Jess Stonestreet Jackson purchased the Gauer Ranch in the 1990s, renaming it the Alexander Mountain Estate. It’s 5,100 acres on the western flank of Mayacamas with 900 planted to vines, the parcels ranging in altitude from 400 up to 2,400 feet. Lisa Valtenbergs made this 2016 cabernet from a range of parcels and elevations. It’s fragrant with delicate scents of red cherries, floral notes of strawberries and a dark core of pure cabernet sauvignon flavor: That black-currant fruit saturates a relatively light-bodied red (at least relative to some of the bigger styles of Stonestreet cabernets in the past); its gentle woodland freshness brings an impression of redwood fronds and ferns.

This tight, cassis-driven cabernet is fresh and inviting. The fruit is aromatic and clean, with highlights of cranberries, roots and green herbs. The tannins are integrated and gentle, ready to take on an herb-braised lamb shank.

This dark ruby colored Zinfandel from the Perli Vineyards opens with a boysenberry, red plum and cinnamon spice bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, slight acidic and savory. The flavor profile is a very tasty black cherry and Chai tea blend with notes of milk chocolate, oak and a hint of caramel toward the end. The finish is dry and its flavors drift away nicely. This tasty Zin is very food friendly and would pair well with grilled Asian beef kebabs.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Deep red. Ripe red berries, incense and candied flowers on the expressive nose, along with a smoky mineral accent that adds energetic lift. Sappy, appealingly sweet and lively on the palate, offering juicy cherry, raspberry and spicecake flavors, along with candied rose and white pepper notes. Smooth and seamless in texture, finishing with resonating florality, smooth tannins and strong, spicy tenacity.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Shimmering red. Perfumed aromas of red currant, cherry cola, baking spices and potpourri show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Seamless and spicy on the palate, offering pliant black raspberry, cherry liqueur and floral pastille flavors braced by a spine of juicy acidity. Finishes on a resonating cherry note, with silky, fine-grained tannins and lively persistence.

What makes a great wine truly great? This bold style of Pinot Noir starts with the warm perfume of pressed dark berries with a whisper of gunflint somewhere. The entry is silky at first before giving way to plunging bold flavours of roasted plum, bittersweet chocolate, black licorice and salt—as well as a hint of crushed violet and chalk. The resonant finish elongates the experience. This is a generous, smart and immediately charming bottle of red that grows more compelling with each sip.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith gives up notes of red and black currants, black raspberries and fresh mulberries with suggestions of bay leaves, damp soil, black olives and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate sings of freshness with racy acidity and well-played, soft tannins supporting the red and black berry layers, finishing on an invigorating herbal note. This should age amazingly! 422 cases were made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate bursts from the glass with vivacious cassis, black cherry preserves and wild blueberries with hints of chocolate box, dried mint and black loam plus a waft of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives a firm frame of lively freshness and grainy tannins supporting the bright, juicy fruit, finishing long with a minty lift. Elegantly played at just 14.1% alcohol. 12,115 cases were made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley reveals fresh blackberries, blackcurrants and black plums with hints of dark chocolate, menthol and fertile soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers delicious, crunchy black fruits and harmonious structure, finishing softly textured and spicy. 36,588 cases were made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More 2016s Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford rolls from the glass with warm blackberries, black cherry compote and red and black currants at the core with touches of cardamom, lavender, dusty earth and wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has plenty of bright, lively fruit and ripe, finely grained tannins, delivering a well-poised, delicately earthy finish.

Here's a fine and fleshy, generous, ripe, dark fruit-flavoured pinot that fits a warm vintage Willamette mold accurately, well-crafted, cleverly oak-influenced. I like the ripe, supple tannins and the ripe-balanced acids, not to mention the long finish. Solidly constructed. Tasted September 2019. Value Rating: **1/2

Santa Barbara: Present & Future Cambria's 2017 Chardonnay Clone 4 is creamy, open-knit and wonderfully layered, while retaining the mid-weight sense of structure that is the signature of the Cambria wines today. Tangerine, mint, vanillin, almond and chamomile grace this attractive, understated Chardonnay from Cambria.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard is soft, supple and delicate. Bright red berry fruit and floral overtones, along with silky tannins give he 2017 its distinctly lifted, airy personality. This is a pretty delicate, understated expression of Solomon Hills Pinot Noir, with all the elements in the right place.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir Q Block Bien Nacido Vineyard is laced with expressive red/purplish berry fruit, sage, lavender and rose petal overtones. Supple silky and inviting, the 2017 is another Pinot in this range that will drink beautifully upon release.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is fresh, airy and nicely lifted. Chalk, red berries, mint and sweet floral notes give the 2017 a brilliant aromatic upper register. The Fiddlestix is one of the more compact wine in this range. At the same time, winemaker Jonathan Nagy has succeeded in making a rare Fiddlestix that captures terrific fruit purity while avoiding some of the more rustic elements that are so common here.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future One of the highlights in this range, the 2017 Pinot Noir (Sta.Rita Hills) is fresh, perfumed and wonderfully inviting. Rose petal, blood orange, kirsch and mint give the 2017 a decidedly exotic feel that is hugely appealing. In 2017, the Sta. Rita Hills Pinot is wonderfully lifted and nuanced, with terriffc balance and class that will make it impossible to resist, even upon release. Machado and Hapgood are the core sources for this appellation Pinot.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard has an open nose with scents of crushed blueberries and black cherries, licorice, perfumed earth, dried citrus and oodles of floral perfume. Medium-bodied and concentrated with nuanced fruits, it has a sturdy frame of grainy tannins, great freshness and a long, layered finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley was entirely barrel fermented and aged in 40% new French oak. It opens perfumed, with chamomile, honey-drizzled apples, crushed stone, pie crust and fresh hay plus bright lemon and lime sparks. Light to medium-bodied, it offers appealing perfumed fruits in the mouth, with refreshing acidity and a long, lifted finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, made with 40% new oak, is medium ruby colored and has a nose of pipe tobacco, saline and licorice with notes of charcuterie, pepper, nori, earth, wet bark and black and red berries. Medium-bodied, it’s savory in the mouth, segueing to bright citrus and flower sparks. It has a frame of grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands Chardonnay has an expressive, pleasantly reductive nose of struck flint, toast, dried hay and mushroom with red apple, saline and chamomile hints. The palate is medium to full-bodied, gaining in amplitude before the juicy acidity kicks in, finishing long and savory. This is well made and a great value.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard Signature Collection fermented in stainless steel and was barrel aged in 35% new French oak for 16 months. Light to medium ruby colored, it's scented of woodsmoke, Earl Grey tea leaves, tangerine peel, rosewater perfume, potpourri, moss-covered bark and even juniper notes with cranberry, rhubarb and crushed blackberries—very layered and perfumed. Light to medium-bodied, it has a gorgeous interplay of ripe fruits and earthy character, with a silky texture, fine, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir Barbara's Signature Collection (100% Dijon clone 667) was fermented entirely in barrel and aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Pale to medium ruby in color, the nose gives up oodles of pure, crushed berries—cranberries, blackberries and red cherries—with notes of charcuterie, cinnamon stick, underbrush, citrus peel, dried rose petals and moss. Medium-bodied, it has great intensity in the mouth with a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and good freshness to lift the long, layered finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Pale to medium ruby in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard has a bright nose of Bing cherry, wild blackberries, earth and stewed black tea leaves with saline and hints of charcuterie and potpourri. Medium-bodied and silky, it's much more giving in the mouth with black and red fruits and tons of Earl Grey tea-tinged spice, with soft, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and layered. A delicate, earthy and pretty expression.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a windy site planted on sandy loam with diatomaceous earth, using one-third whole cluster and 50% new oak. Pale to medium ruby and youthfully tight on the nose, it slowly gives up blueberry, black plum, violet and warm blackberries with blue fruit hints, cocoa, graphite, moss-covered bark and rain-spattered soil. Medium-bodied, silky and mineral-driven in the mouth, it slowly segues out to spice, with dusty-textured tannins and integrated acidity, finishing long and minerally.

Tasting the Traumatic 2017 Vintage (And Others) in Northern California Extremely pure fruit with blueberries and blackcurrants. Lavender, too. Full body. Stony and slightly austere tannins, but real mountain character. Needs two to three years to soften a little, but I like it.