The outstanding 2011 Merlot Grand Reserve, a blend of 91.8% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, comes primarily from Sonoma County’s Trace Ridge, Legacy and Alexander Mountain Estate vineyards. Copious aromas of berries, mocha and chocolate as well as a hint of oak emerge from this full-bodied, opulent Merlot. It should drink well for a decade.

The 2012 Viognier Jackson Estate Alisos Hills is 100% Viognier aged in neutral American oak on its lees for ten months. Shockingly good, it boasts a terrific nose of spring flowers, wild berry fruit, lychee and apricots. This dry, rich, full-bodied Viognier may lack some minerality, but it compensates with extravagant fruitiness. Enjoy it over the next year or so.

The 2012 White Meritage Grand Reserve (60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc) also comes from estate vineyards in Mendocino and Lake County. Nearly 60% of this wine was barrel-fermented, but no new oak was employed. Lovely notes of white peach, apricot, candle wax, honeysuckle and citrus oil, but not a hint of oak are found in this luscious white. It would be perfect with grilled salmon.

The 2012 Chardonnay Grand Reserve (200,000 cases produced) is composed of Monterey and Santa Barbara fruit that spent nine months in largely French oak as well as smaller quantities of American wood. One-third is new, and this cuvee is put through full malolactic fermentation as opposed to the other Chardonnays where it is generally partially or completely blocked. Copious quantities of tropical fruits, pineapples, mangoes, apricot marmalade and honeyed citrus are found in this clean white that finishes with good acidity and a distant minerality. It was the only Chardonnay in this tasting that revealed a touch of oak. Consume it over the next 2-3 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard (made from Dijon clones 114, 115, 667 and 777) is sourced from a high ridge on the Sonoma Coast. With 15.2% alcohol, this powerful Pinot exhibits good opulence and richness along with lots of ripe pomegranate, black cherry and raspberry fruit intermixed with notions of spring flowers and forest floor. This complex, broad, savory Pinot should be drunk over the next 5-6 years.

From Anderson Valley, the 2011 Pinot Noir Velvet Sisters comes from a block of Dijon clones with a small amount of the Pommard clone. It tends to be one of Hartford Court’s more robust Pinots at 14.6% alcohol. It displays the classic Anderson Valley profile of blueberry liqueur, acacia flowers and raspberries. This lovely, rich, medium-bodied, dark ruby-colored 2011 is about as sexy as a Pinot Noir can be. It should age well for 5-6 years.

The 2012 Zinfandel Russian River, their largest production cuvee (over 2,500 cases), was aged in 20% new French oak for nine months, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. It tips the scales at 15% alcohol. It exhibits an opaque blue/purple color along with plenty of briery, berry fruit intermixed with hints of incense, Christmas fruitcake and spice. This exuberant, richly fruity, full-bodied Zin can be drunk over the next 4-5 years.

The opaque purple-colored 2011 Le Desir, a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec, tips the scales at 13.9% alcohol (the highest in this vintage). It reveals a chalky/mineral-like character along with notes of blueberries and boysenberries intermixed with hints of new oak and lead pencil shavings, a lush, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and outstanding ripeness and concentration (especially for a 2011). It should be drinking beautifully in 2-3 years, and will keep for 15-20. All three of these cuvees are very successful 2011s.

The outstanding 2011 La Joie (13.7% alcohol) is composed of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec. More structured and tannic than La Muse, it displays good ripeness, no herbaceousness or hollowness, and a relatively quick, but moderately long finish. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15-20 years.

There are nearly 3,000 cases of the 2012 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge. Made from Dijon clones 828, 667 and 777, this beauty moves toward Pinot Noir’s blue fruit spectrum, displaying notes of blueberries and raspberries. It was aged in equal parts new French, old French and old American oak. A terrific wine offered at a reasonable price, this supple, velvety textured Pinot should drink well for 4-6 years.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers Remick Ridge Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) spent 23 months in American and French oak. It reveals a floral, creme de cassis-scented nose, a tannic, backward mouthfeel with a brooding, intimidating style because of its youthfulness and vigor. It is a big, muscular, masculine Cabernet Sauvignon that requires another 3-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for two decades.

The only 2012 Pinot Noir I tasted was the outstanding 2012 Pinot Noir Lands Edge Vineyard, a Sonoma Coast site situated only five miles from the Pacific Ocean. Bottled early, this wine, which only spent 10 months in barrel, exhibits lots of black fruits along with hints of forest floor, composty, fresh mushroom-like notes intermixed with spring flowers. This rich, complex Pinot Noir should drink well for 4-5 years.

One of the best values in these new releases is the 2011 Chardonnay Sonoma. There are 4,500 cases of this $25 Chardonnay that goes through 100% malolactic and is aged in 100% French oak (only 7% new). A gorgeous wine for the price, it offers lots of honeysuckle, white currant and caramelized citrus notes along with beautiful purity as well as fruit. The oak is largely absent in the aromas and flavors, and this beautiful, mid-weight, intense Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next few years.

The outstanding 2011 Chardonnay Russian River reveals a more interesting perfume of buttered hazelnuts, honeysuckle and caramelized citrus in a style reminiscent of a French Meursault. Medium-bodied with copious fruit, good acidity and a subtle and deft use of oak, it should drink well for 2-4 years.

Readers looking for a peppery, stony, more mineral-laced style of Sauvignon Blanc with intense fruit should check out the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench Knights Cross Vineyard, which is 100% Sauvignon from various clones. Fermented and aged in stainless steel and neutral wood, it builds incrementally on the palate and is subtle but powerful, dry and intense. There are 1,300 cases of this classy Sauvignon Blanc. Consume it over the next 1-2 years.

Another winner and a very good value are the 11,500 cases of the 2012 Chardonnay Sonoma. Made primarily from Alexander Valley barrel-fermented fruit, it possesses crisp acidity, lots of buttery citrus and white peach notes along with little evidence of oak, medium to full body, and a rich, layered mouthfeel. Enjoy it over the next 2-4 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Unforgettable Deep End, made from Dijon clone 667, saw 26% new French oak. It offers aromas of raspberries, black cherries, spring flowers and earthy, loamy soil undertones, a sultry texture, a medium-bodied mouthfeel, and impressive purity and lushness. It can be enjoyed over the next 2-4 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Hawkster Deep End comes from a clone rarely seen in California, the Swiss Wadenswill clone of Pinot Noir, which is very popular in Oregon. When the crop yields are kept low, it has a Burgundian Volnay-like personality. This offering shows lots of wild strawberry, black cherry and floral characteristics along with surprising density and richness without being heavy or tannic. This silky, seductive Pinot should drink well for 3-4 years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley, which comes largely from their Maggie Hawk estate vineyard, is composed of the Wadenswill and Pommard clones. It spent nine months in French oak of which one-third was new. Lots of raspberry, blueberry and floral notes jump from the glass of this medium-bodied, deep ruby-colored, pure, textured, persuasive wine. Enjoy this seductive Pinot over the next 4-5 years.

Another mineral-styled, cold climate offering is the 2012 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Seco Highlands. Made from the Rued clone of Chardonnay blended with one of the newer Dijon clones, and treated similarly to the Camelot Highlands, the wine was aged in 100% French oak (50% new) for eight and one-half months prior to bottling. Copious floral, orange marmalade, citrus oil and wet gravel characteristics are found in this medium to full-bodied white along with a luscious mouthfeel, good acidity and terrific purity. This beauty should drink well for 3-4 years.

A new cuvee for me was the 2012 Chardonnay Avant, a 170,000-case cuvee of 100% Chardonnay that was sourced from the Central Coast (60%) and the North Coast (40%). Forty percent was barrel-fermented in neutral oak, and the rest in stainless steel. Partial malolactic has added a creaminess to this full-bodied white. Dominated by tropical fruits, it also reveals a boatload of freshness, good acidity, and terrific purity as well as length. This wine tastes as if it cost two or three times the price. Drink it over the next several years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard exhibits sweet berry fruit intermixed with notions of raspberries, underbrush, vanillin and spice. Medium-bodied, supple and charming, it can be enjoyed over the next 4-5 years.

The 2012 Zinfandel Dina’s Vineyard (14.8% natural alcohol) is a more Pinot Noir-styled Zinfandel with elegant black raspberry, kirsch, spring flower and spicy oak notes (35% new oak was utilized), and a medium-bodied, fine, lacy mouthfeel. It’s a Zinfandel behaving like a premier cru red Burgundy. Enjoy it over the next 4-5 years.

The 2011 La Muse, a blend of 89% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 7% Malbec that came in at 13.8% alcohol, displays notions of black olive tapenade intermixed with smoky barbecue, unsmoked cigar tobacco, black cherry and black currant notes. Medium-bodied with ripe tannin, it should be drinkable in 2-3 years and last for 15 or more.

The 2012 Syrah Jackson Estate Los Alisos is 100% Syrah aged ten months in French oak. It reveals abundant notes of blackberries, licorice, camphor and forest floor as well as a flowery aspect to its fruit. With good definition and a full-bodied mouthfeel, it should provide a big, rich, mouthful of Syrah for 4-6 years.