The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is gorgeous. Blueberry, blackberry, cloves, menthol, spices and licorice are all woven together in a Cabernet Sauvignon that is relatively soft and supple for a mountain wine. Sweet perfumed notes flesh out on a highly expressive finish laced with violets, jasmine and lavender. Dollops of Merlot and Cabernet Franc round out the blend. This is an absolutely beautiful bottle of wine.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain comes across as quite ethereal and delicate, especially for a mountain wine. Sweet floral notes meld into spices, dark blue/black fruit, cinnamon and new leather. Here the flavors are gentle and suave, but at the same time, there is plenty of energy in the glass. With time in the decanter, the 2011 can be enjoyed today, but it also has enough stuffing to drink well for a number of years. At the same time, the higher-toned aromatics, suggest the 2011 will always remain a relatively feminine Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2011 Merlot WS Keyes is distinctly savory, mineral and intense. Sweet tobacco, anise, licorice, game, incense and orange peel all take shape in the glass. The 2011 is wild, exotic and striking in its beauty, but also totally unique, especially in its aromatic and flavor complexity. The style is less overtly fruit driven than the La Jota Cabernet, but the Keyes Merlot has tons of nuance in its place. Crushed flowers, mint and sweet tobacco linger on the close. The 2011 is 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon from old, phylloxerated vines.

If you have not noticed, the price for good Pinot Noir has been on an upward spiral of late, and, when a couple of difficult vintages follow one after another, the search for good values becomes harder than ever.

Winemaker Pierre Seillan spent decades in Armagnac, the Loire Valley, and Bordeaux before coming to Sonoma with the goal of making red wines as fine as any on Earth. The Cabernet Sauvignon-based La Joie shows the influence of Pauillac, displaying great power, richness, and elegance.

Winemaker Christopher Carpenter has produced a beautifully flavorful Cabernet from this Mount Veeder estate. Although, in each vintage he produces four different Cabernets, each from a specific appellation, in 2010, this property outshone even its illustrious siblings. Bursting with elements of cassis, mocha, tar, and lush blueberry, this stalwart red will certainly hold up to at least two decades of being in the cellar.

Bright ruby. A heady, complex bouquet displays scents of candied dark berries, incense and potpourri, with a bright mineral nuance adding lift and focus. Juicy, penetrating and sweet on the palate, offering vibrant black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and showing seamless texture. Weighty but lithe and precise, finishing with superb clarity, silky tannins and a touch of bitter rhubarb.

With a deep red-purple colour, it expresses very ripe, bold, sweet fruit. The sweetly ripe plum aromas seem slightly shiraz-dominant while the body weight is medium-full. The tannins are emphatic yet supple, the balance is impeccable and the flavours irresistible. A great success, especially considering the wet 2011 vintage. Best now to 2026. 14 per cent alcohol.

This is a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon. It epitomizes the Napa quality of power married to finesse. Winemaker Ted Edwards deserves kudos for producing a high-production Cabernet (34,000 cases) this good, from a difficult vintage. It’s dry and balanced, with rich, complex blackberry, sage and sweet oak flavors.

Brilliant ruby-red. High-pitched red berry and floral scents are complicated by notes of star anise, cinnamon and vanilla. Silky, sweet and penetrating, offering vibrant raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and a bracing touch of blood orange. Finishes with excellent persistence and clarity, leaving hints of spicecake and red fruit preserves on the aftertaste.

Brilliant ruby-red. High-pitched red berry and potpourri scents, along with suggestions of blood orange and star anise. Silky, sweet and penetrating, offering juicy black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and a hint of candied rose. Silky tannins give shape to a finish that clings with excellent tenacity and appealing spiciness.

Brilliant ruby-red. A heady bouquet displays scents of candied raspberry, rose and sandalwood, with bright mineral and Asian spice nuances gaining strength with aeration. Sappy, focused and appealingly sweet, offering vibrant red fruit and floral pastille flavors and a touch of bitter chocolate. Smooth and energetic on the finish, shaped by fine-grained, fully absorbed tannins. Drinking very well right now, but I'd bet on this fruit-driven pinot to be even better in a few years.

Brilliant ruby-red. A heady, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes dark berry liqueur, vanilla, mocha and potpourri, with a hint of licorice emerging with aeration. Sappy, penetrating and appealingly sweet, offering vibrant black raspberry and rose pastille flavors and a touch of smoky oak spices. Fine-grained tannins come on late and add grip to the long and floral-dominated finish.

Smooth and creamy with bright apple and citrus fruit; rich and elegant, silky and fresh, crisp and long with complexity and style.

Ruby-red. Spicy, highly perfumed aromas of black raspberry and candied rose, with a subtle touch of blood orange adding vivacity and lift. Supple and sweet on the palate, offering vibrant dark berry flavors that pick up a deeper cherry pit nuance with air. Closes smooth, seamless and very long, with lingering florality and a touch of vanilla bean.

Bright ruby-red. Vibrant, spice-accented red berry and cherry scents are deepened by notes of licorice and black tea, with a suave vanilla nuance building in the glass. Sappy and precise, offering lively raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a hint of blood orange. Gains weight with air and finishes with silky tannins and zesty jolt of white pepper. This energetic wine was made entirely from a Swan clone.

Vivid ruby-red. Sexy, oak-spiced cherry and dark berries on the fragrant nose. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering intense black raspberry and cherry-vanilla flavors lifted by a spicy element. Supple tannins shape the finish, which features notes of smoky minerals and sweet floral pastilles.

Deep ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of black raspberry and cola, with subtle floral and anise nuances adding complexity. Shows very good depth and focus on the palate, offering sweet red and dark berry preserve flavors and a strong spicecake quality. Gains weight and takes a darker turn on the finish, with its suggestions of boysenberry and candied licorice.

Dark and lush with pure plum and blackberry fruit; smooth and toasty with lovely balance and soft herbal complexity; good balance and acid structure; long and rich. 96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Freemark Abbey is one of the most dependable Viognier producers in California. Here they strike gold again with a rich, powerful wine with flavors of tropical fruits, Meyer lemons, limes and honeysuckle flower. It’s balanced in acidity, and a touch of new oak adds toasty complexity.

Smooth and creamy with lovely aromatics and a hint of sweetness; lush, deep and ripe; balanced, long and stylish.

Smooth and lush with ripe blackberries and spice; silky and showing bright acidity and a long, juicy finish; a nicely balanced wine. 76% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Sirah, 6% Syrah.

Dense, meaty and lush with rich, ripe flavors of cherry and spice; smooth, balanced and long.

Light yellow-gold. Pungent citrus pith, poached pear and yellow plum aromas are enlivened by zesty mineral and floral nuances. Strikingly energetic as well as concentrated, with powerful pit and orchard fruit flavors braced by lemon zest and ginger notes. Finishes sappy and long, with building spiciness and a hint of toasty lees.