Fresh and vibrant, with lively cherry, mineral and spice flavors that finish on a snappy note. Drink now through 2024.

Refined and well-built, with expressive blueberry, licorice and smoky meat accents that lead to fine-grained tannins on the finish. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

A fresh and focused style, with a beam of red currant and cherry notes, laced with subtle savory and vanilla details. A light tug of earth at the end keeps this honest.

Dark plum and mulberry flavors dominate this ripe, brambly style. Notes of chocolate nibs and loam show midpalate, with a finish that features tea and mocha accents.

Hints of dried rose petal accent the concentrated roasted plum and dried cherry flavors. Tea and cola notes extend on the rich, savory finish. Drink now through 2023.

A dense, black mouthful of black currant, cassis and chocolate with a smooth, persistent finish. A solid example of the varietal and very true to type.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 Medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir Unforgettable, aged in 43% new French oak, opens to aromas of old leather, roasted cranberries, toasted coconut, rhubarb and pomegranate with notes of black cherries, saddle leather and roasted blackberries—this has discernible Brettanomyces character. It's medium-bodied and silky with earthy red and black fruits, juicy freshness and a firm, grainy frame, finishing long. Fans of a more rustic style will enjoy this. 287 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2017 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast comes about 48% from the Russian River Valley. It was mostly barrel fermented and aged about eight months in 18% new oak. It surprises with its freshness and restraint. The nose is scented of toast, candle smoke, white peach and poached pears with accents of hay and honeysuckle. It's medium-bodied with a slightly creamy texture and great flavor intensity, refreshed by juicy acidity and finishing long and toasty. This is an incredible value—well made, balanced and tasty. 530,000 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 Aged nine months in 18% new oak, the 2017 Pinot Noir Vintner’s Reserve has a pale to medium ruby color and opens with dried cranberries, cinnamon toast, bright red cherries, autumn leaves and potpourri with notes of citrus peel and sweet spice. It's light to medium-bodied with good intensity, a soft frame and juicy freshness to enliven the finish. Great Value. 117,765 cases produced.onoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve is a blend of 92.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1.5% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, aged 12 months in 65% French and 35% American oak (14% new overall). Deep ruby-purple, it opens with cassis, grilled black plum, blueberries, vanilla bean and pie spices with red fruit sparks. Medium to full-bodied, it offers great flavor intensity, a grainy frame and juicy acidity to lift the long finish. This is approachable right out of the gate and great value. 163,442 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Tradition comes 76% from Alexander Valley and 24% from Lake County, made in stainless steel with lees stirring. It offers gregarious scents of tarragon, chive and mown grass with kiwi, gooseberry, white peaches, flint and lychee notes. The palate is light-bodied and lively with pure fruits, bright acidity and a long, refreshing finish. 7,500 cases produced.

USA, California, Sonoma: 2017 Vintage – Part 2 Pale cherry-pink in color, the 2018 Rosé of Sangiovese opens with raspberry leaves, tarragon, white pepper, spiced pears, red berries and crushed stone. The palate is light-bodied, clean and flavorful with a refreshing finish. 325 cases produced.

From several vineyard sites and combining all five red Bordeaux varieties, this wine is fermented in stainless steel before it rests over two years in both French and American oak. Powerful, it retains an elegance amid a tannic, grippy entry of toasted oak and black cherry, and a rich textured finish accented in cinnamon and chocolate.

Tangled in its tannins when first opened, this wine requires a day of air to take shape. The acidity hits the tannins with the spark of crushed stone, while flavors of tart plum and peach skin fill out the hard edges. Blended from 20 vineyards and five varieties (it’s 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, franc, petit verdot and malbec), this needs bottle age to soften.

Tangled in its tannins when first opened, this wine requires a day of air to take shape. The acidity hits the tannins with the spark of crushed stone, while flavors of tart plum and peach skin fill out the hard edges. Blended from 20 vineyards and five varieties (it's 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, with merlot, franc, petit verdot and malbec), this needs bottle age to soften.

A no nonsense Napa cabernet with chocolate, berry and plum character. Medium body, firm tannins and a fresh finish. Fun to drink.

Smooth and spicy with plum, cassis and racy acidity; toasty, nicely structured and long.

Napa Valley: 2007 Retrospective - Napa's Turning-Point Vintage Medium to deep garnet in color with a touch of brick, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards has a maturing crème de cassis, dried mulberries and baked blackberries nose with hints of sandalwood, leather and unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, it gives a good amount of slowly evolving, juicy black fruit flavors with a chewy frame and lively finish.

My favorite red wine is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard which is planted in clay and loam soils in Rutherford. It exhibits loamy, earthy soil notes intermixed with toasty oak, black currant, black cherry, Christmas fruitcake and spice box. Medium-bodied with plenty of tannin, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and should last for 15+ years. Freemark Abbey continues to be a work in progress as proprietor Jess Jackson moves aggressively to get this estate back to its glory days of the late sixties and early to mid-seventies.

Napa Valley: 2007 Retrospective - Napa's Turning-Point Vintage Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard has some medicinal and fried herbs wafts over a core of baked black plums and stewed cherries plus hints of tobacco and new leather. Medium to full-bodied, the palate provides oodles of freshness and a pleasantly chewy frame supporting the straightforward black fruits, finishing earthy.

This wine's elegance is apparent when it's first poured, though the earthy fruit flavors remain elusive. A day of air brings its black currant brightness to the foreground, juicy and firm. Suited to a few years of age, this will smooth any grizzled edges off a grilled butterflied leg of lamb.

This wine's elegance is apparent when it's first poured, though the earthy fruit flavors remain elusive. A day of air brings its black currant brightness to the foreground, juicy and firm. Suited to a few years of age, this will smooth any grizzled edges off a grilled butterflied leg of lamb.

From a 23-acre vineyard planted on the so-called red Rutherford dust, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche Vineyard is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. While it does not reach the level of some past legends (1974), it reveals a sumptuous perfume of creme de cassis, loamy soil, and spicy oak, followed by tightly-constructed, medium to full-bodied flavors with sweet tannin, outstanding concentration, and admirable overall equilibrium. While it still plays it close to the vest, its quality/pedigree is obvious. Consume it over the next 15+ years.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is sourced from notable vineyards across Napa Valley, comes in at 83.1% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Not that there is any undue oak on the wine, but it does age for 24 months in French cooperage. Quite backward for a 2005, this opaque purple wine offers up notes of cedar wood, licorice, underbrush, blackcurrants and black cherries. Full-bodied, moderately tannic, but still exceptionally youthful and impressive, this wine is complex and evolved, a Napa version of a Bordeaux St.-Julien. These are all classically styled wines. Of course, long-time winemaker Ted Edwards is still steering the fortunes of this historic producer. All three of the 2005s are still amazingly youthful wines at age ten.