USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged ten months in 41% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands Chardonnay leaps from the glass with vivacious lemon tart, ripe grapefruit and fresh pineapple scents with hints of struck match, lime cordial, honeysuckle and crème brûlée. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super intense with vibrant tropical fruit and loads of savory layers plus a pleasantly oily texture and wonderfully long finish.

Made by Chris Carpenter for Jackson Family Wines. This is a blend from mostly hillside and mountain vineyards. Really concentrated, intense and quite focused. There’s some very ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, but it has nice structure and focus, with some grip and good acidity. Has a slightly citrussy finish with a primary, fruit-driven character. Should develop very nicely over the next decade, and possibly longer. Lovely.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point Vineyard is made of 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 44% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, plum preserves, bay leaves, forest floor and tapenade plus suggestions of tobacco, cloves and tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is filled with lovely rounded, approachable tannins and bags of black fruits, lifted by a refreshing backbone and finishing long and mineral laced.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard was fermented in barrel and aged 11 months in 43% new French oak. It gives lovely ripe peaches, green guava, honeydew melon and cashew scents with hints of marzipan and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a lovely satiny texture and bags of melon and stone fruit flavors, finishing on a spicy note.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir is a beautiful wine. Coming from two sites and fermented with 20% stems and aged 15 months in 30% new oak, it offers a deeper ruby color as well as a classic bouquet of red currants, black cherries, scorched earth, spice, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and layered, it's a gem.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands From a site right next to Garys' that was planted in 2008, the 2016 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard was completely destemmed and spent 11 months (slightly less time in barrel) in 40% new French oak. It's a rich, voluptuous effort that has loads of mulberries, cranberries, spicy herbs, and underbrush aromas and flavors. Deep, medium to full-bodied and just loaded with fruit, it's a pleasure-bent effort that also has balance and class.

A mountain-grown wine blended with 10% Petit Verdot, this impresses in its ability to offer power and elegance in equal measure. Cinnamon, baked plum and dark cherry ride along a soft, structured and age-worthy wine, which shows a touch of reduction, espresso bean and dusty rock minerality.

Expressive and well-structured, with lively and layered raspberry, violet and flint notes, finishing with refined tannins.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Composed of 100% Cabernet aged 21 months in 48% new French oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge gives a profound nose of crème de cassis, baked plums and chocolate box with hints of black truffes, cedar chest, pencil lead and dried Mediterranean herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate is super structured with a very firm, grainy frame supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy. Needs time!

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Made of 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 43% new French oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mtn. is deep garnet-purple colored and leaps from the glass with bold blueberries, cassis and Black Forest cake scents plus suggestions of camphor, unsmoked cigars, charcoal and fungi. Medium to full-bodied, firmly textured and delivering bags of vibrant black fruits, it has a lively line and long mint-laced finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 17 months in 26% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Truly Rita comes sashaying out of the glass with seriously spicy notions of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and black pepper with a core of red currant jelly, kirsch and raspberry preserves plus a waft of wild thyme. Medium-bodied, the palate has lovely restraint with elegant red fruit layers framed by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a mineral note.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Pinot Noir Warrior Princess comes from several blocks in the Zena Crown vineyard, aged for 16 months in 29% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, it bursts from the glass with bold black cherries, black raspberries and blueberry scents with hints of spice cake, red roses and red licorice plus a touch of underbrush. Full, rich and packed with perfumed black fruits, it has a plush texture and refreshing lift on the finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Composed of 100% Syrah aged 21 months in 31% new French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the deep garnet-purple colored 2014 Outer Limits gives up pronounced black cherry cordial, blackberry pie and blueberry compote scents with hints of smoky bacon, star anise, garrigue, dried herbs and tilled soil. Full-bodied with firm, rounded tannins and tons of freshness, the palate is packed with spicy black fruits, finishing long and peppery.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The first year Adam has worked with this fruit, the 2016 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard saw 20% stems and spent 15 months in 40% new French oak. It offers more spice, dried flowers, and dried soil notes as well as more red fruits. Medium bodied, supple, with plenty of tannic grip, it's a beautiful, complex wine that should evolve nicely.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Prequel Red Blend is made of 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah aged 21 months in 37% new French oak and 1% new American oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it delivers vibrant black cherries, black raspberries and wild blueberries with touches of licorice, grilled meats, Provence herbs and Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, it gives vibrant, expressive black fruit and spicy layers with a soft, rounded texture and refreshingly savory finish.

This midnight purple colored blend from Bootleg opens with an attractive blueberry and vanilla oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, balanced and round. The flavor profile is a mild blueberry and gentle plum blend with notes of dark chocolate, coconut and coffee. The finish is dry and its sticky tannins show very good length. This big boy was enjoyed by all that tried it. We would pair it with a ribeye steak.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Fermented in barrel and aged 11 months in 36% new French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Estate has a ripe apple, peach blossom, poached pears and nutmeg-scented nose with a waft of beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is satisfyingly savory with plenty of citrus and mineral accents and a long spicy finish.

Jammy but well-built, with floral blueberry and cracked pepper aromas and zesty blackberry and smoky sweet anise flavors that finish with polished tannins.

This is an exceptionally well-made wine at the price point: floral and appealing in quiet waves of citrus, baked pear and nutmeg. Integrated oak gives it power and strength within an edge of mineral-laden acidity.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 12 months in 31% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Appellation Series Pinot Noir Anderson Valley has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and displays an earthy nose of tilled soil, fallen leaves and truffes with a core of red and black cherries and mulberries with a touch of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, it completely coats the palate with vibrant red and black fruit, framed by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 11 months in 42% new French oak, the 2016 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge is medium ruby-purple colored and struts out of the glass with flamboyant Morello cherries, cranberry sauce and wild blueberries scents with hints of violets, oolong tea, spearmint and mossy bark. Medium-bodied, it has a solid structure of fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing long with a minty lift.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Located at the southern end of the appellation (one mile from Pisoni), the 2016 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard saw 20% stems and a mix of new and neutral barrels. It offers a more open-knit, savory, complex style with obvious minerality in its dried cherry fruits, leafy herbs, and dried earth aromas and flavors. Layered, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it's drinking nicely today yet has plenty of structure and length.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Appellation series from Alexander Valley is blended of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 19 months in 47% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it gives up warm cassis, red currant jelly and cigar box scents with hints of mint tea, underbrush and pencil shavings plus a touch of cloves. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rock-solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and minerally.

Roussanne is not commonly grown in Australia. Yangarra’s is grown 150 meters above sea level on a two-acre block composed of Ironstone gravels mixed with weathered sands. Fermentation was by wild yeast and whole berries were put through a basket press yielding a welcome, moderate alcohol level of 13.5%. Winemaker Peter Fraser says this wine should live long, and Roussanne is known for that. Yields sliced apricot, citrus blossom, and clover honey. The finish is long and the gentle acid lift provides a certain nimbleness.

Finely textured and rich-tasting, with hints of dried mint to the ripe dark plum and dried raspberry flavors. Creamy, spicy finish.