Leading off the Mt. Brave releases, the 2021 Merlot Mount Veeder has a beautiful perfume of red, blue, and black fruits as well as lots of floral nuances. It's full-bodied and concentrated, with a layered, seamless mouthfeel and a gorgeous finish. It can be consumed now and over the coming 15 years.

A new single vineyard that's from just in front of Cardinale (just across from To Kalon), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Colline Vineyard is 100% varietal that spent 21 months in 55% new French oak. While this fruit previously went into the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Kristy Melton thought it was too special and would make a great single vineyard. Cassis, perfumed blue fruits, violets, darker chocolate, and graphite notes all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with beautiful tannins, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's a gorgeous bottle of wine.

A site that they've worked with since 1968 (they're the only estate to work with this fruit, which went into the Beaulieu Private Reserve in the past), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche has a big, complex bouquet of red and black fruits as well as savory herbs, baking spices, chocolate, and graphite. It's rich, full-bodied, has a rounded, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.

The 2021 Merlot Howell Mountain checks in as 93% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Tannat, with the levage spanning 22 months in 70% new French oak. This beauty has bright red and blue fruits as well as complex, spicy nuances of dried flowers, savory herbs, and graphite. It's rich, medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's concentrated, has a smoking good mid-palate, and will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age.

The 2021 Cabernet Franc Mount Veeder should be snatched up by savvy readers, It's a stunning value in top-end Cabernet Franc that will have two decades of longevity. Cassis, black raspberries, graphite, and plenty of varietal floral notes emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, building tannins, and outstanding overall balance. It's a powerful, structured, yet elegant 2021 that will benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 15+.

The 2021 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes Vineyard is terrific. Coming from a site on Howell Mountain, it has bright lemon and tangerine fruit as well as some honeyed, flinty mineral, spice, and savory herb notes. It's medium-bodied, has bright acidity, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. It's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age, and I suspect have 10-12 years of overall longevity.

The 2021 Malbec Mount Veeder comes from two sites and relatively old vines (1994 and 2007 plantings). Ripe blue fruits, iron, tons of spice, and a certain exotic quality define this beauty, which is medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and balanced. I'd give it just a few years and enjoy over the following decade.

Coming 50% Bosche and the rest from the Sycamore and Red Barn vineyards, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that spent 21 months in 63% new French oak. This inky-hued 2021 has a killer nose of black and blue fruits to go with textbook tobacco, lead pencil, darker chocolate, and baking spice-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, with fine tannins, it's a smoking bottle of wine at the price.

Coming all from Carneros and Coombsville and aged in 43% new French oak, the 2022 Chardonnay Napa Valley is medium gold-hued and has a gorgeous perfume of honeyed tangerine, exotic flowers, and subtle baking spice notes in a medium-bodied, layered, rounded, beautifully textured profile on the palate. This singular, exotic, impeccably made Chardonnay will keep for 3-4 years.

The largest production, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 1% Merlot that's from both mountain and valley floor sites. It's a classic 2021 with its fresher, focused, perfumed style as well as medium to full-bodied richness, lots of currant and black cherry fruits, some tobacco and graphite notes, building tannins, and a great finish. It's a serious wine that will age.

Coming from the northern end of the appellation, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain District is all varietal aged 22 months in 90% new oak, and I couldn't imagine a more majestic, regal wine. This beauty s saturated purple hue is followed by an incredible array of ripe black fruits, smoked tobacco, loamy earth, lavender, and graphite. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has hit an undeniable home run with his 2021s, and this is unquestionably one of the legendary wines in the vintage. Full-bodied and massively concentrated, with velvety tannins and remarkable purity, it will be drinkable with just 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve for 30-40 years in cold cellars.

The 2021 Merlot W.S. Keyes Vineyard reminds me of a great vintage of Petrus, and if there's a better Merlot out there, I don't know of it. Incredible dark fruits (blackberries, darker cherries), leather, damp earth, graphite, and violet notes all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building, ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. It's heavenly today yet will cruise for 15-20 years in cold cellars.

The perfect 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, all of which spent 22 months in 80% new French oak. The idea of this release is to showcase fruit from throughout the valley, and to say that winemaker Chris Carpenter succeeded would be an understatement. It boasts off-the-charts richness and depth as well as notes of cassis, toasted spices, graphite, tobacco, and espresso, with perfectly integrated oak. Inky purple-hued, full-bodied, voluptuously textured, and flawlessly balanced, it can be drunk any time over the coming 25 years or more.

The 2021 ‘Upper Barn’ is a utterly fantastic new Chardonnay bottling by Stonestreet. Right away on the nose you are allured with layers of tropical fruits and butterscotch alongside juicy pear and suggestions of baking spice dusted pie crust. The palate is rich and dense with a heady concentration and beautiful underlying tension. Finishing exceedingly long, this is a head-turning bottling that will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2023-2033

The brilliant 2021 Stonestreet ‘Broken Rock Vineyard’ Chardonnay comes from this high altitude site in the Alexander Valley. Beautifully textured and rich, this offers bright underlying finesse with ripe pineapple and mango fruit flavors alongside flinty accents on the palate. This is a joy to consume right now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2031.

The outstanding 2018 Stonestreet ‘Alexander Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic new bottling that is already beautifully evolved. This is neatly balanced stuff with cassis, black currants and shades of freshly tilled soils on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy this beautiful, well-structured Cabernet now and over the next ten years. Drink 2023-2033

The 2021 Chardonnay Perilune strikes an effortless balance between vibrance and ripeness. It opens with streaks of matchstick and saline that give way to white peaches and honeysuckle perfume on the nose. The palate is satiny and expansive, its fruit tinged by exotic tones of ginger and flowers, and it has a very long, flavorful finish. It's beautiful now but will be long lived in bottle.

Opens with toasted hazelnut and vanilla bean notes that lead to a core of creamy pear and citrus flavors, which lengthen nicely around toasted spices and subtle mineral twinges. Drink now through 2030. 128 cases made.

The 2019 ‘Le Desir’ combines Cabernet Franc (83%) with the remainder Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. This shows beautiful red rose petals on the nose with suggestions of baking spices, anise and Turkish coffee. The palate is deep and heady with incredible intensity and a hedonistic bent. This is a total stunner. Drink 2025-2050.

Black berry, black olive, violet, iron, and bark aromas. Full-bodied with a solid center palate of fruit and tannins. Flavorful finish. Love the flavors and length. A blend of 78% merlot and 22% cabernet sauvignon. 323 cases produced. Try after 2027.

An abundance of bark, bay leaves, blue fruits and black currants. Lead pencil shavings coming through clearly, too. Full-bodied with a solid tannin backbone that runs the length of the wine and comes across layered and intense. Savory and so structured. A blend of 93% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. This needs time to soften. Muscular. Best after 2028.

So much black currant, dark fruit, pine cone, bark and pine needle aromas that show a depth and intensity with round, polished and creamy tannins. Medium to full body, with a complex and gorgeously flavored finish. A blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon, 6.5% cabernet franc, 5% malbec, 4% merlot and 2.5% petit verdot. Over 3050 cases produced. Give this three to four more years to come around.

A layered and flavorful red with black berries and blueberries with currants and chocolate. Iron, too. Full and chewy tannins that remain creamy. Savory with exotic spices. Cloves and Chinese spices. A blend of 88% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. Mostly Sycamore and Boshe vineyards. The balance and harmony in this is really fantastic. And it can age. Drink or hold.

This is a new single vineyard wine with iodine, lead pencil and gravel, as well as currants. Full-bodied with firm and racy tannins that are slightly austere but in a sophisticated way. Vivid acidity. It needs time to come around but it’s already attractive with a citrus peel and blue fruit finish. Made from 100% cabernet sauvignon. 100 cases produced. Drink after 2026 but hard to wait.

A very fine tannined red with an energy that gives length and dimension with crushed berry and violet character. It’s medium to full body with subtle fruit and a fresh finish. So beautiful now. Blend of grapes from vineyards in the mountain sites of Diamond, Spring, Howell, and Mount Veeder. A blend of 80% cabernet franc and 20% merlot. 363 cases produced.