Such attractive red-floral, stone and bracken aromas here with a red-plum and redcurrant edge, as well as pink grapefruit, blood orange and white pepper. The palate has a sleek and granular feel with a finely detailed style of tannin and a dried red-berry and cherry core. Leaf-like layers of tannin. Exquisite. Drink over the next eight years. Screw cap.

Checking in as 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec that was raised in new French oak, the 2018 La Muse reveals a dense purple hue to go with plenty of black cherry and currant fruits as well as cedar pencil, graphite, dark chocolate, and smoked tobacco. Ripe, full-bodied, and brilliantly balanced on the palate, with both elegance and incredible opulence, it's a hypothetical mix of Châteaux Canon and Lafite. This masterpiece of a Merlot can be drunk any time over the coming 20-30 years. Give bottles an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon.

Blackberries, black mushrooms, violets, flowers, and dark tobacco. Black truffle, too. Full-bodied, yet in check and pretty. The fine tannins frame the wine perfectly. Really long and focused. Seamless. Elegance with power. This will age incredibly well, but already so gorgeous to try. 76% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot, 7% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 3% malbec. Try after 2026, but attractive now.

Blackberry, blueberry, pine cone and pine needle with some mushroom. So complex. Full bodied with incredible depth and length. Layered. Super balance and strength, yet formed and not overdone. Harmony for Howell. Try in 2026.

The violet, blackberry and black-olive aromas are abundant. Full-bodied and superb, with great character and powerful tannins. It’s a block of tannins with wonderful fruit. Only about 500 cases made. Unique merlot. Give it time to come together. Best after 2024.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder was aged in French oak barrels for 22 months, 94% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it soars out of the glass with vivacious scents of black cherries, black raspberries and black currant pastilles, followed by nuances of pencil shavings, tilled earth, lilacs and underbrush plus a waft of crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is taut, packed with muscular, impactful black fruits, featuring a rock-solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a whole firework display of earthy/minerally sparks. Give it a good 4-5 years in bottle and drink it for the next 25+ years.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesComposed of 84.5% Merlot and 15.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 W.S. Keyes Merlot was aged for 22 months in oak, 79% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges out of the gate with intoxicating scents of black cherry compote, plum preserves, baked raspberries and spice cake with hints of potpourri, star anise and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the taut, crunchy black and blue fruit layers are supported by tightly knit, very fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. The super ripe tannins and showy fruit mean it is approachable now, but I'd leave it a couple of years for the flavors to start to fan out. It should easily cellar for 20-25+ years.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard was aged for 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a profound yet slightly broody nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal wonderfully fragrant notes of wild blueberries, black cherries, dark chocolate and warm cassis, followed by nuances of garrigue, violets, tar and licorice plus a touch of wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has gorgeous velvety tannins and finely knit freshness supporting generous black and blue fruits, finishing very long and achingly fragrant. Wow.

From Block 31, the highest elevation at 210m, with the deepest sand. Hand-picked, mechanically sorted, 50% whole berries, open-fermented, 21 days on skins, 11 months on lees in French oak. A rainbow of aromas, leading me to abort my first mental description because I'd already run out of breath.

Hand-picked, 75% destemmed and berry-sorted, 25% whole bunches, wild-fermented, on lees in French oak (35% new) for 15 months then a barrel selection to showcase the characteristic ironstone it grows in. A magnificent wine with length to its stride and a lightness of foot.

From vines planted in '71. Hand-picked, destemmed, fermented separately on skins for 18 days, matured for 15 months in high quality French barrels. The best shiraz and cabernet are selected to showcase this long-time Australian blend. If there's a better one, I haven't seen it. This is a beautiful wine, red and black fruits holding hands as they so brilliantly throw off the shackles of the hot vintage.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyMy favorite of the Chardonnay releases is the 2018 Chardonnay 3D, and this beauty has everything you could want from a Sta. Rita Hills release. Medium gold-hued, with a stunning nose of stone fruits, white currants, crushed stone, toasted bread, and a hints of green almonds, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a seamless, elegant texture, flawless balance, and a great, great finish. It's one of the finest Chardonnays in this report.

“Our Malbec in 2017 was awesome, it usually gives the spice,” Pierre Seillan told me during the tasting of the 2017s with his daughter and one day successor, Helene. “But this year, we didn’t need it. The alcohol is only 14.2% this year—it has the energy, the minerality. I think it will age for 40 years at least. I think it is the best I’ve made.” Composed of 100% Merlot for the first time this year, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 La Muse rolls sensuously out of the glass with scents of black raspberries, Black Forest cake, boysenberries and cinnamon toast, followed by nuances of a garrigue, forest floor, beef drippings and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the richly fruited palate slowly builds in the mouth to a crescendo of black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by exceptionally ripe, round tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Stylistically, it stands apart from previously vintages, possessing the same magical intensity, but with less weight and more pop.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming from a site on a panoramic ridgetop located at 1150 feet in elevation, west of the town of Occidental and facing Bodega Bay, the 2017 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard is another magical effort from this estate and is a quintessential Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. White flowers, salty minerality, apple blossom, and tart pineapple all emerge from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied and has a wonderful purity, bright (almost racy) acidity, and a great finish. Brought up in 42% new French oak, it shows almost no trace of its élevage, and while tight and slightly closed on the palate, it's nevertheless insanely good. Give bottles another year and enjoy over the following decade.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018From the Russian River and a windy, cool vineyard near Sebastopol, the 2017 Chardonnay Jennifer's (100% old Wente clone) was fermented and aged 16 months in 30% new French oak. It's one of the more dense, concentrated wines in the lineup and offers gorgeous caramelized pineapple, flower oil, chalky minerality, brioche, and lemon curd-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it packs an incredible amount of intensity yet still stays chiseled, elegant, and focused on the palate, with incredible length. It's a stunning wine in every sense. Drink bottles any time over the coming decade.

Adam Lee and his fiancé, now his wife, Dianne Novy Lee, met when they were both working in Dallas at Neiman Marcus. Adam was the wine buyer and he says that position opened his eyes to the world of wine. They both had a thing for wine…and for one another…so they pooled their resources and moved to California to make wine in 1993. Today, they make Pinots from the West Coast’s best cool climate appellations. The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA (American Viticultural Area) is located in Monterey County, and is cooled by the Pacific especially in the summer when fog rolls in every evening. While the aromas are of red fruits like cherries, strawberries and raspberries, in the mouth the fruit flavors are darker fruits like plum and blackberries. Zesty acidity lifts the fruit and the finish shows off the wines polished tannins. Your Thanksgiving guests will love this wine for its ability to pair with the different traditional dishes on your table. Be sure to have an extra bottle for you to go with the next day leftovers.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Pure magic in a bottle, the 2013 Chardonnay 3D is one of the finest Chardonnays I’ve tasted from Santa Barbara County! Stunning notes of caramelized lemons, salty minerality, orchard fruits, and white flowers all emerge from the glass. With full-bodied richness, perfect balance, and a huge finish, it’s certainly in a sweet spot today yet promises to continue evolving for another 10-15 years or more. Hats off to winemaker Greg Brewer for this incredible effort.

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.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana is fabulous. Notes of charcoal, graphite, blackberry and blueberry fruit, along with white flowers and crushed rock are all present in this fabulous, full-bodied, beautifully textured and expansive wine. It seems to have come into its plateau of full maturity, where it should last at least another two decades. I don't ever remember being this impressed with this particular cuvée, but it knocked me out at age ten.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 6% Malbec, the very deep purple-black colored 2016 Le Désir is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal absolutely stunning scents of potpourri, roses and orange peel over a core of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and dark chocolate with touches of cinnamon stick and cloves plus a waft of forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is exquisitely delicate and refined, with super ripe, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with epic persistence.

This has a light touch of toasty oak on the nose and perfectly integrated albeit perceptible tannins on the palate at this stage, a bit like a smooth-textured corset for the dense, focussed and sweet-textured fruit. Despite its youthful intensity, this gorgeous wine impresses with its freshness and subtlety. 64% Cabernet Franc, 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec.

A blend of 53% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Malbec, the 2014 Le Desir is monumental stuff that has a Château Ausone-like character that’s hard to describe. its vibrant purple color is followed by a to-die-for bouquet of blackcurrants, black raspberries, cedar, tobacco leaf, and charcoal. This gives way to a concentrated, rich, yet incredibly delineated wine that has fine, fine tannin, notable freshness and purity, and a great finish. While blockbuster stuff, it’s for consumers with cold cellars and lots of patience. I’d hide bottles for 7-8 years and it’s going to keep for another 3+ decades.

The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 37% from Chalk Hill and the rest tiny dollops from Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. Opaque purple, like its siblings, the wine is showing incredible floral, blueberry and espresso notes, exotic Asian spices, velvety texture, a supple, multilayered mouthfeel and incredible finish, with incense and licorice. This is magnificent young wine, with a good 40-50 years of upside potential. Pierre Seillan is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, and his first vintage of Vérité was only 1998, but they go from strength to strength.

The 2007's appear to be the greatest wines Vérité has yet produced under the leadership of Jess Jackson and his winemaking guru, Bordelais Pierre Seillan. These extraordinary wines, built for the long term (much like top Bordeaux), are fashioned from some of the finest fruit sources Jess Jackson cuvées from the beginning, and have followed their aging process (which is glacially slow). The Right Bank of Pomerol-styled 2007 La Muse is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec. Sensational aromas of espresso roast, black cherries, black currants, licorice, toast, and spice box emerge from this inky/purple-colored 2007. In the mouth, hints of chocolate, crème de cassis, kirsch, charcoal, and a touch of new oak are found in this full-bodied, opulent, yet structured wine. While it is the most showy and precocious of the three 2007s, it needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and should evolve for three decades or more. There are just over 1,460 cases of La Muse.

A blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec, this has spent 16 months in new oak barrels. It's full-bodied yet finesse-driven, with spicy, fleshy black fruits including some black cherry. It has concentration, length and elegance, with remarkable freshness and an enticing bitter almond edge. This merits a near-perfect score for its harmonious whole, combining impressive structure, velvety tannins and a savoury density. Patience will be required, as it may take up to 20 years to express its full potential.