Deep ruby. Intensely perfumed nose offers redcurrant, cherry and tobacco, with a suave floral quality adding complexity. Deep, chewy red and dark berry flavors are framed by velvety tannins and pick up a sweet tobacco note on the back end. Youthfully tangy on the finish, with the cherry and tobacco notes repeating. This needs some cellar time.

Bright, deep ruby. Reticent aromas of blueberry, licorice and crushed herbs. Less sweet in the mouth than the 2011 Helena Montana, with strong spice and floral notes dominating the dark berry flavors. Tannins are a bit youthfully tough today.

The soil here is rich in white volcanic ash. Good full ruby. Black fruits and a hint of game on the nose. Silky on entry, then more complex and less oaky in the middle palate than the Helena Dakota bottling, offering an attractive combination of ripeness and verve. But not at all overly sweet. Finishes with substantial but ripe tannins and a juicy quality that suggests this will age gracefully. According to Barbara Banke, co-owner of Jackson Wine Estates with her husband Jess Jackson, this winery used two sorting tables beginning with the 2004 harvest, and also introduced a Mistral machine that blows away damaged and dried-out grapes and bits of stalks.

Medium ruby. Cool, somewhat medicinal aromas of blackcurrant, bitter chocolate, licorice, minerals, and fresh herbs. Bright and dense but quite closed and tannic today; very much in the style of a Northern Medoc wine. Distinctly tough now and in need of at least five or six years of patience. This was far silkier from barrel a year ago, but my early early sample contained a much higher percentage of Merlot.

Medium ruby. Cool, somewhat medicinal aromas of blackcurrant, bitter chocolate, licorice, minerals and fresh herbs. Bright and dense but quite closed and tannic today; very much in the style of a Northern Medoc wine. Distinctly tough now and in need of at least five or six years of patience,. This was far silkier from barrel a year ago, but my early sample contained a much higher percentage of merlot.

Full ruby. Riper aromas of blueberry, boysenberry, sassafras, allspice and chocolate. Juicy and intense in the mouth, with lively flavors of berries and bitter chocolate. Finishes with strong tannins that reach the front teeth, but also very good length and lingering sweetness.

Bright red-ruby color. Dark aromas of black cherry, licorice, bitter chocolate, menthol and black pepper. Tightly wound and youthfully medicinal, with dark berry, herb and licorice flavors complemented by iron and gravel nuances. Quite dry and light on its feet but imploded today and in need of at least a couple years of bottle aging.

Good deep ruby-red. Aromas and flavors of black fruits, bitter chocolate and licorice, with a pronounced gravelly quality. Ripe and chewy but medicinal and backward today, with density building toward the back. Just a bit of tannic dryness but this is still a baby. There's very little topsoil at this site, notes winemaker Graham Weerts, and the diurnal shifts are more pronounced here than at Stonestreet's higher-elevation cabernet vineyards. This should reward bottle aging.

Bright ruby-red. Almost mute on the nose today, with a lightly dusty quality to the black fruit and mineral aromas. Then suppler, sweeter and more pliant than the Christopher's but with a bit less spine and energy than that wine. Here the slightly medicinal tannins arrive earlier.

(from vines at 1,000 feet): Palish yellow with a green tinge. Cool aromas of lime ice, menthol and dusty stone, with a lightly metallic quality. Supple and quite dry, with subdued flavors of citrus peel and dusty stone. Very laid-back today, with the metallic quality carrying through in the mouth. This uncompromising chardonnay offered a hint of fresh apricot with air but its rather forbidding texture did not loosen up even after 24 hours in the recorked bottle.

Vivid ruby. Pungent aromas of dark berries, cherry pit and smoky minerals, with a hint of fresh herbs in the background. Juicy and precise, offering bitter cherry and black raspberry flavors that gain in sweetness and energy with air. Closes on a spicy note, with strong mineral cut and silky, slow-building tannins. This youthful pinot responds nicely to aeration.

Bright ruby. Cherry, dark berries and minerals on the nose, with hints of licorice and pepper. Offers a restrained sweetness and good depth to its dark fruit flavors. Shows a youthful, medicinal quality, a hint of black cardamom and dusty tannins on the long, incisive yet broad finish. This could use a bit of time to stretch out.

Deep red. Spicy cherry and cassis aromas are a bit musclebound but slowly open to show subtle floral and iron qualities. Powerful, deeply concentrated cherry and cherry skin flavors dominate the palate. Finishes with solid tannins and a hint of espresso. This needs time.

Good deep red. Complex aromas of raspberry, blackberry, kirsch, flowers and wild herbs. Juicy and tightly wound, but already demonstrating a strong kernel of dark berry fruit and lovely definition and verve. Tighter than the Seascape bottling and thus a bit less broad today. The acids carry the fruit on the finish, which shows a piquant note of pomegranate.

Good, bright ruby-red. Aromas of raspberry, strawberry, menthol, earth and violet. Flavors are distinctly purple: blackberry, violet and minerals. Supple but not yet filled in; in a rather closed stage today. The fruit character is complicated by a suggestion of exotic woodsmoke. Finishes firmly tannic and in need of patience.

Bright, saturated ruby. Youthfully brooding aromas of blackberry, mulberry, cocoa powder and licorice, with slow mounting spiciness and a hint of dried violet. Deeply pitched dark berry and bitter cherry flavors are slow to unwind, showing serious structure without coming off as hard. The gripping finish is a touch rigid but packs a lot of rich fruit. Give the bottle a little age.

Good full ruby. Aromas of black cherry, blueberry, gunflint, smoke and slate. All crushed fruit in the mouth: black cherry, boysenberry and blackberry. Juicy and imploded today, with very fresh acidity intensifying the fruit. Finishes with powerful but ripe tannins that will require at least a few years of bottle aging. Very bright, structured zinfandel.

The 2023 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton wafts up with a confectionery mix of ripe yellow apples, almond custard and sweet spice. It's soothingly round on the palate, with ripe orchard fruits tinged by sour citrus, yet I find myself craving more depth. Hints of hazelnut linger on the fresh but somewhat short finish.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley wafts up with a pretty blend of chalk dust, violet and lavender tones that give way to black cherry. It is soft-textured, with fleshy red berry fruit and nuances of spice elevated by a citrus inflection toward the close. Firm yet fresh, the 2023 leaves a tart sensation and tapers off with medium length.

The 2023 Chardonnay Willamette Valley wafts up with a pretty mix of yellow apples, mint and sweet smoke. It is round in feel, with ripe pit fruits and a gentle wash of confectionery spice on the palate. Fresh acidity maintains balance as hints of lemon sorbet fade, leaving the mouth watering for more.
- By Eric Guido on July 2026

The 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley slowly evolves with a whiff of yellow apples, fresh mint, stone dust and sweet spice. It washes across the palate with ripe orchard fruits over a tactile stream of minerality. The finish is nuanced, leaving a hint of mint and a saline inflection that adds a firming grip.

This wine’s blazing acidity almost knocked me out of my chair, and I liked that. If puckering up isn’t your thing, look for another Pinot Gris. This one opens in almost Sauvignon Blanc-like fashion with tart pineapple, fresh-cut grass, and wet concrete aromas. Flavors of lemon zest, ginger, passion fruit, and lemongrass tea only add to the goose bump tally.

This classic, cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc is kissed by both the warm sunshine and the ocean breezes of Northern California. It is richly aromatic, with notes of citrus, stone fruit, dried river brush, and freshly cut grass. The palate is crisp with flavors of lemon-lime, orange zest, fresh cilantro, and a dry, supple finish.

Deep, earthy aromas of lush blackberry, allspice, and violets arise on the nose of this wine. The palate is supple, with dark plum, mushroom, espresso, mocha, and silky tannins on the finish.

Light notes of straw, lemon peel and white peach stay in lockstep through the modest finish. Drink now.