The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point comes across as quite sensual in this vintage, especially for a mountain wine. Blueberries, blackberries, cassis, graphite, sweet spices and violets all wrap around the finish. The 2010 impresses for its pure silkiness and length. Warm, resonant spices notes add complexity on the finish. The Bear Point is pretty but not as complex or structured as I had hoped. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2022.

Smooth and velvety with ripe plum, cassis and soft herbs; rich, lush and tangy with a long, balanced finish.

So smooth and lush, it’s hard to keep from drinking the whole bottle. Shows wonderfully smooth, sweet blackberries, cherries and raspberries, balanced with supple tannins and fine acidity. Should hold well over the next six years.

Full red with ruby tones. Refreshing, lightly dusty nose offers blueberry, black cherry, menthol, chocolate, sassafras and herbs. A firmly built midweight, offering a bit more intensity to its dark berry and fresh herb flavors than the Monument Ridge bottling. This, too, derives lift from its harmonious acidity. Finishes with building tannins and very good length. Should show more pliancy with a few years of cellaring.

High in concentrated black currant character and complemented by notes of roasted vanilla bean oak, this direct and fairly generous wine turns out to be a bit muscle-bound on the palate despite its deep, dense, concentrated flavors.

Good full ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis and black cherry. A step up in density and breadth from the Monument Ridge bottling, conveying a small-berry intensity to its dark fruit flavors. There's more mid-palate stuffing here to support the wine's substantial tannins. This is from gravelly volcanic soil at an altitude of 2,200 to 2,400 feet.

Bright ruby-red. Black cherry, bitter chocolate, licorice and a hint of menthol on the nose. Supple and sweet, with a slightly medicinal cast to its rather velvety redcurrant and menthol flavors. A bit youthfully tight on the back end, with firm tannins and juicy acids currently limiting the wine's length. Needs some patience.

Good ruby-red. Ripe, aromatic nose offers plum, currant, chocolate and graphite. Nicely sweet and dense, with ripe flavors of currant, plum, spices and tobacco framed by juicy acidity. Finishes with good verve, the big, broad tannins reaching the front teeth.

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