Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Mostly destemmed (15% whole clusters), the 2016 Pinot Noir Zena Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir comes from the Eola-Amity vineyard, which is one of the top sites in the Willamette Valley. It's a vibrant, energetic effort that has classic black raspberry fruits, lots of spice, scorched earth, and crushed flower aromatics, medium body, and high yet integrated acidity. It shines for its balance and purity, and will keep for 10-15 years.

USA, Oregon: 2016 Vintage – Part Two The 2015 Pinot Noir Elevee Vineyard is pale to medium ruby in color with a gorgeous floral perfume of violets and lilacs over a core of warm blackberries and black cherries plus notes of licorice, pipe tobacco, forest floor and stewed Bergamot tea leaves. Light to medium-bodied and wonderfully silky, it fills the mouth with layers of fruit, earth and spice framed by plush, grainy tannins and juicy acidity to carry the epically long, layered finish. Wow!

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages One-hundred percent Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Cabernet Franc Mt. Veeder is medium to deep garnet-purple with pretty scents of kirsch, redcurrants and mulberries with touches of red roses, tilled soil, cinnamon stick and aniseed. Full-bodied, firmly structured with ripe, fine-grained tannins and sporting bags of freshness, the palate is impressively intense and perfumed with a long, spicy finish.

The top score, though, has to go to the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is 90.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest small quantities of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. This wine has an opaque purple color, a big, sweet kiss of blueberry and blackberry liqueur, some graphite, a juicy, full-bodied, savory mouthfeel, and excellent purity and underlying balance. This seamlessly rich mountain Cabernet Sauvignon should age effortlessly for two decades or more.

Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets - Part 1 The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain) is supple, silky and remarkably pure, with striking nuance to match its soft contours and plush fruit. Resonant and enveloping, with terrific depth, the 2016 is striking today. The Spring Mountain is the most open and inviting of the Lokoya Cabernets, but ideally readers should give it a few years in the cellar, which will allow the full range of aromatics to develop.

A classic mountain-styled effort is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. Blueberries, acacia flowers, and lavender make appearances in this offering as well as a strong minerality, a subtle hint of oak, endearing elegance, medium to full body, a textured, layered mouthfeel, and superb purity, length, and overall equilibrium. This 2007 can be drunk now or cellared for 25 years.

The inky/ruby/purple-colored 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder exhibits a sumptuous nose of charcoal, burning embers, incense, black currant liqueur, blueberries, and hints of espresso roast and white chocolate. A sensationally concentrated, dense, full-bodied effort with high levels of sweet tannin, decent acidity, and a stunningly layered mouthfeel, this is a profound Cabernet Sauvignon to drink between 2012-2030+.

Legacy used to be a part of Stonestreet, but today is its own label. The 2016 Chardonnay Alexander Valley is terrific and comes from higher elevation sites in Alexander Valley. It was aged 11 months in 31% new French oak. With a mix of Old World/New World style in its buttered orchard fruits, citrus blossom, charcoal, and melon aromas and flavors, it's medium to full-bodied, has good concentration, and its bright acidity keeps everything fresh, focused, and tight. This gorgeously textured 2016 needs 2-4 years of cellaring and will drink nicely over the following decade.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s Lots of spring flowers, chocolate, damp earth, and blue fruits emerge from the 2016 Cabernet Franc Howell Mountain, which is 100% varietal brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. With medium to full body, bright acidity, incredible elegance, and a still tight, focused style on the palate, hide bottles for 3-5 years and it should drink beautifully over the following 15-20 years.

Blended of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Cabernet Franc, 7.5% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of warm cassis, black berry pie and mulberries with touches of cedar, red roses and cloves plus a touch of cigar boxes. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a great core of black and blue fruit layers framed by firm, ripe tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long.

Graphite, pencil shavings, violets, melted road tar, spices, blue/purplish fruit and lavender flesh out in the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from La Jota. Aromatically striking and totally vivid in the glass, the 2011 stands out for its crystalline purity, finesse and vibrant finish. All the elements are in the right place. The tannins are firm yet also silky. This is a flat-out stunning wine from Chris Carpenter and La Jota. The 2011 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Chardonnay Saralee’s Vineyard reveals lemon meringue pie, applesauce and quince notes with touches of allspice, lightly browned toast and honeycomb. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it packs in the apple and citrus pie flavors with a gorgeous creaminess to the texture and a very long, honeyed finish.

A blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Shiraz, the Hickinbotham 2014 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz has a deep garnet-purple color and very spicy with warm red and black fruit preserves, mocha, vanilla and yeast extract, with a touch of lavender. This blend is firm, rich, full-bodied and concentrated in its very spicy, fruity profile. It also has a long finish.

The Trueman Show: talk about a compelling debut. Vineyard planted in 1971. Blackcurrant, boysenberry, pencil and a flicker of mint/licorice, chocolate wrappers and montelimars. Medium bodied, dense and chewy, shot with ‘minerality’ and brooding appeal: the quality and volume of tannin here is exceptional. Length also. Significant wine. Would never have picked McLaren Vale, not that there’s anything wrong with McLaren Vale Cabernet, I hasten to add.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages The 2016 Hartford Court Pinot Noir MacLean's Block is medium to deep ruby-purple in color and opens with fragrant notions of wild blueberries, redcurrant jelly, cranberry pie and kirsch plus hints of oolong tea, mossy bark and truffles. Medium to full-bodied, taut and firmly structured, it delivers tons of black and blue fruit layers sparked by earthy accents, Finishing long and earthy.

The 2017s From Sonoma Red plums, mulberries, oyster shell, and even a hint of iron all emerge from the 2016 Pinot Noir Jennifer's, which comes from a cooler, marine-influenced site south of Sebastopol. Medium to full-bodied, straight, focused, and beautifully balanced as well as incredibly elegant, this is a remarkable Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that does everything right. I suspect a year or two of bottle age will do it well, and it should evolve for over a decade.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged for 17 months in 38% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered, the medium ruby-purple colored 2016 Pinot Noir Marin County leaps from the glass with vibrant black and red cherries, cranberries and violets with hints of rose hip tea, hemp and black soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating red and black fruits with bags of earthy nuances and a plush texture, finishing very long.

From the cooler Green Valley region of the Russian River, the 2015 Pinot Noir Hailey’s Block was completely destemmed and spent 16 months in 27% new French oak. Hailey's Block is a block within the Arrendell Vineyard, named after Don and Jennifer Hartford's daughter. It’s another beautifully Burgundian wine from this estate that offers crisp black cherry, crushed rock, charcoal, and wood smoke aromas and flavors. It’s fresh, focused, and youthful, with fine tannin and high yet integrated acidity. Give it a year or three and it will keep for a decade or more.

From the oldest vines planted in the 1970s, the 2015 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard is a perfumed, spicy wine that's just singing on the nose. Ripe cherries, raspberries, candied orange, and exotic spices give way to a medium to full-bodied, supple, seamless Pinot Noir. It has bright acidity, sweet, vibrant, fruit, notable tannin, and a great finish. Like a lot of the wines here, it has the fruit to shine, but this is certainly one of the more structured and tannic wines in the lineup.

The 2015 Chardonnay Jennifer's comes from a site south of Sebastopol, which is a cooler terroir. Harvest is normally 3-4 weeks later than what they find in the Russian River Valley. All from Wente clone and brought up in just 28% new French oak, it has a vibrant freshness and purity, with lots of salty minerality in its mango, orange blossom, caramelized citrus all soaring from the glass. Fresh, lively and pure, with remarkable purity and elegance, it's going to keep for a decade as well.

From an extremely cold terroir, it possesses terrific acidity, a liquid minerality, and hints of orange zest intermixed with white peaches and honeysuckle. Produced from tiny yields (255 cases from a 5-acre vineyard), it should drink well for 4-5 years.

North Coast Part 1: Napa Valley’s Incredible 2016s The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Latro is in the same ballpark yet has more savory characteristics as well as plenty of conifer, California bay leaf, currants, and loamy soil aromas and flavors. This full-bodied beauty has plenty of tannin, terrific purity of fruit, no hard edges, and a great finish. Give it a few years.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards, a blend of 89.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.5% Merlot, 2.8% Cabernet Franc and 2.9% Petit Verdot, opens with youthfully subtle, very primary black currant and black cherry notes with hints of eucalypt, fertile soil, underbrush and new leather. Medium to full-bodied, firm and muscular in the mouth, the tightly wound fruit is well framed by very ripe, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing with an herbal and mineral-laced lift.

From a nearby Rutherford Vineyard, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard (located at the very end of Bella Oaks Lane in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains) is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot, but also aged 28 months in French oak. Notes of Christmas fruitcake, graphite, blackcurrant and black cherry are present in this wine, which is full-bodied and powerful, with high levels of tannin, amazing structure, but profound depth and richness. This baby needs to be cellared for a good 8-10 years and drunk over the following 35-50.

packed and youthfully taut, displaying outstanding energy to the deep, chewy dark fruit and mineral flavors. This very tightly coiled, sharply delineated Saint-Emilion blend has serious tannic clout that will require extended aging. Should evolve positively for 20 years or more.