It’s interesting that the most expensive Chardonnay in this portfolio was one of my least favorites. Although it’s an excellent wine, the 2012 Chardonnay Stature, which was aged in 100% French oak (55% new), exhibits a more caramelized, hazelnut marmalade character along with a more evolved style with lots of fat and succulent fruit. It seems slightly less fresh and vibrant compared to its siblings.

A blend of 78% Zinfandel and 22% Syrah aged in 40% new oak, the 2010 Zinfandel Shamrock Vineyard comes from one of Northern California’s higher elevation Zinfandel sites situated at 2,800 feet above sea level. It offers plenty of blueberry, raspberry and boysenberry fruit as well as a dark ruby color, a flowery perfume, medium body and admirable elegance and finesse. Enjoy this tasty Zin over the next 4-5 years.

The opaque purple-colored 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge comes from elevations ranging from 500 to 2,400 feet. It offers up aromas of stones, sweet red and black currants, and a big rich attack followed by a touch of herbaceousness. The latter component kept my score from going higher. Composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, it was aged 18 months in one-third new French oak. An excellent Cabernet with moderately high tannins, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring, and should drink well over the following decade.

The largest production cuvee of 15,000 cases is the Matanzas Creek 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma, a blend of your classic Sauvignon Blanc cuvee, 25% of the Musque clone, which is very fragrant, and 6% Semillon. This excellent 2012 possesses a wonderful texture, hints of figs, Thai lemongrass, caramelized grapefruit, and a medium-bodied, crisp, pure, fresh, steely style. Drink it over the next several years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River (10,000+ cases produced) is another six clone blend that offers up attractive jammy black cherry notes along with impressive purity, an elegant, medium-bodied mouthfeel and a front end-loaded style that is sure to attract many consumers. This fruit-forward, delicious, authentic-tasting Pinot Noir will drink well for 3-4 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Hailey’s Block comes from the Arrendell Vineyard situated in the cold Green Valley appellation. It offers up a dark ruby color along with a big, sweet nose of raspberries, sweet black cherries, dusty, loamy soil notes and hints of wild strawberries and spring flowers. Medium-bodied with soft tannins, it is ideal for drinking over the next 4-5 years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Los Robles is 100% Pinot Noir from the Los Alamos valley in Santa Barbara County. It offers lots of black and red currants intermixed with a hint of attractive barnyard (in a positive sense), roasted herb and underbrush notes, medium body and a rich, succulent, fleshy mouthfeel. It should drink nicely for 4-5 years.

A blend of 47% Grenache, 43% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre aged largely in French oak with a touch of American wood, the 2012 GSM Grand Reserve exhibits the classic aromas of a very good Cotes du Rhone from Southern France. Kirsch liqueur, licorice, underbrush, loamy soil and pepper notes are present in this rich, luscious, consumer-friendly, sexy red. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve comes from K-J’s holdings in Sonoma, primarily Knights Valley. Composed of 94.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.4% Petit Verdot and the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc, aged primarily in French oak although some American oak is utilized, this is a powerful, rich, concentrated and convincing effort for a 2011. Deep cassis flavors intermixed with cedarwood, vanillin, spice box and licorice emerge from this medium to full-bodied, ripe, attractive wine. Drink it over the next decade.

People often forget that Dick Arrowood was one of the pioneers of Rhone varietals in California, and did a bang-up job with Syrah from the Saralee’s Vineyard. That has continued under Heidi van der Mehden with the 2011 Syrah Saralee’s Vineyard. Made from 100% Syrah and aged 19 months in one-third new French oak, it is soft, round and richly fruity, with plenty of blackberry and licorice notes intertwined with hints of camphor and spring flowers. This velvety-textured, medium to full-bodied Syrah should be drunk over the next 3-5 years.

Far more interesting is the 2011 Pinot Noir Russian River, which displays dense pomegranate and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of cola. Medium-bodied with good ripeness and sweet tannin, this lovely, round, seductive Pinot should drink well for several years.

From a cool site in Anderson Valley, the 2011 Chardonnay Edmeades Estate displays a noticeable wet gravel-like minerality along with delicate honeyed citrus, white peach and white currant notes. Medium-bodied and fresh, its 14-month sojourn in French wood is barely noticeable in its elegant, understated personality. Consume it over the next several years.

The dry, crisp 2012 Riesling does not depend on high acid or lots of residual sugar to make it work. It is a zesty, flowery Riesling with lots of minerality as well as notes of apple skins and pomace (grape skins). Fermented and aged in neutral oak, it is an attractive Riesling to enjoy over the next 2-3 years.

The 2011 Journey Proprietary Red is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. Like the Chardonnay, the fruit for this cuvee comes from a high elevation mountain vineyard block of the Alexander Valley estate. An elegant example of a Bordeaux-styled red wine, it exhibits notes of lead pencil shavings, red and black currants, loamy soil, damp earth and gravel. Medium-bodied with good depth and richness, this excellent red should drink well for 10-15 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Afleet Deep End comes from a block of vines planted with the Pommard clone. It exhibits a darker color than the Jolie along with a more robust, meaty personality with additional structure and tannin. While it does not possess the charm of the Jolie, it is fresh with attractive black cherry and earthy notes, medium body and a decent finish. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

The fresh, lively, medium-bodied 2012 Pinot Noir Panorama Estate from Arroyo Seco offers up notes of sassafras, sweet and sour cherries, pomegranate and loamy soils. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Nine Barrel comes from the Dijon clone 777, the French Pommard clone, and the Heritage California clone Martini. The wine displays fresh strawberry jam notes intermixed with sassafras, root vegetables and a forest floor/earthy component. Medium-bodied, spicy and evolved, it is best drunk over the next several years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve, a Monterey and Santa Barbara cross-county blend, spent nine months in 92% French oak (40% new). It is a much earthier, foresty style of Pinot Noir displaying a composty, autumnal, vegetative character along with pretty cherry fruit, spices and herbs. Medium-bodied and well-made, it should be drunk over the next several years.

The ubiquitous, omnipresent, 2.23 million cases of 2012 Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve attracts all sorts of ground fire from bloggers and critics, who are incredulous that anyone could barrel ferment every ounce of this wine, which is sourced from the Jackson Family vineyards, 80% of which are in the Central Coast and 20% in Mendocino and Sonoma. Every barrel is stirred once a month, and the wine is kept on its lees for six months. Much has been made of a secret formula that adds sugar or, as the Germans do, suss reserve, but the wine tastes relatively dry, and that is confirmed by lab tests. Few honest people would call this a sweet, cloying Chardonnay. The beautiful 2012 Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve offers lots of white peach, pineapple and honeysuckle notes, no oak, a lovely texture and fresh, lively flavors. Who knows how many retailers stack bottles of this in their windows and expose it to heat, but if properly stored, this is the real deal ... again. It should provide plenty of pleasure over the next year.

From a gentle, east-facing slope, the 2011 Pinot Noir MacLean’s Block reveals copious aromas of forest floor, roasted herbs, Asian spices, cherries and plums. Consume it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2010 Zinfandel Piffero Vineyard is 100% Zinfandel from a vineyard with over 100-year-old, head-pruned vines. Aged in one-third new oak, it exhibits lots of briery, raspberry and cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of pepper along with crisp acidity and a rustic, spicy personality. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

The 2011 Cenyth is made of a completely different blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot and Malbec. The wine is slightly herbaceous, bordering on vegetal, no doubt because of the troublesome vintage. It is well-made otherwise, with cedary, plum, red and black currant fruit, medium body, but not the depth or richness of the two previous vintages. If you do not mind a streak of herbaceousness in your wines, you’ll rate it higher.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma was aged in a combination of American and French oak for 24 months. This fruity, dark ruby-colored Cabernet is somewhat monolithic compared to Sonoma’s top Cabernet Sauvignons, but offers a chunky, earthy, flavorful, savory style perfect for uncritical quaffing over the next 4-5 years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Haarstad Vineyard is composed of the Dijon clone 777 and the Calera clone, which is apparently a suitcase clone from a famous vineyard in Vosne-Romanee. This wine displays lots of dusty, black cherry fruit intermixed with hints of damp earth and Asian soy. Medium-bodied, fresh, earthy and spicy, it should be consumed over the next 5-7 years.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Vintner’s Reserve Special Select is 100% Pinot Noir coming mostly from Monterey County with a small quantity from Santa Barbara County. It was aged primarily in French oak and a small dosage of American oak, only 19% new. The wine’s light ruby color is followed by pretty strawberry and berry-like aromas and flavors, a delicious, medium-bodied, nicely textured mouthfeel, and good purity as well as silkiness. Moreover, as Pinot Noir goes, this is a reasonable value. It should be drunk over the next 1-2 years.