What is usually their finest Pinot Noir hails from Hartford’s oldest vines, planted with the Martini clone in 1975. The 2014 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard is often not picked until after Halloween, as it is one of the coldest vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Its spicy, complex notes of allspice, sassafras, sweet black cherries and Asian plum sauce are exotic, fragrant and intense. The superb fragrance is matched by an exotic, silky, fleshy wine with dark berries (especially ripe raspberries and black cherries), soft tannins, and full body. This is a head-turning “wow” Pinot Noir to drink over the next decade.

As for the 2013 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard, another cool site from a hillside in Green Valley, this is aged in 37% new French oak and from the Dijon clone 667 and 777. Absolutely prodigious Pinot Noir, with notes of blood orange, rose petals, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, this is a stunner, with full-bodied texture, great depth, an opaque ruby/purple color and killer concentration and length. This Pinot Noir should age beautifully for at least a decade or more.

Moderately dark reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is flat out gorgeous filled with promising aromas of boysenberry and blackberry preserves with a wild, organic tone. Power to thrill, with a spellbinding core of dark fruits that envelope the palate and linger on the prodigious finish. Despite the fruit heft, the wine is welcoming with refined tannins, juicy acidity and a silky demeanor. A highly unique wine of uncommon provenance.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters Vineyard (480 cases) comes from the northern end of Anderson Valley and Dijon clones 115, 667, 777 and a clone often seen in Oregon, Pommard. Aged in 37% new oak, this is another compelling, blue-fruited Pinot Noir with notes of spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, Asian plum sauce and forest floor, in a full-bodied, gorgeously textured and opulent style. This is certainly one of the most sexy of all these Pinot Noirs for drinking now and over the next decade.

An outrageously superb effort, the 2012 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard sees 25% new oak. It offers a flowery, black cherry, forest floor and underbrush-scented bouquet. Deep, full-bodied, stunningly concentrated, pure, rich and expansive on the palate, this knock-out wine should drink well for 10 years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Hailey’s Block comes from a cold, windy area in Green Valley. In reality, it is a sub-portion of the Arrendell Vineyard. The wine, which sees 44% new French oak, possesses stunning intensity as well as notes of spring flowers, raspberries, wild strawberries and sweet black cherries, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a broad, savory richness. Drink 2015-2025.

NUMBER SEVEN - Most of the grapes came from the Annapolis Vineyard, with some from Seascape. While the vintage was cool, it gave incredibly long hangtime. Dry, crisp and delicate, the wine has a silky voluptuousness that makes it irresistible, with pie-filling cherry and black raspberry flavors finished with Asian spice. New French oak adds toast and vanilla sweetness. It's expensive, but still a bargain.

Most of the grapes came from the Annapolis Vineyard, with some from Seascape. While the vintage was cool, it gave incredibly long hangtime. Dry, crisp and delicate, the wine has a silky voluptuousness that makes it irresistible, with pie-filling cherry and black raspberry flavors finished with Asian spice. New French oak adds toast and vanilla sweetness. It's expensive, but still a bargain.

From a cold sector of the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River, the extraordinary nose of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, smoked herbs, game, and Asian spices is followed by medium to full-bodied flavors with superb purity, a fascinating texture, and a 60+ second finish. A compelling example of a Burgundian-styled Pinot Noir, it is no wimpy wine at 14.8% alcohol, and yields were a miniscule 0.86 tons of fruit per acre. This 2002 Pinot should drink well for 5-6 years, but who can resist it now?

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2017 Hartford Court Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard has a drop-dead gorgeous floral nose with notes of orange blossoms, honeysuckle and jasmine with a core of preserved lemons, candied ginger, peach cobbler and applesauce. Medium to fullbodied, it has a racy line of freshness and a wonderfully satiny texture, finishing long and citrusy.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard is a little youthfully closed with crushed rocks and chalk dust notes over a core of mandarin peel, Golden Delicious apples, pear tart and lightly browned toast. Medium to full-bodied, the palate simply vibrates with electric tension, offering vibrant citrus and apple layers and finishing long and stony.

Already in bottle, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard opens with lemon tart, pink grapefruit, pineapple and ripe apple notes with touches of nutmeg and croissant. Medium to full-bodied, rich and with a pleasantly oily texture, it delivers ripe tropical fruit flavors and a long, creamy finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard comes from a hillside parcel in the cooler Green Valley portion of the Russian River. Barrel fermented and aged 16 months in 36% new French oak, it offers a huge nose of orange blossom, tangerines, and citrus oil, full body, a crisp, beautifully detailed, delineated texture, good acidity, and a big finish. Drink this elegant yet powerful Russian River Chardonnay over the coming 5-7 years. It’s terrific stuff.

Seascape Vineyard is located on a panoramic ridge-top west of the town of Occidental facing Bodega Bay and the Pacific Ocean, and was planted in the 1980s to Spring Mountain Chardonnay clonal selection. It receives native yeast fermentation and is barrel fermented in French oak, 42% new, where it ages for 16 months prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The 2015 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard offers intense grapefruit, orange blossom and lemon peel with hints of cedar and buttered toast. The full-bodied palate is brimming with lemon tart, brine and toasty flavors with a great acid backbone cutting through the concentrated creaminess, finishing with wonderful freshness.

From the Green Valley portion of the Russian River Valley, the 2015 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard was barrel fermented and aged in a mix of new and used French oak. Mango, Meyer lemon, ripe pineapple, and hints of toast all emerge from this seriously rich, concentrated, unctuous effort. A blend of four different clones, it's a full-bodied Chardonnay that has moderate acidity, yet still stays pure, elegant, and clean, with a killer finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard is largely from three clones – the old Wente clone of Chardonnay, the Sees and Rued selections. This wine displays plenty of wet gravel and crushed rock along with pineapple, white peach and marmalade. It is a deep, precise, exuberant and concentrated wine to drink over the next 7-10 years.

Reduced on the nose in welcoming, complex ways, this white is intensely spiced and earthy, evolving into a light balanced take on caramel apple, pear and shavings of lemon zest. From a cool windy site in the Sebastopol Hills section of the larger appellation, the lemon takes on a candied note that boosts the acidity to fresh high-toned heights.

The 2014 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard is a larger cuvée of 1,285 cases that comes from relatively old vines for Northern California (planted in 1975). The wine is super-opulent, offering terrific honeysuckle, orange marmalade and pineapple notes in a full-bodied, sexy, super-fresh, pure style. This stunning Chardonnay was aged in 43% new French oak and should drink well for 5-6 years.

The vineyard is in the interior part of the appellation, toward Carneros, and the wine displays the firm, acidic minerality of that cool, foggy region. It has fantastic limpidity. The oak is remarkable for the purity of vanilla and smoky honey, while the underlying flavors of Meyer lemons, pineapples, nectarines and kumquats are decadently good. A masterpiece of Chardonnay.

The 2007 Chardonnay Four Hearts, aged in 40% new oak and 100% barrel-fermented, boasts a creamy, creme brulee-like character along with oodles of orange blossom, nectarine, and crushed rock notes, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning richness and purity, and zesty acidity. Like so many of the 2007s, its sensational fragrance and fruit purity are dazzling.

Even better than the Four Hearts is the 2006 Chardonnay Stone Cote, a compelling Chardonnay with glorious notes of crushed rocks, white currants, nectarine, and white peach emerging from its superbly nuanced, full-bodied style. The wine has restraint, but effortless concentration and richness as well as impeccable balance. It is best drunk in its next several years of life.

I was blown away. A Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet-like effort displaying huge honeyed orange, lemon zest, white peach, and crushed rock characteristics. From a cool climate hillside vineyard close to the Pacific Ocean's Bodega Bay, this beautiful, full-bodied effort boasts huge fruit, density, and intensity. Enjoy this profound Chardonnay over the next 3-4 years.

Leesy/brioche characteristics interwoven with apricot, peach, and pineapple fruit. It reveals superb complexity and richness along with an unexpected notion of smoky bacon fat, and a blockbuster finish.

Bright red cherry, blood orange, white pepper and lifted floral notes give the 2016 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard its distinctive personality. Lifted and medium in body, the 2016 is all class. The Highwire is one of the most polished, sublime wines in this range. All the elements are impeccably balanced. This is a positively stellar showing from Hartford and winemaker Jeff Stewart.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Medium to deep garnet-purple, the 2016 Hartford Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard comes leaping forth from the glass with arresting, gorgeous floral scents of violets, lavender and roses with a core of cherry cordial, blueberry compote, blackberry tart and dried mulberries plus wafts of spice box and and dark chocolate. Full, firm and with a racy line of freshness lifting the concentrated fruit, it finishes very long with tons of mineral, floral and spicy layers.