USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard comes from the oldest vines on the estate, planted in 1982. Fermented in barrel and aged for 11 months in 47% new French oak, it is a little closed to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal pink grapefruit, white peaches and Granny Smith apples with nuances of honeysuckle, lemon tart and praline. Medium to full-bodied, it explodes in the mouth with citrus and savory layers, with a gorgeous silkiness and loads of ginger and mineral sparks coming through on the finish Wow!

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard contains a 1.8% splash of Petit Verdot and was aged 20 months in 64% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it features a knock-out perfume of candied violets, warm cassis, preserves plums and blueberry compote with hints of eucalyptus, dark chocolate, Indian spices and oolong tea with a waft of cedar. The palate is full-bodied, firmly structured and offers wonderfully firm, ripe, grainy tannins and oodles of freshness supporting the vivacious black and blue fruits, finishing very long and very layered.

Australia has some of the most extraordinary old grenache vines in the world and they lead to wines like this—gorgeously rich and tasting of cherry confiture and exotic spices. “High Sands” (which has a cult following) is grown at the top of the Yangarra Estate on ancient sandy dunes. The gnarly old bush vines were planted in 1946.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir is a more perfumed, elegant effort (it's from the northern end of the Willamette) that has Burgundian notes of sweet cherries, sous bois, spice, and rose petals. Finesse-driven, seamless and pure, but with rock-solid intensity, it's going to drink nicely for upwards of a decade.

Renowned throughout Australia, the Hickinbotham estate perched above the floor of McLaren Vale (Valley) is the source of a half dozen fantastic wines. “The Trueman” is not the most expensive, but it is one of my favorites. Beautifully elegant and incredibly long, its uplifts of flavor—cassis, almonds, minerals, and camphor—are mesmerizing and complex. Alive and elegant.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Composed of 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 60% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard opens a little youthfully reticent, soon giving way to notions of black and red currants, wild blueberries and wild thyme with touches of cigar box, tilled soil, black truffes and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, it is very taut, muscular and firmly structured in the mouth with a rock-solid grainy texture and tons of freshness supporting the densely packed black fruit, finishing long and earthy.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Mostly destemmed (15% whole clusters), the 2016 Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from the Eola-Amity vineyard, which is one of the top sites in the Willamette Valley. It's a vibrant, energetic effort that has classic black raspberry fruits, lots of spice, scorched earth, and crushed flower aromatics, medium body, and high yet integrated acidity. It shines for its balance and purity, and will keep for 10-15 years.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged for 17 months in 38% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Marin County leaps from the glass with vibrant black and red cherries, cranberries and violets with hints of rose hip tea, hemp and black soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating red and black fruits with bags of earthy nuances and a plush texture, finishing very long.

A highly captivating wine with perfect balance between the sweet and the savoury. Sourced from established vines, ranging in age from 19 to 23 years, it is a shiraz with excellent fruit depth. There is a snappy character to the fruit on the front palate followed by impressive back palate concentration and length. Although it can be enjoyed now, it will be even better with time in the cellar. A sophisticated, finely-crafted wine. Highly recommended.

If you love creamy whites, here’s a long, slow rolling wave of sensational flavors. Beautiful freshness and lushness simultaneously, plus a texture so silky it feels a bit illegal. Roussanne is rare in Australia, but this might be the best roussanne in the entire New World.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Fermented and aged in French oak for 11 months (57% new), the 2016 Chardonnay Red Point displays pretty orange blossom, fresh ginger and talc notes over a core of lemongrass, nectarine and Bosc pears with a waft of toast. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and delivering great pear and citrus fruit-inspired intensity, it finishes long and layered.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 11 months in 100% new Côte d'Or French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard gives up alluring lemon curd, warm peaches and honey toast scents with suggestions of allspice, crushed cashews, mandarin peel and jasmine. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals tons of savory and spicy nuances with a racy line lifting the peachy core to a long, chalky finish.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is a beauty! Deep, rich, and textured, with smoking good notes of cassis, raspberries, violets, toasted spices, and flowers, this medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated Pinot Noir has a great mid-palate, a seamless feel on the palate, and a great finish. Seeing the standard 25% stems and a mix of new and neutral oak, it’s one of the finest Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted from Adam.

Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 feet on an area planted since the early 1860s. The estate, on the western flank of Napa Valley, is named for the native Wappos who first called it home. The mountain site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils that present many winegrowing challenges. Four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) combine to neutralise some of the issues in what is normally a slow moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line. Winemaker Chris Carpenter likes to say, “Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is meant to show all that is Mt. Veeder without overt tannins.” In 2015 a cooling trend occurred during fruit set, lowering yields as much as 30 percent in some cases. Things turned around near the end of harvest as the small crop allowed for an earlier than usual finish. The quality of the fruit was so high they even added a little bit of petit verdot to the blend. In all, it spent 22 months in 75 percent new French oak. The blend is 87.5/5/3/3/1.5 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. It’s just a baby, full of exuberant blue and red fruits, spice and mineral notes. Balanced, earthy, savoury, restrained fruit with a brooding tannin background that will disperse over time, but for now cellar for at least a decade.

This is vivid and beautifully rendered, with a dense yet racy core of unadulterated cassis, boysenberry and blackberry puree flavors, flecked with anise, light bramble and polished ganache notes. The long finish shows a great tug of tarry earth while the fruit drives on.

A quiet, though self-assured wine with excellent density. Bitter-sweet chocolate aromas followed by a savoury, composed palate. Reserved dark fruits and ripe, framing tannin. One for the cellar. (Screwcap)

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard is made of 100% Cabernet and was aged for 21 months in 69% new French oak. Deep garnet colored, it offers up maturing notes of crème de cassis, baked cherries, dried mulberries and sandalwood with touches of dried herbs and tilled soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy with bags of spicy black fruit and a long savory finish.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a great site on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills and was completely destemmed. Black raspberries, smoked earth, graphite, and ample minerality give way to a fresh, focused, nicely concentrated Sta. Rita Hills effort that has good acidity, and spice, pepper, mineral, fresh and focused, with plenty of focus and cut. It too has a decade of longevity.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands An estate Adam has worked with since 2000, the 2016 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard saw 35% stems and roughly 40% new oak. Bing cherries, strawberries, rose petals, and spice all emerge from this complex, elegant, layered beauty that has fine, fine tannin. This beauty has a vibrant, perfumed character and is another beautiful wine.

Santa Cruz Moutains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Seeing 30% whole clusters, the 2016 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard is a fruit-forward, rounded, sexy wine from this estate. Bing cherry, violets, wild strawberries, and sappy herb notes all flow to a vibrant, fresh wine that changes in the glass beautifully. It has good acidity and a lightly textured, elegant style that’s a joy to drink. It should keep for upwards of a decade.

This is filled with lush cassis, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors, supported by dense, lush tannins. The finish is polished, with anise and roasted apple wood notes seamlessly integrated throughout, with a tarry echo at the very end keeping this grounded. A modern expression of mountain fruit.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Made of 100% Cabernet aged 19 months in 61% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Stature Cabernet Sauvignon is a little closed to begin, opening slowly to reveal fresh black currants, warm plums and wild blueberries scents with touches of garrigue, wood smoke, menthol and oolong tea plus touches of tar and tilled earth. Firm, full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has loads of black and red fruit layers with a ripe, grainy texture and a very long, mineral-laced finish. Should age gracefully!

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Made of 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 47% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith opens with bold notions of black cherry preserves, black raspberries, blackcurrant cordial and mocha with hints of tar, licorice, wild sage and cedar chest. The palate is full-bodied, concentrated and built like a brick house with firm, grainy tannins and great freshness supporting the generous fruit, finishing long and earthy.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Fermented and aged for 11 months in French oak (44% new), the 2016 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard delivers ripe apricots, pineapple paste, apple pie and allspice scents with hints of honeycomb and toasted almonds. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs a wallop of intense flavors with layer upon layer of tropical fruit and spices, complemented by a creamy texture and finishing long and toasty.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands From the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands, the 2016 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard saw one-fourth stems and 15 months in 50% new French oak. It's always a richer wine and the 2016 is no exception, offering notes of black raspberries, crushed rocks, vanilla bean, and spice. Deep, pure and powerful, yet still with a beautiful sense of elegance, drink it any time over the coming 10-12 years.