Sourced from one of the great vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this starts off with aromas of crushed mint, wet stone, peat moss and dark cherry, as this is distinctively earthy. Fruit drives the mid-palate with lighter earthy and citrus tones rounding it out. Dense, chewy and seductive, this outstanding wine will cellar well over the next ten to fifteen years.

From a rocky vein of soils in the vineyard, the deep inky colored 2015 Syrah Ramal Road offers a rocking bouquet of black fruits, black olive, smoked meat, and bacon fat. It offers medium to full body, beautiful purity, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. Aged in 25% new French oak, drink it anytime over the coming 7-8 years.

The 2016 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge comes from a cooler site in the eastern part of Alexander Valley which was replanted in 2009. This site had previously been planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, yet never ripened. This 2016 gives up Chablis-like notes of lemon curd, buttered citrus, rose petals, and charcoal. With medium body, a fresh, vibrant style, and beautiful purity, it’s going to drink nicely for 5-6 years.

The 2016 Chardonnay Bennett Valley is impressive and offers a fresh, lively style as well as classic aromatics. This cuvée comes mostly from the Wente clone and spent 10 months in 27% new French oak, and offers lots of buttered citrus, white flower, and hints of pineapple as well as medium-bodied depth and richness. Drink it over the coming 3-5 years.

A blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec, the 2015 Red Wine has an almost Monte Bello style in its blue fruits, cedary spice, crushed rocks, and violets aromas and flavors. Old school, concentrated, and structured, yet with balancing fruit and texture, it's a classic, age-worthy Bordeaux blend that's going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for a decade or more

From two separate sites, the 2015 Pinot Noir Fog Veil was destemmed and saw a slightly longer time in barrel, being bottled after 15 months. Black cherries, plums, violets, and spring flower notes, medium body, beautifully integrated acidity, and a clean, elegant finish all make for a seriously good Pinot Noir. It’s one of the gems in this lineup.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Seco Highlands, which spent 12 months in 25% new French oak, has a vivid ruby/purple color as well as beautiful red fruits and spices on the nose. Strawberries, cranberries, and cherry notes and flow to a medium-bodied, beautifully elegant and seamless 2016 that shows the balance, transparency, and harmony that makes this vintage in California so special. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming 4-6 years.

I also loved the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Trace Ridge, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Knights Valley that spent 21 months in 51% new French oak. Black cherries, blueberries, dried herbs, graphite, and loads of gravelly, earthy characteristics flow to a medium to full-bodied, impeccably balanced, elegant 2015 Cabernet that has rocking levels of fruit. Drink it over the coming 10-15 years.

Even better, and sourced from three different mountaintop sites, the tiny production 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain spent 21 months in 41% new French oak. It’s a serious effort, offering medium to full body, a layered, pure texture, and terrific notes of black cherries, cassis, cedary herbs, and lead pencil. It’s capable of lasting for over a decade.

The most expensive Chardonnay in the lineup from K-J is the 2016 Chardonnay Stature. This cuvée comes from the Camelot and Neeley Vineyards (Santa Barbara and Monterey) and was brought up in 45% new French oak. It offers a rocking bouquet of sautéed apples, pears, white flowers, and beautiful minerality. It’s fresh and vibrant as well as rich and textured on the palate, has vibrant acidity, and a big finish. It’s a terrific Chardonnay that will keep for 4-6 years.

Vibrant and juicy, with blueberry and raspberry flavors that sing out amid a chorus of espresso, green tea, white pepper and sage details. Spice notes linger on the long, expressive finish.

Opens with rich, supple fruit that quickly takes on power and depth, offering raspberry, lavender and rosemary notes, with white pepper accents.

Another sensational barrel sample is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Réserve Spéciale, which is all Cabernet that will see 32 months in just over half new oak. As with the other top releases here, it’s a vineyard and cellar selection. Offering lots of sweet oak, cassis, lead pencil, and floral notes, it’s medium to full-bodied, silky, and downright seamless, with awesome purity. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Crown Vineyard is a new vineyard designate for this estate and comes from a site on the edge of Alexander Valley. It’s a medium to full-bodied, exotic, seamless effort that has perfumed notes of cassis, blueberries, California bay, and lavender. It has sweet oak, a pretty, silky texture, and considerable elegance.

One of the gems is the 2016 Zinfandel Carlisle, which has terrific complexity in its peppery, spice, incense, and assorted darker berry fruits. This beauty is medium to full-bodied, layered, and nicely textured, with moderate tannin. Still aging in 20% new French oak, it’s going to deep for a decade.

The 2016 Chardonnay Dupratt comes from the Anderson Valley and was brought up in 20% new French oak. It’s a more racy, vibrant Chardonnay that offers lots of white fruits, wet granite-like minerality, white flowers, and hints of tart apple. It builds with time in the glass and is medium-bodied, has a rounded, supple texture, beautiful purity of fruit, and a great finish. While it plays in the lighter style of the estate, it has terrific intensity and depth. It’s going to keep for upwards of a decade.

From a great site in the Chalone AVA south of Monterey, the 2016 Chardonnay Brosseau is a classic, complete, and beautifully balanced Chardonnay that has loads to love. Sauteed orchard fruits, lemon peel, some slate minerality, and lots of spice give way to a medium-bodied, supple, seamless effort that shows the house style here nicely. It’s great today, yet I suspect will evolve nicely on its balance.

While the 2015 Harmonie Red Wine isn’t going to make you forget the sensational 2013, it’s still a beautiful wine. A Bordeaux blend of 85% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, this ruby-colored beauty offers loads Margaux-like perfume of crème de cassis, raspberries, spring flowers, sandalwood, and forest floor. It’s medium-bodied, seamless, and beautifully textured on the palate, and while it’s not a heavyweight, it’s perfectly balanced, has sweet tannin, and outstanding length. It needs a decant if drinking anytime soon (I followed this bottle for two days) and will keep for 10-15 years.

This light yellow colored Chardonnay from Brewer-Clifton was the clear winner in our recent Blind Tasting. It opens with an appealing lemon and apple bouquet with a hint of banana. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied, luscious, very smooth and nicely balanced. The flavor profile is a delicious light lemon and almond blend with notes gentle minerality and a hint of oak. The finish is dry and its flavors linger for a while before fading away nicely. We would suggest pairing this gem with chicken francese or fettucine alfredo.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple and gives very pretty notes of crushed red currants, black cherries and black currants with touches of camphor, pencil shavings, lilacs and cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a taut structure of grainy tannins and great freshness supporting the muscular red and black fruits, finishing with a lingering minty lift.

The world's best Grenache buys Dark, dense and rich. This is the powerhouse face of Grenache, with grippy tannins and stewy fruit skins. But this example keeps its balance and also manages to sneak in a whisper of perfumed lift on the finish. Drinking Window 2018 – 2026

Meaty, autumnal berry nose with a hint of violets. An approachable, dark-fruited Shiraz, with a supple mouthfeel that has a meaty edge and a hint of jamón. Quite elegant for a McLaren Vale Shiraz. Charming and well turned out.

Sourced all from higher elevation vineyards, the 2015 Mountain Blend Farrier is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 3% Petit Verdot. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a gorgeous bouquet of crème de cassis, blueberries, graphite, camphor, and scorched earth. It’s medium-bodied, seamless, and incredibly elegant on the palate, yet it falls off slightly on the finish. Drink this balanced, charming 2015 anytime over the coming 7-10 years.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from a higher elevation vineyard in the Alexander Valley and was fermented in oak uprights and aged all in barrel. It’s another beautiful wine from this producer that has classic black and blue fruits, hints of graphite, bay leaf, sage and lead pencil, medium to full body, light tannin, and a balanced, elegant profile. Drink it anytime over the coming 15 years of so.

The 2016 Chardonnay Estate is another wine sourced from higher elevation sites and was barrel fermented and aged. It offers a classic style in its baked apples, spice, honeycomb, and marzipan profile. Deep, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and textured, it’s a class act and should keep for 4-6 years.