Intense, deeply scented with lots of rich oak and woody spice piled atop its ample compliment of dark fruit, this potent and sturdy young Cabernet walks a fine line between being rich and slightly austere. It is bound up in stern tannins, and it tends to gritty, back-palate astringency just now, but it hangs on to a fair measure of nicely concentrated cassis-like fruit and the finish and promises better with age. This is a keeper very much meant for the long haul, and it may not show its true colors until upwards of a decade has passed.
Black cherry, sweet blackberry jam, tobacco, green pepper and a slightly sweaty cedar box aroma grace the nose of this delicious California cab. Firm tannins, with big and lush fruits which are true to the nose. Big acid, but very well balanced wine. A perfect complement to marinated red meats. Drinking now, but will improve easily over 5 to 7 years.
This Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend is from Jess Jackson-owned vineyards high above Alexander Valley. Made solidly in the modern style, it's very ripe, very soft, and extraordinarily rich in chocolate-infused cassis, cherry, date and violet flavors that are liberally treated with new oak. It's a delicious, seductive wine that should ride out the next 8 years with ease.
Ruby-red. Suave and intensely aromatic, with lush cherry and cassis aromas underscored by gentle oak spice notes. Silky in texture, with sweet cherry compote and blackcurrant flavors, soft tannins and impressive power on the finish. Sweet and impressively seamless cabernet.
Bright medium ruby. Red berries, leather, brown spices and flowers on the nose, with strong suggestions of exotic oak. Broad, sweet and generous, with sexy oak tones and lovely floral lift giving the wine inner-mouth aromatic character. Firmly structured without being hard. Finishes with sweet tannins and a lingering leathery nuance.
Oily, viscous and lushly textured in the mouth. Highly extracted spicy tropical fruit and buttery floral notes are complex and elegant.
Older vines (twenty-plus years), grown at a relatively high altitude (1,500 ft.) give this weighty, full-flavored wine a robust pungency that Sancette producer Didier Dageneau would dig. Lemon rind, figs and wild herbs suffuse this bottling, which starts out big and grows more elegant as it opens up in the glass. Place it with something rich but not too heavy…
The 2017s From Sonoma There are two Sauvignon Blancs from winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs, both outstanding. The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Estate, which was brought up all in stainless steel, has a racy, crisp character that sits in the middle between the more exotic New Zealand style and more the more mineral, concentrated style of Sauvignon from Bordeaux. Lots of citrus, lemon curd, and floral notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s medium-bodied, with good acidity and a balanced, crisp style that’s ideal for drinking over the coming year or two.
The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point captures a bit more freshness and minerality than the straight Sauvignon Blanc bottling. Even so, there is no shortage of depth. Lemon confit, wild flowers, sage and mint are all nicely delineated throughout. There is lovely purity and nuance here, especially within the context of the year.
Distinctive, with a lovely honeydew melon note popping out, offering fleshy grilled peach and dried apricot flavors. Smooth and appealingly juicy on the finish.
The 2014 Sauvignon Blanc is an attractive wine that brings together aromatic nuance with the phenolic, structural elements that are typical of this mountain site. Slightly reductive notes add further nuance on the expressive finish.
Juicy, clean and fresh with complex flavors of spice and bright fruit; silky, lush and nicely textured; long and balanced.
Bright, smooth and juicy with grapefruit and tangy citrus; complex, minerally and rich; long and lively.
Pale color. Lemon drop, grapefruit, pineapple and melon on the nose. Juicy, fresh and intensely flavored, with good weight for a sauvignon without any loss of shape. At once riper, fruitier and firmer than the 2001.
Bright saline notes provide the backbone for the 2012 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Terrace Ridge. Lime, slate, jasmine, sage and mint seem to jump from the glass in a bright, beautifully nuanced, aromatic white long on class and personality. The 2012 was done entirely in neutral oak.
Bright pale yellow. Cool, rather unforthcoming nose offers lemon peel and oil, white flowers and pungent herbs. Then surprisingly supple in the mouth, with a layered texture and a touch of sweetness to the pineapple, grapefruit and herb flavors. Made from fruit from a cool area and it shows.
Top Values From the Top Shelf, 16 Super Chardonnays at $30.00
It exhibits honeyed lemon and buttery fruit, sweet, toasty pineapple and honeysuckle-like flavors, a fleshy texture, and an elegant, moderately long finish.
The wine possesses an evolved light gold color, a powerful pineapple, buttery, toasty, smoky nose, excellent full-bodied flavors, loads of fruit, a chewy texture, and a heady, alcoholic (14.2%) finish.
A smooth and sleek wine with balance and complexity.
Medium body, acid fruit and oak. Citrus, geraniums, herbs, toast. Assertive toast component dominates herbaceous fruit. A complex, unusual host of flavors, with rich mouth-feel and lingering acidity.
I have long been an enthusiastic fan of Kendall-Jackson's Grand Reserve Chardonnay and the 1994 is an outstanding wine. This 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay is made in surprisingly large quantities (about45,000-50,000 cases), but there is no doubting its lavish display of tropical fruit, butter and spicy, toasty barrel aromas. This delicious wine is authoritatively rich and full-bodied, with low acidity. While it will not make old bones, it will drink well for 1-2 years.
Ripe, rich and oaky, with a pleasant range of toasty, buttery pear and spicy flavors that fan out and turn complex.
Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Estate is a very pretty, open-knit wine that captures the essence of the property. Yellow orchard fruit, lemon confit, tangerine, chamomile and dried flowers are nicely laced together in this attractive, inviting Chardonnay from Stonestreet.
Lovely oak may jump to the fore on first nosing here, but it is soon joined by plenty of well-focused, ripe apple fruit, and the layering implied by this generous, full-bodied offering’s ever deepening aromas is convincingly confirmed by its concentrated, multi-dimensional flavors. Subtlety is not one of the wine’s strengths, but unabashed richness most certainly is, and, while it is just a tad hot in its closing moments, its lastminute heat is sure to be made moot by the richer foods for which it so clearly asks. 1 star.