The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reverie Vineyard was harvested in mid-October and is the smallest production cuvee of this trio. It displays classic notes of graphite, mulberries, black currants and other wild mountain berry fruit and flora. Full-bodied, dense and rich, it has reached full maturity, where it should remain for another 10-15 years.

Notions of crushed rocks, white chocolate, black currants, plums, and flowers jump from the glass of the inky/purple-hued 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. With sweet tannin, massive body, and undeniable elegance as well as length, it should drink well 15 or more years.

Boasts an extraordinary perfume of lead pencil shavings intermixed with charcoal, blueberries, blackberries, and cassis. This provocative Cabernet possesses the highest tannin level. But also the most concentration, texture, and depth. As it sits in the glass, scents of flowers, espresso roast, and black fruits emerge. A tour de force in Cabernet Sauvignon, it requires 4-5 years of aging, and should last for two decades.

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain (473 cases) reveals a strikingly complex perfume of cedar wood, white chocolate, acacia flowers, creme de cassis, and hints of earth as well as truffles. Full-bodied, dense, and layered. with gorgeous sweetness and purity, tremendously intense flavors, and well-integrated tannin, acidity, and wood, this blockbuster, classically rendered Cabernet Sauvignon should hit its stride in five years, and last for two decades.

The 2014 Chardonnay from Legacy is superb. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint, white pepper and chalk give the 2014 a distinctly bright yet delicate personality that plays beautifully off the natural intensity of the fruit. Bright saline note and a hint of reduction linger on the sublime finish. Silky and polished, this supremely beautiful Chardonnay has so much to offer. Precision, subtlety and nuance are the signatures in a gorgeous Chardonnay from Legacy and winemaker Graham Weerts.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s One of the top Merlots in the report is certainly the 2016 Merlot Howell Mountain from La Jota. This fabulous wine boasts a deep purple color as well as a true “wow” nose of blackberries, ripe cherries, spice, bay leaf, and ample savory, complex herbal notes. It’s medium to full-bodied, has a layered, balanced style, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink it any time over the coming two decades.

Crowd-Pleasing Budget Wines Forget everything you've ever been told about the softness and approachability of merlot. La Jota's Howell Mountain merlot is a beast of a wine that delivers layers of ripe blue fruits, chewy tannins and the heft of a Napa Valley cabernet. This vintage shows notes of wood spice, graphite and cedar, with impressive heft and length. It's built for the long haul, and it would benefit from additional cellar time.

Outrageously complex and sensational is the 2014 W. S. Keyes Merlot. This single vineyard Merlot (a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 85% new French oak) is a killer. Merlot has certainly fallen out of fashion in California, but it is a fabulous variety, and when it’s this good, people take notice. Opaque purple in color, this rivals the best Merlots I have tasted over many years. Notes of blueberry, black raspberry, mocha, roasted coffee and melted chocolate are all present in this wine of great intensity, profound richness, and a long, opulent, layered mouthfeel. This is sensational and can clearly rival the Merlot-dominated La Muse from Verité. Drink this wine over the next 20-25 years.

To my surprise, the top wine of the La Jota red quartet is the 2012 Merlot W. S. Keyes, a limited production 300-case cuvée made from 83% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% new French oak. Notes of sweet earth, iron, black cherries, blackberries, mocha and unsmoked cigar tobacco are found in this full, thick, sensationally rich Merlot. It is one of the finest Merlots I have tasted from California over recent vintages. Drink it over the next decade.

Made from 100% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain has a very deep purple-black color, revealing a drop dead gorgeous perfume of red roses, violets and black tea over a core of kirsch, red currants and black raspberries, with wafts of cinnamon stick and dried herbs. Medium-bodied, very finely textured and refreshing in the mouth, it offers wonderful perfumed red fruit layers and a long, mineral-laced finish.

The 2014 Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new French oak, comes from relatively new plantings of Cabernet Franc in both the La Jota and W. S. Keyes Vineyards. La Jota had made some incredible Cabernet Francs in the 1990s, but they were often spoiled by Brett contamination. This wine is sensational. Black purple, its incredible nose of truffles, asphalt, forest floor and white flowers is followed by blueberry and black raspberry fruit, a multi-layered texture, full-bodied richness, and a killer finish. This magnificent Cabernet Franc rivals some of the best being made in Northern California.

Classic Howell Mountain tannins, powerful and focused, but ripely sweet, frame opulent cherry, cassis, plum sauce and new oak flavors, and for all that, there’s a crisp edge of acidity that makes everything clean and bright. Drink now through 2012.

Take a great Napa Cabernet and turn it into a Russian River Pinot, and you get this wonderful Pinot Noir. It's a low production blend of various vineyards controlled by Jackson Family Farms, and each barrel seems picked for sheer lusciousness. Dry and silky, with perfect tannin-acid balance, it shows rich, complex waves of raspberries, cherries, Dr. Pepper cola, balsam, pepper and all kinds of hard to define forest floor and mineral complications. Fully approachable now and for the next 3-4 years.

Concentrated, exotic and almost earthy, this wine from a single vineyard in Anderson Valley has a wild edge of smoked fruit, singed rosemary and black pepper, with a core of deep black-cherry and clove flavors. It is full-bodied, mouthfilling and layered, with nuances that continue to unfold on the evolving finish.

Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2018 - #7

Filled with black and red berries and stone fruits that have a smoky, grilled edge, this dramatic Cabernet based Bordeaux blend hails from several great vineyards, mainly Stagecoach, which is up on Atlas Peak. It drinks well now at the age of four-plus years, showing lush fruit that's just beginning to dry out and achieve bottle bouquet. Feels sweet and soft in the mouth. A compelling, complex and nuanced wine of great elegance and allure.

Stature is always a Bordeaux blend, but varies in vineyard source each year. this '04 is soft, utterly delicious and fully drinkable now. It's rich in black currant, cherry pie filling, plum, anise and spice flavors, generously aged in smoky new oak. Made in the modern style, it will hold effortlessly through 2012, at least.

A prodigious effort, is Kendall-Jackson's 2004 Stature, a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon mostly from Atlas Peak, with 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 1 % Cabernet Franc. A real stunner of a wine showing how brilliant the more limited cuvees of Kendall-Jackson can be - and should never be ignored. It is a tribute to both the late Jess Jackson, and the winemaker for all the Kendall-Jackson wines, Randy Ullom. Plum/purple to the rim with sweet cassis, cherry, plum, Asian spice, vanilla and espresso, this voluptuous, full-bodied wine could last another 20 or more years. But it has already shown an enormous richness, with stunning fruit purity, a multi-layered, skyscraper-like texture and fabulous finish of close to a minute. This is a rather amazing wine that is beginning to enter adolescence, where it will stay for several decades.

A complex nose of cedar, dark fruit and tobacco. Profuse flavors of chocolate, black cherry, and tobacco fill out this round and supple glass. Viscous and full-bodied, with a pleasantly spicy and minty ending. Drink with rich dishes through the millennium.

Superb, opulent, just wonderful. Hard to exaggerate the beauty of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fantastically ripe and rich in black cherries, currants, sandalwood and spices, with a grounding streak of herbs. Beyond the flavors is the near-perfect structure, marked by smooth, complex tannins. Finishes sweet but completely dry, the paradox of a great wine.

From up on Mount Veeder comes this lush, dramatically complex Cabernet Sauvignon. It's really fine, with ripe, intricately layered tannins that give the wine a texture of dramatic importance, and luscious Cabernet flavors that change from sip to sip. Blackberries, currants, cherries, cedar, it's all there in this 100% varietal wine, a very great expression of Napa mountain Cab, and an ager as well.

I tasted through some Napa wines (of which more later) and six from the Hickinbotham vintage 2017 collection with winemaker Chris Carpenter yesterday. This was the last wine tasted, though not the least. Chris tells me that he selects the Cabernet component (solo) while Pete Fraser chooses the Shiraz. It’s a bit like Hal David writing the lyrics, while Burt Bacharach writes the toons. 204 cases made from specific vineyards, and subsequent barrel selection. Blue and black fruit, a bit of earth, vanilla, subtle mint and floral elements. Deep and round, fleshy and chocolaty, plush with ripe well-submerged tannin, all so smooth and even-keeled, finishing lip-smackingly long. Classic Australian blend with no shortage of style. Puts a smile on the face.

Australia: Catching Up The blend of the 2016 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz is 57% Cab and 43% Shiraz, aged in 60%-70% new French oak. It's a barrel selection and blend that is solid and rich, with grainy tannins at this youthful stage. Cassis, cherry, vanilla and cedar all come together synergistically to yield a rich, chewy red that should age well for more than a decade.

The Peake represents the pinnacle wines from Hickinbotham and this sure does make a statement. A stunning wine ought to be enjoyed on a stunning occasion. Brilliant! A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz (57/43) off vines planted in 1971. The fruit was fermented separately prior to blending. It's not shy but its sleek at the same time. A wine which flows effortlessly delivering presence and charm all at once. Blackcurrants and blackberries, licorice and cloves are on the front foot early. Nestled in closely behind sit dark chocolate, dried herbs and black earth. Oak makes a late run but the word seamless is what keeps bouncing around my mind as this goes through its paces. Over the space of a few days it was absolutely pristine. Buy now and savour later. Way later.

Why Australian Wine is Some of the Most Exciting in the World The sum is greater than the parts here. Stunning interaction of the two grapes. The shiraz fills and lightens the cabernet just perfectly. Abundant red and dark berries, plums and chocolate. Super fine tannins, too. This is blended to perfection. A brilliant wine.