Good bright ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose of currant, violet, tobacco and menthol. Then a bit hard-edged in the mouth despite its high 3.9 pH. Lacks the suppleness and flesh of a thoroughly ripe year. Finishes with some unabsorbed acidity. Winemaker Chris Carpenter, who began as winemaker at Lokoya and was then Charles Thomas's assistant at Cardinale, gets first pick of the Jackson Family Farms Napa fruit.

Saturated dark ruby. Moderately full-bodied. Moderately extracted. Moderately oaked. Moderately tannic. Anise, brown spice, black fruits. Chocolatey aromas show plummy, spicy accents that follow through on the palate. Finely wrought and flavorsome, with a long, dry finish. This has plenty of ripe, developed Cabernet flavors.

Dense and chewy, with an earthy, leathery accent to the currant, dried cherry and mineral flavors. More complex on the finish where the flavors fold together nicely. Given the tannin level, cellaring into 2000 is advised. (Also appeared 11/15/96).

Rich purple. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted and oaked. Black cherries, plums, spicy tobacco. Displays lush aromas and fine viscosity in the mouth. Flavors are well concentrated with an underlying creamy component. Shows good grip in the finish, with lingering young fruit.

Roasted nuts, citric notes and honey on the nose. Lush and sweet on the attack, then surprisingly firm and minerally, with firm acidity giving the wine solid stricture and just enough clarity of flavor. Superripe fruit emerges with aeration.

Bright and intriguing, boasting passion fruit, citrus and pear flavors that just don't quit. Any oak in this is well submerged. Delicious.

he 2014 Innovant is Captûre's entry-level red wine. Bright red-toned fruit, floral notes and chalk all give the 2014 its aromatic liveliness and vibrancy. Drink this attractive, mid-weight Bordeaux blend over the next handful of years.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Arrowood's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Crown is fabulous. Rich and explosive, the Knights Crown is almost shockingly sensual for a wine from Knights Valley. Racy and silky, the Knights Crown is more texturally finessed than most Knights Valley Cabernets, it is a wine of sheer sensuality and appeal.

Coming from Sonoma and Lake Counties, the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Tradition is scented of ripe peaches, pink grapefruit and dried herbs with touches of crushed stones and lemon zest. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers bold citrus and stone fruit flavors and great freshness, finishing with an herbal lift.

Captûre's 2015 Sauvignon Tradition is a racy, sleek wine that shows the more overt, tropical side of Sauvignon Blanc. Lightly honeyed and exotic floral notes add brightness to the sweet, textured expression of fruit.

The surprisingly elegant, floral-scented 2000 Viognier displays the varietal's tell-tale peach and apricot characteristics as well as a note of minerality. This expressive, medium-bodied, fruit-filled white will drink well for 1-2 years.

Dark, rich, ripe and complex, with plum, black cherry, wild berry and roasted coffee flavors. Plenty of heat on the finish.

Medium bright red. Strawberry rose petal and smoky oak on the nose. Silky and sweet but also firm and fresh, with perfumed flavors of plum, rose petal and sweet mushrooms. Shapely and lively. Finishes with firm but fine tannins.

The dark plum-colored, 2000 Pinot Noir Bench Break Vineyard exhibits a complex floral, currant, cherry, and blueberry characteristics. Medium-bodied, with well-integrated acidity, wood and tannin, this beautiful effort is nearly exceptional. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. Lacking the texture of the Benchbreak as well as the super-friendly style of the Julia's.

Lots of toasty, smoky, creamy oak around fig, apricot and baked apple pie flavors, giving the wine extra dimensions.

Big, ripe, rich and well oaked. That pretty much says it all about this show-offy wine, with its bold, tropical fruit flavors, crisp coastal acidity and sleek structure. The tart taste of minerally gunmetal adds complexity.

A step up in richness from the wine below and far more reliant on toasty oak spice, this weighty, moderately full-bodied Pinot displays a good measure of ripe cherry fruit and shows an extra bit of fleshy extract and tannic grip. It finishes on the coarse and slightly ragged side just now, but it has the fruity heart it needs for age, and it should continue to grow and soften for another four or five years.

Sees about 40% French new oak and is made from totally destemmed grapes. Ot possesses ripe cherry and cranberry fruit, along with notes of pomegranate, pepper, and spice. Tangy, medium to full-bodied, and fruit-driven, it should drink nicely for 4-5 years.

These two single-vineyard selections (1999 Bench Break Vineyard Chardonnay) from Cambria are sitting in their oak right now. The quality and character of other recent releases make it more likely that the leesy flavors of barrel age and dominant scent of wood sap will yield to the soft and zesty fruit underneath. Right now, there's a touch of lemon grass and sandy elegance to the finish, ready for substantial fish like arctic char. In time, that citrus fruit may absorb some of the oak and enrich itself further.

Aromas of pineapple & subtle nutty oak. Fat, round & buttery; lush & full, but with sound framing acids. Flavor dominated by pineapple. Holds its shape nicely on the lingering, buttery back end.

Leesy aromas of honey & flint. Fatter & riper than the Katherine's, with more depth of flavor. Citrus & spice flavors nicely firmed by fresh acids & complemented by toast & vanilla from the all-new French barrels. This offers a good chewy middle & excellent persistence.

The light pink 2017 Julia's Vineyard Rosé (100% Pinot Noir) offers loads of upfront strawberry and cherry fruit and is nicely textured, balanced, and impeccably made. Drink it over the coming summer months.

The wine exhibits a dark plum color, and a seductive black cherry/plum-like perfume with hints of Asian spices, toast, and roasted herbs. Savory, round, and disarming, this is a delicious, easy to understand and drink Pinot…

Dark red with a garnet rim. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked. Mildly tannic. Full-throttled spicy, mature aromas. Rich flavors of stewed cherries and berries with a distinctly earthy quality throughout. Tannins are grainy but not excessive for current drinking. Substantial style.