From the 6- to 8-year-old vines of a site called Wild Ridge Vineyard, the 2016 Chardonnay Tidal Break is another racy, vibrant effort from winemaker Wells Guthrie. Tart citrus, crushed rocks, lemon, and floral notes flow to a pretty, lively, juicy wine that, like the Tous Ensemble, has a Chablis-like character.

Aged 24 months (bottled in January of this year), the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 4% Malbec. Blueberries, black raspberries, cassis, bay leaf, and hints of tobacco all emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant, seamless wine. More cedar wood and spice develop with time in the glass, and it's medium-bodied, silky, and balanced on the palate.

Coming all from the Ramal West Vineyard in Carneros and barrel fermented, the 2016 Chardonnay Carneros has a spicy, toasty bouquet of pear and orchard fruits, with a touch of buttered citrus developing with time in the glass. It’s medium-bodied, layered, forward and already delicious, and while it’s not complex or long, it’s balanced and certainly offers loads of pleasure.

Despite the blackness and ripeness of its fruit, this cabernet offers enough tense acidity to give balance to the whole. It’s a heavyweight red, reaching every corner of the palate with its succulent flavors—the kind of red you need at your favorite steakhouse.

Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Russian River offers pretty cranberry, pomegranate and crushed Bing cherries notes on the nose with touches of powdered cinnamon and dusty earth. Mediumbodied with bags of elegance and finesse, the delicate fruit is framed by soft, silky tannins and great freshness, finishing on a lingering kirsch note.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is terrific wine from Adam Lee that’s sourced from a number of sites in the Russian River Valley. Seeing 30% whole clusters and 8 months in 20% new French oak, it has lots of black cherry and darker fruits, leafy, almost peppery herbs, and plenty of underbrush. It’s rounded, charming, and textured on the palate, with an undeniably delicious profile.

Sleek and vibrant, with lively cherry and stony mineral aromas and layered, snappy raspberry and peppery sweet anise flavors.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Ewald Vineyard comes from a vineyard just beside Kistler and is 3.1 acres planted to clones 115 and 777. As with most of the Pinot Noirs from Adam, it saw 30% stems, with slightly more new oak, being aged 15 months in 50% new French barrels. Black cherries, mulberries, earth and spice notes flow to a medium-bodied, elegant, charming wine that drops off relatively quickly on the finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

The Novy zin is an explosion of pure raspberry on the nose and palate with bright acidity and spice to balance. The secret is a stellar bunch of vineyards: Jensen Lane Vineyard (planted in 1915), the Limerick Lane Vineyard (planted in 1910), and the Carlisle Vineyard (planted in 1927). Old vineyards bring fruit like no other, but they also provide the acidity to keep the wine fresh. Even the prolonged drought in 2016 was no match for these deep-rooted vines, dry-farmed since they were planted. The juice is kept separate by vineyard to allow for a barrel selection of the best wine, aged in all French oak (one/fifth new).

Brawny and compact, with dense blackberry, clove and licorice flavors that build toward firm but resolved tannins. Hands off for now.

Wine of the Week: Summery Sauvignon Blanc Aromatics of citrus fruits, bell pepper, and honeysuckle rise up from a glass. The palate showcases flavors of lime, peach, and lemon that move into expressions of white blossoms and wild grass. Quite crisp and vibrant, fans of lively Sauv Blanc will enjoy this.

Moderately light golden yellow color in the glass. Aromas of lemon zest, white peach warm brioche and toast lead off. A riper, luscious style featuring flavors of lemon, pineapple and honey. Slightly creamy in the mouth in a lower acid-driven style that seduces with richness and ripeness. Oak is involved but is not overbearing.

The 2016 Chardonnay has a more exotic as well as a deeper set of aromas and flavors. Orange blossom, buttered citrus, mango, and floral notes all emerge from this rich, nicely textured Chardonnay that’s ideal for drinking over the coming year or two.

Offers complex fruit from the get-go, with tangerine, nectarine and white peach notes at the core. Lively acidity keeps the flavors moving.

Slightly more expensive than the Vintners Reserve, the 2016 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve (10 months in 25% new French oak) is similarly ruby-colored and gives up more framboise, spice, dried violets and hints of herbs in a fresh, lively, beautifully balanced package. It has good acidity, a graceful texture, and excellent purity. Again, it over-delivers at the price.

This is a spicy, oaky, full-bodied wine that’s alluring in aroma and rich in flavor. Hints of vanilla, nutmeg and coconut lead to broad, ripe cherry and raspberry flavors on a smooth and lightly tannic texture.

Another Anderson Valley release is the 2015 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge, which comes all from the Boont Ridge vineyard and spent 13 months in 44% new French oak. Deeper colored than most of the 2016s, it reveals a larger, deeper, slightly more reticent style as well as notes of smoked black cherry, red currants, dried earth, and spices. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, it’s another outstanding wine from this lineup.

Gold Medal

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Estate is a medium-bodied, textured, classic Alexander Valley Cabernet that offers plenty of darker fruits, scorched earth and a hint of vanilla. It has rock-solid purity of fruit, as well as impressive balance. The blend is almost 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (there’s 1.5% Petit Verdot), aged in 31% new French oak.

This affordable red succeeds in offering full-bodied dark cherry and black-currant flavors among an expansive palate of integrated oak and structured tannins. The finish is an extended mix of cinnamon, toast and chocolate tones.

Rich and well-crafted, with some lavender accents to the melon, white cherry and pear flavors that feature a creamy texture. The spicy finish is smooth and silky.

Coming from the Arroyo Seco (the Clark Vineyard) appellation and aged 11 months in 78% new French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Seco Highlands sports a vivid gold color to go with an exotic bouquet of honeyed orange rind, flowers, Meyer lemons, and citrus oil. Incredibly exotic and perfumed, with an almost Muscat character, drink this medium-bodied, nicely balanced Chardonnay over the coming couple of years.

Plush plum, licorice and black tea notes show fresh accents of herbs, cedar and tobacco, adding a spicy flourish. Tannins firm up on the finish, lending a bold punctuation point to the flavors.

This pale straw colored Chardonnay from Hartford Court showed well with the Tasting Panel. It opens with an oak influenced green apple bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, round and smooth. The flavor profile is a mineral influenced apple with notes of oak, pineapple and ginger. We also detected a hint of clementine. The finish is dry and it lingers for a bit and shows a touch of heat. The Panel suggested pairing it with Cajun catfish or teriyaki chicken.

The 2016 Chardonnay Les Voisins comes from multiple vineyards and was barrel fermented and aged mostly in neutral French oak (2% was new, as well as some neutral America oak). Its light gold color is followed by a pretty, ethereal Chardonnay that offers notes of chamomile, lemon blossom, and white flowers. It’s lightly textured, has nicely integrated acidity, and a good finish. I suspect it will drink nicely over the coming 4-5 years.