Bright yellow. Vibrant aromas of candied citrus fruits, pear and jasmine, with subtle vanilla and nougat qualities building with air. Taut and focused on entry, then more broad in the middle, offering ripe pear and nectarine flavors and a touch of lemon zest. Finishes with very good grip and focus, leaving a bright mineral note behind.

The 2011 Chardonnay Journey is gorgeous. A wine of crystalline purity and nuance, the 2011 is endowed with an exotic, perfumed quality that is highly appealing. Apricots, orange zest, mango, jasmine and ginger are all layered together quite nicely. There is plenty of nuance in the glass and gorgeous palate presence, but no sense of excess weight. The 2011 was made mostly from high elevation sites in Alexander Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2016.

A keen bite of acidity works in this flashy Chard’s favor, balancing the richness and giving the finish life and zest. It’s tremendous in tropical fruit, peach jam, honey and buttered toast flavors. A fancy, impressive wine for drinking now.

Ripe. lush and creamy with juicy acidity and nervy style; deep, intense and rich with impressive finesse; long and elegant.

Light yellow-gold. Spicy, mineral-accented orange and quince on the nose and in the mouth. Becomes richer with air, picking up fresh melon and fig qualities and a touch of sweet butter that carries through a very long, focused finish. This youthful wine should be even better with another year or two of bottle age.

The 2009 Chardonnay Bennett Valley was barrel-fermented and aged in 20% new oak. Medium to full-bodied with notes of honeysuckle, pear, pineapple and white peach, it is a stylish, crisp white with the oak component clearly pushed to the background. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monahan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties.

Greenish yellow color. Fresh, leesy pear and orange aromas are complicated by smoky minerals and white flowers. Initially restrained but opens with aeration to offer deep pear and apple flavors and a slow-building roasted nut quality. The mineral notes repeat strongly on the finish, which is spicy, focused and quite long. This will repay a few more years of bottle aging.

This ruby colored Pinot Noir opens with a very attractive blueberry and red cherry bouquet with a hint of cola. I could smell this wine for hours! On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, slightly acidic and savory. The flavor profile is a strawberry rhubarb and black plum blend with notes of oak, minerality and blueberry. I also detected hints of black pepper and cranberry towards the end. The finish is dry and its flavors and a moderate acidity linger and last for quite a while. Decant this Pinot in the near term and pair it with Chinese pork ribs.

This red colored Pinot Noir from Maggy Hawk is very good. It opens with a Lifesavers Strawberry Creme Saver like bouquet with hints of cola and some forest floor. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is a cola and oak blend with notes of black plum and black tea. We also detected some hints of black pepper and clove. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins show nice length. Our mini-tasting group thought this Pinot would pair nicely with duck.

This light red colored Pinot Noir from Maggy Hawk opens with a fragrant spiced red plum and craisin bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, and gentle. The flavor profile is a gentle red plum and red currant blend with notes of oak. I also detected hints minerality and strawberry. The finish is dry and it moderate tannins stick around for quite a while. This Pinot would pair nicely with a cowboy cut prime rib. Very good+.

Medium ruby color; forward and earthy aromas of brambly dark fruits, spice and bittersweet chocolate notes; full, lively and lush dark cherry and plum flavors with cocoa and cola notes; lush texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Big, deep Pinot with lots of flavor.

Bright ruby-red. Lively and assertively perfumed, displaying scents of raspberry, strawberry, potpourri and blood orange. Offers incisive red fruit and mineral flavors and a hint of cola that builds with air. Sharply focused and pure, with excellent finishing clarity and length and silky tannins that blend smoothly into the wine's intense fruit.

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. Very shy aromas of dark cherry and berry with a hint of marzipan and spice. Well-endowed with luscious cherry and berry fruits with a noticeable oak overlay that compliments rather than intrudes. The tannins are modest and supportive, and the finish has a generous richness.

Ruby-red. Intense, spice-laced dark berry and cherry aromas, along with a touch of potpourri. The most exotic of this set of pinots, offering juicy red fruit liqueur and rose pastille flavors and a touch of vanillin oak spice. Finishes tangy and long, with resonating spiciness and gently gripping tannins.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Uplifting aromas of cherry, strawberry, spice and underbrush. Delicious and full in the mouth, with a good attack of dark cherry fruit accented with anise, dark chocolate and toasty oak. Impressive harmony and elegance with complimentary integration of oak. The finish is polished and pleasant.

Deep ruby. The deepest and darkest in fruit profile of this set of pinots, displaying intense cherry and blackberry scents and flavors. Broad and fleshy on entry and then more lively in the mid-palate, with impressive power and clarity on the long, smoky finish.

Bright ruby-red. Pungent aromas of red and dark berries, violet and woodsmoke, with a spicy overtone. Sappy and refreshingly bitter on the palate, offering bright cherry and black raspberry flavors that become spicier with air. Finishes tangy and very long, with lingering florality and a hint of bitter chocolate.

A fine wine, dry and bright in zesty acidity, and an excellent example of a tight, young Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. This shows flavors of sour cherry candy, persimmon and spice flavors, grounded with minerals. Drink now, with decanting, or age it for up to six years.

Smooth and lush with velvety texture and tangy cherry and berry fruit; good acid structure and complexity with depth, balance and elegance.

Dense, bold and extracted with intense blackberry and cherry fruit; dusty, deep and voluptuous with minerals and ripe fruit; lush and long.

…intense, battened-down giant, exuding hints of violets and black tar and earth, still a baby given its potential longevity.

Extracted to a black and concentrated density, this wine grips the palate with smoky, warm fruit and vast stretches of tannin. The dark plum and sharper cranberry flavors hit up against the tannin and crash into savory waves.

Lokoya specializes in specific-appellation Cabernets, mostly from mountain peaks. The current Cabernet lineup from the '97 vintage includes:

Dense, tannic and earthy, with spicy herb, pepper and wild berry flavors. The tannins are industrial strength, bu tpolished enough to drink in a year or two. Best from 2002 through 2012.

Super-rpeness lends this wine a complex scent of leather and fresh prunes. It's tight , yet it carries the Port-like richness of an old-style Napa red, rich as the feel of the leather seats in an old Mercedes convertible. The complexity lasts through the finish, evolving as it takes on air in the glass to reveal soft layers of mety fruit and herbs. This should age gracefully.