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.

Another of the many highlights in this range, the 2016 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is superb. Deep, fleshy and powerful, with tremendous depth, the 2016 is another terrific wine from Hartford. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, leather and dark cloves all flesh out in this dark, virile Zinfandel.

Blueberries, hints of cassis, black cherries, crushed flowers, and spice characteristics emerge from the 2016 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard, which has a little more Petite Sirah in the blend than the Highwire cuvée. Ripe, sexy, and voluptuous, with full body, a plump, rounded mid-palate, and a killer finish, it's another awesome Zinfandel from this estate that's going to age beautifully for a decade or more.

The Highwire Vineyard has 100-year-old vines with half of the parcel being head-trained and half trained on a high wire, permitting greater sun exposure and promoting more even ripening. It is aged for 12 months in French oak, 43% new, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard offers crushed black berries and cassis notes with a subtle prune laced undercurrent plus spice box, black soil and potpourri hints. The concentrated, full-bodied palate is densely packed with dried berry and baking spice flavors with plush tannins and a lively lift to the long finish.

The 2014 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard comes from 100+-year-old vines, with half head-pruned and the other half on a trellising system. It spent nine months in 46% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This cuvée of 500 cases is absolutely sensational Zinfandel, just brilliant, with briary, black cherry fruit exploding from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, opulent and lavishly rich, with an extravagant concentration, purity and depth. This is about as good as a Zinfandel can be, so kudos to Don Hartford and winemaker Jeff Stewart.

The 2014 Zinfandel Dina’s Vineyard (350 case) displays loads of minerality compared to some of the other ones, with a huge concentration of black fruits, roasted Mediterranean herbs, spice box, licorice and some pepper and meat. This is a powerful, full-throttle Zinfandel to drink over the next 7-8 years.

The vineyard in Fulton, a cool part of the southeastern valley heavily influenced by fog, and the vines are about 100 years old. This is great, classic Zinfandel. It should be in a museum. Despite high alcohol, it has a silky, Pinot-esque suppleness, balanced with crisp acids, and is profoundly rich in Zinny flavor. Currants, mushu plum sauce, anise, crushed black pepper, dark chocolate and rich Asian spices last forever on the finish.

The vineyard is in Fulton, a cool part of the southwestern valley heavily influenced by fog, and the vines are about 100 years old. This is great, classic Zinfandel. It should be in a museum. Despite high alcohol, it has a silky, Pinot-esque suppleness, balanced with crisp acids, and is profoundly rich in Zinny flavor. Currants, mushu plum sauce, anise, crushed black pepper, dark chocolate and rich Asian spices last forever on the finish.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s Made by Lora Diaez (formerly at Lokoya) and coming mostly from valley floor fruit, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Pleinair is a sexy, flamboyant beauty that boasts a deep purple color, a huge nose of cassis and blueberry fruits, a complex floral character, full body, and a pure, elegant, yet pleasure-bent style that’s already a joy to drink.