8 California Chardonnays at 90+ Points Rich-tasting, with fine-grained flavors of apple tart, pear and quince paste backed by fresh acidity. The minerally finish is long and features plush, buttery accents.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is made of 100% Cabernet aged 19 months in 33% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it rocks up with gregarious crème de cassis, baked blackberries and warm mulberries scents with hints of bay leaves, fragrant earth and unsmoked cigars plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, rich and packed with warm cassis and earthy layers, it has a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point Vineyard opens with compelling citrus notes of grapefruit, yuzu and lemon zest with touches of baking bread, wild thyme and crushed rocks. Crisp and medium-bodied with a silky texture, it gives loads of citrus layers and a minerally undercurrent with a long zesty finish.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from a mix of vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and is a terrific value as well as a great buy for readers looking to understand the region. A ripe, sexy wine that's loaded with notions of ripe cherries, strawberries, dried herbs, and underbrush, it’s big, rich, and mouthfilling, yet also balanced and elegant. It will easily keep for 5-6 years.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The entry-level Santa Lucia Highlands cuvée is the 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands, a mix of all the single vineyards, fermented with 15% stems. Black raspberries, blueberries, crushed flowers, and violet notes all emerge from this rich, textured, and fruit-forward effort. It's a powerful, textured, and ready to go. Drink it over the coming 5-6 years.

Rich, tannic and woody, this wine is robust in big black fruit, espresso and toasted oak. It is youthful in dense concentration and structure, a worthy showcase of the variety grown in a wild cool-climate appellation that appears to love it with abandon. Enjoy.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 11 months in 78% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Arroyo Seco Chardonnay delivers musk melons, guava and lychee scents with a floral undercurrent and loads of allspice and honey sparks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with tropical and spicy fruit with loads of freshness and a long, pleasantly oily finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases This wine comes from a vineyard planted in 1982 at 1,000 feet of elevation. It was 100% barrel fermented and aged for 12 months in 100% French oak (all used) and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2016 Chenin Blanc Jurassic Vineyard opens with alluring apple tart, honeycomb, poached pears and fresh hay notes with a touch of white pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate has an almost electric intensity of apple and pear flavors with a zippy line of freshness and a satin-textured finish.

Dark red fruit, with a touch of funk, dominate the nose, with touches of anise, black pepper, and the Oxford comma. Fruity and rich on the palate, with a bit of stewedness, a healthy dose of acid, and some earthy spice. While this is a bit outside of my “normalcy” this is a healthy, vibrant cross between the old and new worlds. And that is a good thing. Excellent.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2015 Red Blend is made up of 53% Merlot, 21% Petite Sirah, 20% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 28% new French oak and 2% new American oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, baked plums, warm blackberries and Black Forest cake springs from the glass with touches of Chinese five spice, dusty soil and garrigue with a touch of black tea. Full, rich and with an approachable chewy texture, it has great freshness and a long earthy finish.

Delicate and pure-tasting, with violet and rose petal accents to the lively cherry and red plum flavors. Hints of cocoa powder on the spicy finish.

Lithe and spicy, with creamy accents to the apple pastry, pear tart and dried tropical fruit flavors. Long, rich finish.

Clean and somewhat mild-mannered but solidly Pinot in focus, this medium-full-bodied bottling smells of lightly juicy black cherry fruit along with background hints of rich loam and “sweet pea.” It is more supple than not and nicely fresh at this point with the slightest bit of tightening to its otherwise continuous fruit. It may not demand time in bottle but is sure to reward it, and a few years’ wait would not be out of order. 1 star.

There are similarities between this wine and its mate below in that both are ripe with purple fruit highlights lurking in the back, but this one is not so immediately generous now while showing more than enough depth to all but guarantee a bigger and richer future some three to five years down the road. It has a bit of flesh to its early texture and light but evident grippy tannin at the back that asks for three or more years of age. 1 star.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Jackson Estate Appellation Series Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir aged 13 months in 34% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple colored, it rocks up with bold red currants, cranberries and wild thyme scents with touches of tobacco and damp soil. Medium-bodied, it has a chewy frame and oodles of freshness, finishing on an earthy note.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve is blended of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in 27% new French and 1% new American oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with compelling cassis, black cherries and warm plums scents with hints of bay leaves, Marmite toast and black olives. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives mouth-filling black currant and plums flavors with a firm, grainy frame and loads of herbal sparks on the finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged nine months in 11% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Fulton Ranch Chardonnay rocks up with exuberant honeyed apricots, honeydew melon and guava scents with touches of orange blossoms and lanolin. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and melon flavors with a satiny texture and great length.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Jackson Estate Cloud Landing Chardonnay comes from the new Petaluma Gap AVA. Aged 12 months in 26% new French oak, it features bold pink grapefruit, Golden Delicious apples and fresh pears scents with hints of nutmeg, croissant and acacia honey. The palate is medium-bodied with lovely elegance and a savoriness that is well defined by a refreshing backbone and creamy finish.

Pale, yet slightly golden with tropical notes of guava, lemon, and a bit of white spice. The palate is lush and rich with fruit, tartness, and mineral notes–all in balance. I do not have a ton of experience with Aussie Roussanne, but this is particularly enticing. Very Good to Excellent.

Medium-light to medium ruby; assertive, dark cherry and cranberry aroma with hints of clove, cinnamon, and vanilla; medium body; nicely balanced, moderately rich, red fruit flavors with spicy notes and showing a hint of elegance; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now and over the next year or two. Highly recommended.

Fairly direct and nicely accessible black cherry aromas tinged with the slightly tangy notes of purple fruits and blueberries give this well-made, early-drinking wine plenty of charm. It is nicely supple even now with hints of velvet to its texture and if it slows down just a bit at the end, it will still shine in service with grilled steaks and chops in the here and now. 1 star.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Coming mostly from Monterey with about 9% from Santa Barbara and aged ten months in 25% new French oak, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve gives up notions of forest floor, fertile loam and wild sage with a core of red currants and Bing cherries plus a touch of tree bark. Medium-bodied, finely textured and refreshing, it has delicate red berries and cherries coating the mouth with an herbal lift on the finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged in 25% new French oak for 12 months, the pale to medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands features notions of baked raspberries, kirsch, rose hip tea and menthol with nuances of underbrush and pepper. Medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy, it has mouth-filling savory flavors and a stewed tea finish.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Jackson Estate Alisos Hills Syrah aged in 20% new French and 8% new American oak for 11 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with exuberant black cherries, charcuterie, bacon fat, garrigue and mulberries scents with hints of tar, chargrill and black soil. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm, chewy texture framing the savory/earthy flavors, finishing long and peppery.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged eight months in 26% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay Grand Reserve gives up very compelling grapefruit and ripe peach notes with hints of allspice and honey toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a satiny texture with loads of spicy stone fruit and a lively citrusy lift on the finish.