragrant cranberry and black currant bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, silky smooth and fruit forward. The flavor profile is a tasty flinty mineral influenced black currant with notes of old oak, black olive and hint of green pepper. The finish is dry and its refined tannins fade away nicely. I would drink this Cab soon, as it is showing nicely now. It would pair perfectly with a filet mignon.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from a higher elevation vineyard in the Alexander Valley and was fermented in oak uprights and aged all in barrel. It’s another beautiful wine from this producer that has classic black and blue fruits, hints of graphite, bay leaf, sage and lead pencil, medium to full body, light tannin, and a balanced, elegant profile. Drink it anytime over the coming 15 years of so.