Charming and expressive, with floral black raspberry and licorice aromas and jammy, well-built flavors of smoky plum, grilled herb and cracked pepper.

The nose of this juicy wine conjures plum and raisin cake, and the palate follows with explosive red cherry and clove and cinnamon seasonings. Big and brawny, it’s also softly textured and layered, winning one over in its head-on hedonism.

This is the only 2015 wine from Novy that has thus far gone to bottle. The other Novy 2015 wines were tasted as tank samples and show great promise, although I’d prefer to revisit these in a few months and review them as bottle samples. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Zinfandel Russian River Valley offers expressive blackberry, black cherry and baking spice notes with a touch of licorice. Full-boded, concentrated and purely fruited in the mouth, it has a gorgeous velvety texture and a delightful burst of blackberry flavors on the long finish.

Novy's 2014 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is bold, juicy and also quite tannic. Even so, there is more than enough depth and texture to fill out the wine's frame. Dark red stone fruit, tobacco and grippy tannins are the main signatures. As always, Carlisle is a site that confers notable pedigree and nuance throughout.

The 2014 Zinfandel Limerick Lane is 100% Zinfandel. It reveals blackcurrant and black raspberry fruit, some licorice, underbrush and roasted Provençal herbs. It is peppery, spicy, ripe, medium to full-bodied, and another delicious Zinfandel for drinking over the near-term – four or so years.

Zesty and a bit brooding, delivering ripe fruit flavors balanced by lively acidity. Notes of black raspberry, charred pepper and licorice finish with racy tannins. Drink now through 2024.

A terrific value is the 2014 Zinfandel Russian River. This is the largest cuvée (639 cases) and it showcases the beautiful briary, black cherry, licorice-infused, slightly herbaceous fruit of Zinfandel. The wine has terrific body, a yummy texture that is medium to full-bodied, and a heady finish. This is best drunk over the next 2-3 years.

The 2014 Zinfandel Papera Ranch, from a vineyard planted in 1934, is 97% Zinfandel and the rest mixed blacks. Deep ruby-colored, with loads of raspberry and cherry fruit, some tart acids, in a medium to full-bodied, stylish and elegant Zinfandel. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

Robust and jammy, with bold black raspberry and licorice aromas and dense, briary flavors of cherry, smoked pepper and grilled herb. The tannins tighten up the finish.

Grippy and somewhat subdued and tightly wound, this wine black in color and profile. Blackberry and black licorice open the proceedings, before powerful hits of black pepper. Leather and game are in the mix, too, giving the wine a wild edge. Drink now through 2023.

This Zin is jammed with plush, easygoing blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors, that show accents of toasty spice and fresh sage.

Jammed with plush, easygoing blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors, plus accents of toasty spice and fresh sage.

Dark in color and generously bodied, this wine exudes a taste and aroma of brown sugar and roasted plum, flavors that ride a wave of soft, velvety texture, blackberry compote and mocha chocolate. Richly rewarding, it’s also a tremendous value.

Opaque ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of blackberry, plum jam and cola, with subtle sassafras and woodsmoke nuances adding complexity. Sweet and smoky on the palate, offering juicy cherry and dark berry flavors and an exotic peatiness. The smoky quality carries through the long, gently tannic finish, which features notes of bitter cherry and tangy dark berry skin. As appealing as this Zin is right now I'll bet that a few more years of patience will be rewarded.

A brooding youth, offering bright raspberry and dark blueberry fruit, with accents of smoked pepper, sage and mineral. The tannins are big but ripe.

This wine has a pretty honeysuckle aroma that invites from beginning to end, its silky texture met with moderate acidity along the way. Medium-bodied and creamy, it offers additional layers of white peach and almond.

Appealing, with perfectly ripe peach and nectarine flavors, showing just a squirt of lemon juice and details of marmalade, herbal tea and spice.

Bright straw. Lively, spice-accented aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, along with suggestions of jasmine and green tea. Nervy and focused on the palate, offering intense lime and green apple flavors that flesh out slowly on the back half. In a fat-free, linear style for this often exotic variety, this wine finishes with firm grip and lingering floral character.

Ripe, juicy and appealing, with peach, yellow apple and pear flavors that feature a succulent note and hints of melon and honeysuckle. Focused and long, with a refreshing finish.

Dark purplish ruby; deep, intense, dark berry fruit aroma with hints of black pepper and dried herbs; full body; forward, deep, concentrated, jammy, spicy, cedary, blackberry fruit flavors with undertones of toasty oak; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Approachable now, though best to bottle age for several more years. Very highly recommended.

Screw capped. This retails for around $35. It is really very good. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, slight black olives and a bit of black pepper. On the palate, this has a nice sinewy texture. Light tannins. It is drinking quite well right now but no hurry. Black raspberry fruit. Good acidity. Slight complexity. Nice finish. This will work with a wide variety of foods. Drink now thru 2023.

USA, California: Sonoma 2017 Vintage The 2016 Grenache/Syrah has an opaque deep ruby-purple color with a fresh, floral-scented nose of violet and lilac with warm boysenberry and blueberry jam, white pepper, cocoa and chocolate-covered cherries—there's also a touch of heat on the nose. Full-bodied, it's big in the mouth with very firm, slightly grippy tannins but good freshness, with that chocolate note coming through on the long finish.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Zinfandel (Russian River Valley) is inviting. Fresh and perfumed, with lovely red fruit character, the 2017 is open-knit and expressive today. I would prefer to drink it over the next few years.

Floral in lovely ways, this big, bold and broadly expansive wine is hugely structured, with plenty of tannin and strong black-fruit flavor. Good supportive acidity keeps it balanced in the glass.