The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard comes across as surprisingly round and rich for the site. Black cherries, smoke, tar, licorice and asphalt all meld together in the glass. At five years of age, the 2008 has softened a little, and all the elements are very nicely fused together. Salty, saline notes underpin the gorgeous finish. The 2008 spent 24 months in American oak barrels (40% new).

Deep red. Red currant, dried cherry, cedar and smoke on the nose. Rich and supple on entry, then more taut and solid in the mid-palate, with ripe, delineated flavors of bitter red fruits, chocolate, chewing tobacco and anise. The finish is focused, smoky and quite long, with dusty tannins and lingering red fruits. Comes across as old school in the best sense, with the structure to age.

Chalk dry with aromas of cassis and smoke. Full-bodied, balanced and complex.

Inky ruby. Spicy cherry, red currant, licorice and pipe tobacco on the nose, all lifted by a gentle floral topnote. Big and rich but juicy, offering sweet red berry flavors and notes of candied violet, cherry pit and rose. Impressively broad and focused cabernet with good extract and building notes of bitter cherry skin and herbs. Finishes with youthfully gripping tannins and a jolt of peppery spice. I'd stash this one away for a while.

Ruby-red. Very expressive, powerful aromas of blackberry and dark cherry, brightened by elegant florality. Lush and creamy, with sweet, jammy dark berry flavors, supple tannins and a gentle lift of acidity. Picks up seductive baking spice notes with air, finishing sweet and long. This is very pretty right now.

The least expensive of this trio, the fully mature 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma, is showing beautifully. I remember loving it when it was released, and it now displays even more longevity than initially predicted. Composed of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it retains enough stuffing to last another 7-8 years, and it could turn out to be like the great Souverain Vintage Selection 1974, which was delicious when released and continues to drink well at age 37. This cuvee exhibits a dense plum/ruby color as well as a big, sweet kiss of black cherries, black currants, licorice and earth. Medium to full-bodied with supple tannins, this is undeniably a sleeper of the vintage. To reiterate, this sexy Cabernet Sauvignon can be drunk now and over the next 7-8 years.

The 2006 Cote de Lune Blanc is a sensational barrel-fermented blend of 34% Grenache blanc, 28% Viognier, 27% Roussanne, and the rest Marsanne. It is a terrific wine, but unfortunately, there are just under 300 cases of it. Please make more! From Saralee’s Vineyard, it is a great bargain in dry white wines, with hints of rose petal, lychee, white peach, and honeysuckle. The wine is dry, medium to full-bodied, with loads of personality and fruit. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

This bottling from Arrowood is dependably rich, showing Viognier's exotic tropical fruit, peach, apricot, honeysuckle, vanilla cream and cinnamon flavors. The 2011 is dry and balanced, with crisp acidity. Drink it now.

Another big-time winner is the 2011 Viognier Saralee’s Vineyard. Made from 100% Viognier, it boasts lovely notes of ripe peach and apricot jam intermingled with notions of spring flowers as well as good definition and acidity to buttress the wine’s gorgeous fruit. This cuvee was 100% barrel fermented and went through 100% malolactic fermentation because of the high acids in this area of Russian River. It was aged five months in neutral oak.

Arrowood captures the exotic essence of Viognier, but never lets go of balance, which is so important in taming this unbridled variety. It's rich in pineapple, papaya and honeysuckle flavors, but dry, with rich acidity leading to a bright, clean finish.

Silky and charming with notes of banana and lovely floral tones.

Bright gold. Peach nectar, honey and orange marmalade on the nose, with notes of candied ginger and smoky herbs adding complexity. Juicy, palate-coating pit fruit flavors are very sweet-verging-on-syrupy and first, but pick up a spicy note in the mid-palate that provides lift. Finishes with very good, clinging persistence and resonating ginger and herbal notes. This fully botrytized fruit was harvested at 33.5 degrees Brix.

Bright yellow. Nectarine, orange, peach nectar and candied ginger aromas display more energy than I'd expect from a wine with this much sugar. Smooth and lightly spicy,with seductively sweet citrus and pit fruit flavors. Offers very good clarity and finishing notes of ginger and honey. Offers an intriguing blend of vivacity and candied fruit character.

2005 ARROWOOD LATE HARVEST RIESLING No one in America produces more decadently rich Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trokenbeerenauslese-styled late harvest Rieslings Than Dick Arrowood, who began making these wines when he was the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean during the decade of the seventies. These brilliant sweet wines can age exceptionally well as evidenced by some bottles in my cellar from the late seventies. while their colors now resemble molasses, they remain fresh and lively. Arrowood has hit home runs with all three cuvees in 2005. The 2005 Late Harvest Riesling (301 cases) is an Auslese-like white offering gorgeous tropical fruit, honeysuckle, and peach-scented aromas as well as great acidity. It was bottled with 7.2 grams of residual sugar, and is low in alcohol.

The 2015 Malbec Knights Valley sports an inky purple color to go with a beautiful nose of ripe black and blue fruits, ample spicy wood, and a touch of violets. It’s medium-bodied, layered, has terrific purity of fruit, no hard edges, and moderate acidity, all making it a joy to drink. Enjoy bottles over the coming 5-6 years.

Bright yellow. Deep, smoky aromas of pear, melon and nectarine, with a spicy topnote. Fleshy and smooth in texture, offering deep orchard fruit flavors and a jolt of bitter lemon pith. Densely packed but lively, with strong finishing cut and admirable clarity.

Buttery and creamy, with tiers of tangerine and tropical fruit flavors that turn honeyed on the finish. Despite the richness, there's elegance and balance throughout.

Vivid gold. Pungent, perfumed aromas of orange pith, pear, lees, flowers and iodine. Juicy and deep but surprisingly energetic, with an alluring sweetness and a smoky accent to the candied grapefruit, pear and honeysuckle flavors. Finishes with firm cut and impressive length, the smoke and mineral nuances repeating.

More creamy and honeyed is the 2007 Chardonnay Alary Vineyard. Aromas of orange marmalade, poached pears, caramelized citrus, wet stones, and hints of shortbread and honey are followed by a full-bodied, stony-styled Chardonnay that can be enjoyed over the next 5-6 years. This is another impressive group of wines from one of the most consistent winemakers and long-time veterans of the California wine scene, Dick Arrowood. He has always had the Midas touch with white varietals, yet he also continues to impress me with what he can do with red varietals.

The 2014 Valadorna is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Other editions of this blend see Petit Verdot as well, but that late-ripening grape was omitted in this cool and soggy vintage that made it difficult for many varieties to reach full maturity. This wine is rich and meaty at its core with a pretty base of black fruit that is enhanced by spice, cola, cured meat and freshly tilled earth. The mouthfeel delivers medium intensity and richness and is more streamlined overall compared to the warm-vintage editions.

Juicy and chewy with lots of dark fruit, dark chocolate and hints of walnuts. Full-bodied. Still needs to soften a little. Mainly cabernet franc.

Good medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines black fruits, sassafras, violet, chocolate, coffee, smoke and game. Large-scaled, seamless and rich, with lovely dept of texture. The wine's briary black fruit flavors are nicely complemented by violet and white pepper. Dense, sweet, generous cabernet, finishing with ripe tannins and excellent length.

Bright medium ruby. Black cherry, leather and herbs on the nose, along with hints of menthol and licorice. Not an opulent style but pure, intense mountain cabernet nonetheless. showing lovely spicy definition and even a touch of delicacy to the black cherry, dark berry, violet and coffee flavors. Finishes with a piquant note of cranberry and dusty tannins that coat the teeth. It's always good when the spice holds the hand of the tannins, noted winemaker Pierre Seillan. Very small berries here yielded just 1.5 tons per acre, and production of these two 2011s is down about 60% from a normal year.

Bright medium ruby. Cassis, black cherry, tobacco, mocha and leather on the rather wild nose. Juicy and penetrating, with nicely delineated, high-pitched dark berry, licorice and peppery herb flavors dominating. Shows a cool mountain character and excellent subtle depth and intensity. This distinctly firm, long, lively midweight may yet soften further with bottle aging.

Good red-ruby. Musky aromas of currant, iron, leather and smoke. Lush, fat and nuanced, with noteworthy purity and depth to its flavors of black cherry, game, spices, mint and earth. Very full and round but not at all sweet or easy. Compared to the Helena Montana, this shows a tad less energy and finishes with more obvious though fine tannins.