The pick of these two Pinot Noirs is the largest cuvée of 4,194 cases, the 2014 Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. It is made from Dijon clones 667, 777 and 115. It spent ten months in 29% new French oak. This wine has the raspberry, blueberry and rose petal fragrance of Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs, with medium body, elegance, and lush, delicate fruitiness.

The 2013 Bordeaux Blend is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and the rest Malbec, aged 24 months in mostly French cooperage, of which 36% was new. This wine has a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet kiss of licorice, tobacco leaf, black and red currants, dusty, loamy soil scents and similar flavors in a medium to full-bodied, fleshy style that should drink nicely for 10-15+ years.

The 2015 Viognier Saralee’s Vineyard (a site made famous by Dick Arrowood for Pinot Blanc, Viognier and possibly some Syrah) is a 100% Viognier and shows the flowery, apricot marmalade and tropical fruits of this varietal without becoming too cloying and unctuous. It has good acidity, a big fragrance of crushed fruit cocktail, and a medium-bodied, zesty mouthfeel. It was fermented and aged in stainless steel and older oak. Drink it over the next year.

I tasted four separate Merlots from the great 2013 vintage for Bordeaux varieties. The 2013 Merlot Sonoma is their largest production cuvée of 11,500 cases. It is 98.5% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 27% new French oak. The wine is excellent, with notes of charcoal, chocolate, mocha, black cherries and plums, medium body, low acidity and soft, silky tannins. Drink it over the next 7-10 years.

The 2013 Merlot Alexander Valley is earthier, with more grip, tannin and less forward fruit and ripeness. This excellent wine, which is nearly all Merlot, has slightly higher potency at 15% natural alcohol and was aged in all French cooperage, 40% of it new. This wine should drink well for 12-15 years at the minimum.

The 2014 Chardonnay Nine Barrel (the best nine barrels in the cellar) sees an additional six months of barrel age in neutral French oak following the first nine months. This wine exhibits more butterscotch, honeysuckle and roasted nuts in a more Burgundian style, with good acidity and slightly more oak. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge is another Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. It offers up raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate notes as well as some loamy soil undertones in a pretty, medium-bodied, delicate style. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

There are two million cases (basically the equivalent of 100,000 barrels, and all hand stirred) of the 2015 Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve. Eighty percent of this wine comes from the estate vineyards, most of them in Monterey, but to a lesser extent, in Santa Barbara, Mendocino and Sonoma. It goes through 100% barrel fermentation, with the breakdown on the barrels 44% French (5% new) and 53% American wood (8% new). It is bottled after seven months to preserve its exuberant fruit characteristics, which readers will find in its round, delicious, ripe peach, delicate honeysuckle and tropical fruit notes. It is a medium-bodied, crisp, amazing Chardonnay. With some two million cases, I’m sure some retailers will stock it in warmer areas of their stores, but when you can find pristine bottles, this wine does deliver. It has only one gram per liter of residual sugar, which destroys the false narrative of its critics that it’s very sweet. It is actually quite dry.

Another good Pinot Noir is the 2014 Pinot Noir Parsons’ Vineyard, which emerges from the west side of Santa Rosa on Wood Road, where some great old Zinfandel is also located. This wine exhibits good ripeness, some licorice, roasted herbs, black cherry and strawberry notes in a medium-bodied, round, fruity style. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

From clones 115 and 777 at a property directly behind the Kistler winery, the 2014 Pinot Noir Ewald Vineyard is a small cuvée that displays attractive sweet and sour cherry fruit, some pomegranate, adequate acidity, light tannin, and a seductive, lush mouthfeel. This is an endearing Pinot Noir to drink over the next 5-6 years.

Similarly styled in a soft, sexy way, the medium ruby-colored 2014 Pinot Noir Lingenfelder Vineyard comes from heritage clones such as Pommard and Martini grown in a cool site in the Russian River Valley. The wine displays pleasant allspice notes intermixed with black cherry fruit, some sassafras, soft tannins and medium body. It is ready to drink already and should continue to evolve nicely for another 3-5 years.

A star (especially given the fact that there are 165,682 cases) is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Reserve. Made up of 89.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, all hailing from Sonoma, this is a deep ruby/purple-tinged wine with rich tobacco leaf, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with a touch of wood spice and barbecue notes. It is medium-bodied, soft and ideal for drinking over the next 5-6 years.

They’ve added a new twist to the inexpensive Chardonnay category, with 85,000 cases of the 2015 Chardonnay Avant, which comes from Monterey, Santa Barbara, Mendocino and Sonoma, but all from coastal estate vineyards owned by the Jacksons. Fifty percent is fermented in neutral wood and 50% in tank. It is meant to provide consumers with a naked expression of Chardonnay fruit in an elegant, clean, fresh, delicious style. They clearly satisfy that need in a brilliant way, as this wine offers up loads of pineapple and peach notes, good acidity, and a clean, zesty, energized finish. Drink it over its first year.

The 2014 Merlot is 78.8% Merlot, 8.4% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc aged 15 months in neutral oak. Spicy notes in the fragrance along with hints of coffee bean, chocolate, and red and black cherries jump from the glass of this round, lush, easygoing style of Merlot, which is meant to be drunk over the next 10 years or so.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Estates is essentially a wine only available to the restaurant trade that sells for a strikingly low $15 a bottle. It is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest the other Bordeaux varieties. It is a well-made, straightforward, elegant wine with pretty black cherry and loamy soil notes intermixed with some blacker currants. Round, juicy and ideal for near-term consumption, at this price, it’s a steal.

The least expensive Pinot Noir is the generic 2014 Pinot Noir Russian River, and it’s also the largest production at just over 3,000 cases. It is soft and ripe, showing attractive apple skin notes intermixed with pomegranate, cherry and a hint of strawberry in a straightforward, juicy and round style with an easygoing personality. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Light ruby in color, with hints of strawberries, cherries, and rose petals, the 2014 Sonatera Vineyard comes from the Petaluma Wind Gap and is made from four different clonal selections. It is round, easygoing, relatively light-bodied and delicate. Drink it over the next several years.

It is amazing that the 2014 Pinot Noir Vintner’s Reserve (99.9% Pinot Noir, sourced 68% from Monterey, 29% Santa Barbara and 3% Mendocino) is so good for the price. Soft, sweet cherry and pomegranate notes jump from the glass along with some sassafras and loamy soil undertones. It is medium-bodied, fruity, round and seductive. Drink it over the next several years.

The 2014 Syrah Vintner’s Reserve (all from Santa Barbara) is an excellent value in Syrah. It is 97% Syrah and the rest Grenache and Mourvèdre, aged in very little new oak, but a combination of French and American cooperage. It offers notes of fruitcake, pepper, blackberry and a kiss of camphor and tar. This medium-bodied, fruit-driven wine should drink nicely for 2-3 years.

As you can imagine, the Jackson Family have enormous vineyard sources from which to get their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their 2014 Merlot Grand Reserve comes from Sonoma and is 95% Merlot and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, with a tiny dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged mostly in French wood. The wine is soft and ripe, with mocha, roasted herbs, cocoa bean, and some chocolaty plum and cherry notes. The wine has good, rich fruit and is straightforward and attractive. Anticipated maturity: now-2026.

The 2014 La Muse (2,800 cases ) is a legendary effort. The wine offers an opaque purple color and a gorgeous nose of lead pencil shavings, blackberry, incense, Asian spice, cocoa, plum, and a touch of chocolate and barrique. On the palate, more cassis and blackberry come to the forefront. The wine is unctuous, with adequate acidity and a stunning energy underneath the massive fruit and body. This is a spectacularly fragrant and, at the same time, dense wine, with enough structure (somewhat surprising in this vintage) to last 35-45+ years. The final blend was 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec.

You get a lot of wine for your money in this easy-drinking blend. Added to the cab for dimension are petit verdot, cabernet franc, syrah and merlot.

We’ve enjoyed the well-crafted zinfandels from Mendocino County's Edmeades winery over many years. Two recent offering we found particularly tasty. The Edmeades Zinfandel Mendocino County 2013 is a classy zinfandel displaying cherry, raspberry notes in the nose and flavors with a hint of chocolate in the finish. Rich and round, well balanced and ready to drink. Very enticing.

We’ve enjoyed the well-crafted zinfandels from Mendocino County's Edmeades winery over many years. Two recent offering we found particularly tasty. The Edmeades Zinfandel Mendocino Ridge Gianoli Vineyard 2013 is a throw back to the big mouth-filling zins of the 1980s and 1990s when bigger was better and alcohol levels soared. Intense raspberry and blackberry fruit nose and flavors with spicy elements that complement the fruit. Although this wine sports 15.5 percent alcohol, the total package is in balance and works. A real beauty!

Always a pleasure to drink, the Liar’s Dice is blended with a bit of petite sirah to give it more color and depth. It’s very juicy with sweet, jammy raspberry and blackberry flavors.