USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A barrel sample of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard is deep garnet-purple colored and features a wonderful floral nose of violets and lavender over a core of warm black berries and black berries with wafts of crushed blackcurrants, chocolate mint and Marmite toast. Full-bodied and bursting with vibrant fruit, it has a well-played structure of grainy, approachable tannins and a very long, earthlaced finish.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A barrel sample blended of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Syrah, the very deep garnet-black colored 2017 Petite Sirah gives up a wonderfully earthy nose to begin, featuring notes of mossy bark, fungi and black soil over a core of warm redcurrants and plums with hints of mulberries and spice box. The palate is full, rich and very firm with chewy tannins and a lively backbone supporting the generous fruit, finishing long.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Machado comes from a 15-acre site just adjacent to Clos Pepe, which is across the road from Hapgood and just behind the Kessler-Haak Vineyard. It's more restrained than the 459 (which is from the same vineyard) and is more medium-bodied, tight, and fresh, with a classic perfume of black cherries, raspberries, rose petals, and forest floor. With beautiful balance, high yet integrated acidity, and a great finish, it's a classic wine from this estate that needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will keep for a decade after that.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Chardonnay opens with a quiet intensity of fresh apples, ripe pears and waxed lemon scents with nuances of baking bread, nutmeg and chopped nuts. Medium-bodied, the palate features great freshness cutting through the intense citrus and apple layers, finishing on a mineral note.

The Hickinbotham wines tend to combine powerful flavours with (comparatively) modest alcohol levels; i.e. they’re not overdone. There’s a best-selling novel to be written, set in the Australian Wine Industry, titled Power Without Heat. Tannin. Always the tannin. You wouldn’t say there’s a great deal of it here but what there is is ultra fine and steady-as-a-keel. We have blackcurrant and jubey blackberry, redcurrant and malt, a touch of molasses too maybe, but the general feeling is of freshness. It’s more of a 21st than it is a 40th, in human year celebrations, if that makes sense; it has power and strut but it feels eager.

From a north facing parcel in the Spear Vineyard, which is located just off Highway 246 in the northern part of the Sta. Rita Hills, the 2017 Chardonnay Spear offers a more masculine, mineral, earthy style in its ripe, exotic bouquet of melon, ripe pineapple, lemon, and earthy minerality and crushed rocks. This beauty takes some time to unwind but offers terrific complexity, a layered, rich texture, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. Give bottles a year and enjoy through 2027.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Pinot Noir Kiser en Haut is pale to medium ruby-purple and has an exuberant nose of warm red and black cherries, raspberries and cranberries with touches of dusty soil, lavender and mossy bark. The medium-bodied palate reveals lovely floral sparks accenting the red fruits with a fine-grained frame and oodles of freshness, finishing on a mineral note.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 100% Syrah, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 High Rock Syrah opens with meaty notions of smoked bacon and charcuterie over a core of blackberry preserves, Black Forest cake and Sichuan pepper with hints of hoisin and tilled soil. Medium-bodied with soft, rounded tannins and tons of spicy layers, it has fantastic freshness and length.

Another flagship release is the 2015 Pinot Noir Signature Collection Barbara's Clone 667, which comes from a single clone planted in Julia’s Vineyard and spent 14 months in 70% new French oak. It's slightly more ruby-colored and gives up a more Burgundian bouquet of spiced cherries, forest floor, and dried herbs. It's medium to full-bodied, has terrific purity, and a supple, elegant, layered texture that carries ripe tannins. Drink it over the coming decade.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is slightly deep ruby-colored and has a distinctly floral, perfumed character in its red fruits, violets, iris flower, and orange rind aromas and flavors. Like all these releases from Byron, it's elegant, silky, and pure on the palate, with beautiful balance. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

From a beautiful vineyard on the southern side of the Sta. Rita Hills, the 2015 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard reveals a medium ruby color to go with a terrific bouquet of black raspberries, cranberries, spice box, pepper, and earth. It picks up some gamey, exotic notes with time in the glass, is medium-bodied, seamless, and elegant, with a vibrant texture. It’s going to drink nicely for a decade.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and spent 16 months in 45% new French oak. It’s a slightly deeper, more mineral-driven effort that has classic notes of blackberries, crushed rocks, gunpowder, and spice. It's deep, rich, and concentrated, yet also elegant and seamless, and has terrific purity.

Forest floor, earthy herbs, ripe black fruits, and some scorched earth notes all emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard. Lively, elegant and juicy on the palate, with a terrific core of fruit, this is a savory, complex Pinot Noir that still hangs onto its California fruit. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years. This wine spent 16 months in 36% new French oak.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers Remick Ridge Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is deep garnet-purple colored and features open-knit scents of warm cassis, blackberry pie and blueberry compote with touches of dark chocolate, bay leaves and tobacco leaf plus a waft of lavender. Full-bodied and packed with taut, muscular fruit, it has a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and plenty of background freshness, finishing long.

A firm, muscular style, this red boasts black currant, black cherry, thyme and spice flavors, with a hint of black pepper. Flashes a matrix of dense tannins, yet this is long and should come alive with food. Think grilled or roasted meats. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Concentrated yet lively, this exudes black currant, cherry, olive, tobacco and iron aromas and flavors. Vibrant and pure, with a coating of oak spice and tannins on the finish. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Lurid ruby. Vibrant and focused on the nose displaying intense red berry preserve Asian spice and floral scents and a touch of smoky minerality. Juicy and sharply focused on the palate offering lively raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that deepen and unfurl steadily with aeration. Fine-grained tannins add framework and closing grip to the finish which echoes the red fruit and mineral notes.

Vivid ruby-red. An expansive exotically perfumed bouquet evokes ripe dark berries potpourri smoky minerals and Moroccan and Asian spices. Sappy and focused on the palate offering juicy blackberry and cherry liqueur five-spice powder and cola flavors and a hint of candied rose. Fleshy and energetic in style showing youthfully chewy texture strong closing thrust and slow-mounting tannins on the clinging finish.

Bright ruby. An expressive bouquet of red and blue fruits, cola, candied rose and vanilla carries an intense mineral overtone. Concentrated yet energetic in the mouth, showing excellent clarity and strong thrust to the spice-laced black raspberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors. Becomes nervier on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with impressive, minerally tenacity.

Bright-rimmed ruby. Powerful blackberry, cherry and spicecake flavors show very good clarity and pick up suggestions of licorice, cola and mocha as the wine opens up. In a plush, expansive style, showing impressive depth to the sappy, smoke-accented red and dark berry flavors. A spine of juicy acidity lends support to the wine's ripe fruit and drives a very long, sweet finish framed by smooth, harmonious tannins.

Dark bright-hued ruby. Expansive aromas of red and dark berry preserves, allspice and incense pick up a suave floral nuance with aeration. Fleshy and seamless on the palate, offering mineral-tinged raspberry and blueberry flavors that put on weight with air. Finishes seamless, sweet and very long, featuring an echo of sweet red fruit, supple tannins and lingering florality.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 98% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Sémillon, the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Journey reveals zesty scents of yuzu, grapefruit and key lime pie with touches of crushed rocks and wild thyme. Medium-bodied, it delivers mouth-filling citrus and mineral layers with oodles of freshness and great length.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Chardonnay Journey is a little youthfully mute, giving way to green mango, guava and Golden Delicious apples notes with a toasty undercurrent and hints of beeswax and roasted almonds. Full-bodied with mouth-coating tropical and toasty layers, it has a lovely line of freshness and plenty of spices coming through on the finish.

This blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Shiraz offers notes of dark red fruit, black raspberry and currant, and toasty oak on the nose. It has a finely honed palate. Shows good freshness and concentration with firm tannic grip and rich extract on a very long finish, Will need 5-7 years to show its best.

Medium ruby. Ripe plum with earth notes and a smoky nose that carries over to the palate. Soft on the attack with a silky texture, concentrated flavors with lots of spice and forest floor notes. Good depth, firm tannins and a lingering finish.