This is a lovely pinot noir that impresses with its breath. A touch earthy, with aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis and tobacco. Rich, yet balanced. Smart. 4 stars.

Spice Girls: The Delicious Pinot Noirs Of Santa Lucia Highlands Concentrated layers of spice and deep red raspberry fruit define this wine. The winery suggests decanting prior to drinking—there is a lot to unpack in this wine.

Snatched up by Jackson Family Wines, Siduri’s vision – and quality – prevail No matter who makes wine from this vineyard, it's outstanding and this Siduri is no exception. Deep dish black fruit on the nose, all big and boisterous, plus red fruit in the mix as well. On the palate, luxurious flavors of black plum, blackberry and boysenberry plus mushroom and earthiness around the edges. When I say deep and dark, this one plummets down the pinot noir rabbit hole. Big but balanced, this has all the elements of pinot perfection perhaps because of the grape grower. As Mr. Lee readily admits, sometimes he just has to stay out of the way of great grapes and let them go down their natural path. A very complete and well-rounded wine that you will not soon forget. I know it's early in the year, but there's no question in my mind that this will be on my top pinot list for 2019. Extraordinary.

Snatched up by Jackson Family Wines, Siduri’s vision – and quality – prevail Dark extracted color and plenty of dark fruit on the nose, including black cherry, red cherry, blackberry, espresso and savory spice elements. Intense and concentrated in the mouth, with plenty of cherry again but with strawberry and a touch of espresso, cocoa powder, cinnamon and clove. A big-boned but well-structured pinot that's fun to drink right now but will undoubtedly age gracefully for five or 10 years.

Wine of the Week This is a gorgeous pinot with tangy red fruit, crisp acidity and snappy spice. Notes of red cherry, high-toned cranberry and cracked black pepper. Pitch perfect balance. Finishes crisp. Knockout. 4½ stars.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Auction 2019 Bright acidity, silky tannins, red cherry and pomegranate fruit and long finish.

Overall score: 17.6 (9.1 for quality, 8.5 for value) Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with a high score of 9.5. “Black plum and blackberry. Rich and velvety but with a fine minerality.” My score: 9.3 “Checks all the boxes for New World merlot.” The grapes grow at elevations ranging from 1,400 to 1,800 feet, well above the fog line. The soil is thin, resulting in tiny berries that deliver intense, complex flavors. Wine Advocate Robert Parker awarded a score of 94, calling the wine “full-bodied, firmly textured and with impressive freshness.”

I popped this bottle and sipped without looking at what the grape was and thought this is a good Cab. Then I turned it around and saw that it was a Merlot. Well, that’s weird. This is a good wine but very expensive with not a lot of complexity; it’s powerful with significant tannins and 14.5% alcohol with earthy tones and plum and blackberry aromas. The oak on the wine is pretty upfront and it’s a bit big for a Merlot. It might benefit from more aging, but if you are looking for a more elegant Merlot from Cali, this isn't it. If you like classic, full bodied Cali Merlot, this is your wine. Rating - B.

The top Napa Valley wines from 2018

A big ol’ Merlot that works This is a big'ol Merlot and usually at 14.7% alcohol that’s all you get in the nose, alcohol. But not here. Instead of hot hot heat we get black currant and cracked black pepper (maybe a little cardamom) along with blueberries and vanilla. The wine is rich and savory, coating the palate. With a good acidity, it tamps down that alcohol to expose the fat, round character of the wine. It’s a big one, but a good one. Rating - B+.

A beautiful American full bodied Merlot This wine is great. Merlot is really more about mouthfeel than it is about complex aromas because the variety has little to give on that front. So if you can get the structure right those, minimal aromas will be just right too; like in this wine. Soft, plush and comfy on the palate, this wine sings with good acidity and balance. The alcohol is high but you would never know it. It gets everything right down to the smooth blueberry and vanilla tinge in the background. No need for a big meal, this wine is all about cheese plates and conversation. If you want to pair with food, stick to lean meats. Rating -A.

Here’s a balance of modern luxuriousness and mountain grip. Dark cherry and mocha are wound together with beautiful floral aromas and spice.

The top Napa Valley wines from 2018

Large-volume La Crema bottles Pinot Noirs at a wide range of prices, and this one over-delivers. It’s a blend of grapes from a dozen or so vineyards, which winemaker Craig McAllister wove into a seamless wine with robust fruit, intense spice, and woodsy earthiness. It’s not a shy wine, so it’s best served with wildmushroom risotto with lots of savory Parmigiano-Reggiano, or perhaps mushroom-topped pizza.

Wine with…Chicken – Tortilla Soup We found that many different wines, coming in different colors and textures, worked fine with this dish. The few that didn’t were either overtly alcoholic and heavy or so delicate as to seem ephemeral. This is a hearty, winter-weight dish. The wines that worked best in our tasting were just as hearty without becoming overpowering. A blend of primarily Pinot Noir and Syrah, this wine exhibits bright strawberry flavors and taut acidity, so offers a tasty counterpoint to the velvety-feeling soup.

Winemaker Randy Ullum crafts this Zinfandel from grapes grown in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, aging the wine in 56% French oak. Tasters will enjoy aromas and flavors of plum, raspberry jam and blackberry with notes of cedar, baking spice and mineral.

Elevate your wine with these sure fire cheese pairings from Toronto’s Cheese Boutique The Wine: 2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, California The Cheese: Emmi 2-Year-Old Kaltbach Cave-Aged Gruyère, Switzerland As an archetypal and widely available example of wooded Chardonnay, we poured Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve—fermented and aged in French and American oak. On its own, it suggests cooked apple laced with toasted hazelnut and crème brûlée. But with the 2-year-old gruyère, the wine becomes noticeably brighter and more tropical with notes of banana and mango emerging—without masking the oak influence.

Very dark ruby-purple; ripe and fleshy black currants and plums with traces of blueberries; iodine and mint, graphite, smoke, lavender; an array of foresty, briery and brambly qualities; animated acidity drives through sturdy but not oppressive tannins; tremendous presence and energy, with sleek chiseled granitic minerality and a long juicy finish. Excellent.

Masterful brushstrokes warning – you’ll lose track of time just taking in the violets, spice, and eucalyptus of this impeccable little painting. A.

Explore the world through your glass this year Though a bit confusing, Syrah and Shiraz are essentially the same genetically, but the wines produced are quite different. Old World Syrah tends to be leaner, as in the wines of the Rhone. Shiraz, made popular in Australia, is often fleshier and richer creating fruit-forward wine. Hickinbotham Brooks Road Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia, layers black plum, black licorice, and allspice.

This is a gorgeous, no nonsense zin with layered flavors of black cherry, raspberry, white pepper and mocha. Concentrated. Lingering finish. Impressive. 4½ stars.

This is Chardonnay from 100 feet above sea level and in a rain shadow, and all this comes through in the wine. The salinity, from the high elevation and lack of rain, will slake your thirst and leave you with a nice, medium finish. While in your nose and on your palate you’ll experience a very refreshing Chardonnay with notes green apple, toasted coconut and a hint of honeysuckle. The key to this wine is the acidity, as it is in a good place to keep all the characteristics individual. This wine wants, nay, needs, a meat and cheese plate stat. Rating - A.

Old school winery. New school Merlot. Freemark Abbey was one of the winemaker submissions at the Judgement of Paris (red and white) which catapulted them into fame. I wish this Merlot was on par with their legacy. If you like high alcohol Merlot with a slight burn to it for that medium rare steak on a sunny day, then this is for you. Under the burn there are nice notes of licorice and plum with some cigar box thrown in and a nice acidity, but that 14.5% of alcohol comes at you first, sacrificing the initial pleasure of the characteristics. Rating - B-.

Need to Restock Your Cellar After the Holidays? Here Are 6 Promising Cabernets to Fill the Gaps The winery is releasing a small amount of this 20-year-old Freemark Abbey. Fresh-looking color belies beautiful secondary notes—dried rose petal and fig—while cherry, cassis, and toasted spice morphing into compote suggests the wine is in its sweet spot. It’s also interesting to note the light glass the wine is in; such was the state of the industry a couple of decades ago.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s Just about as close to perfection as a wine can get, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Chris Carpenter comes mostly from mountain vineyards and is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot. This full-bodied, rounded, thrillingly textured beauty boasts a saturated purple color as well as a huge nose of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, barbecue smoke, and scorched earth. It has perfect integration of its fruit, tannins, acidity, and oak, carries remarkable power and intensity, yet still glides over the palate with no heaviness or sensation of weight. It’s going to be a legendary Napa Valley Cabernet and will have 3 decades or more of longevity.