Rich, dense and creamy; ripe, thick and long with deep, round flavors; intense and long.

Smooth and velvety with ripe plum and cassis; bright and showing fine acid structure and complexity; dense, rich and long. 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

Lush and ripe with vanilla, aromatic fruit and lovely balance; tangy and fresh; long and rich with good acid structure; lovely.

Light straw color. Clean, bright, sweet and oaky nose recalls buttered popcorn, licorice and papaya. The wood doesn't overpower the other scents. On the palate, this is an elegant, lighter-bodied chardonnay that is tasty, fresh and youthful. The fruit here is very good. On the other hand, it's a bit high in alcohol, not particularly complex, a little low in acid, and offers no sense of terroir. Some liked it more than others.

There’s a mellow, honeyed richness to this Chardonnay, with apricot, orange, mango and vanilla flavors making it especially tasty. It’s a flamboyant, complex wine at a great price, and easy to find, with 84,000 cases produced.

Grill up or pan sear a steak, put some brown butter sauce on it, and enjoy with this luscious Merlot. The wine, which is blended with other Bordeaux varieties, is rich in blackberries, cherries, currants and oak, while the low alcohol, only 13.5% by volume, reaffirms its Merlot delicacy.

Ruby-red. Smoke- and spice-accented aromas of black raspberry, lavender and vanilla. Pliant and sweet in the mouth, offering vibrant red and dark berry flavors that pick up a licorice nuance with air. Shows good energy and a refreshingly bitter quality on the finish, which is firmed by smooth, even tannins.

Light, bright yellow. Poached pear, tangerine and honey on the perfumed nose. Fleshy and seamless in texture, offering pliant orchard fruit and melon flavors and a bracing citrus zest nuance. Closes smooth and broad, on a subtle note of white pepper.

This oaky, fruity Chardonnay is lush and opulent. It has flavors of buttered toast, sweet cream, pineapples, tangerines, tropical-fruit jam, sautéed bananas and limes, accented with brisk acidity.

Bright, green-tinged gold. Ripe pear, nectarine and pungent herbs on the perfumed nose. Fleshy and broad but dry, offering pliant orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a hint of bitter peach pit. Picks up a buttery quality on the subtly sweet finish, which shows good breadth and smoky persistence.

Fresh in zingy, ripe blackberry flavor, this well-made Zin has firm tannins and a dollop of peppery spice on the finish.

Bright red. Smoky cherry and red berries on the nose and in the mouth. Silky and light on its feet, offering modestly concentrated raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a touch of licorice. Finishes on a peppery note, with good cut and a slightly dry edge.

Here’s a Pinot to drink now. It’s a little on the soft, simple side, but tasty, with raspberry and cherry jam, cola, oak and spice flavors.

Napa Valley: pale yellow color, rich, with aromas and flavors of vanilla, apricots and tangerines.

Bench Break Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, Calif.: toasty oak aroma, flavors of ripe pineapples and peaches, full-bodied and lush.

Flirting with perfection, which is almost unheard of in this vintage, is the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder. Along with Betty O-Shaughnessey, Lokoya appears to have produced one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons made from this underrated and diverse terroir. Seamlessly constructed, this opaque purple-colored 2011 offers up aromas of pen ink, acacia flowers, forest floor, blueberries, blackberries and cassis intermixed with hints of espresso, chocolate and subtle earthy notes. Wonderfully ripe and voluptuously textured, this beautiful, full-bodied wine should continue to drink well for another 15-20 years.

The same can be said for the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard. However, it offers sweeter tannins as well as slightly more evolved and complex aromas of unsmoked, high class cigar tobacco, graphite, blackberries, cassis, spring flowers and a distinctive minerality. Although deep, full-bodied and backward, the sweet fruit and tannin provide a more upfront character than the 2009. It, too, is a 30-50-year wine.

Even better is the wonderfully perfumed 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain. Abundant aromas of black raspberries, blueberry liqueur, forest floor and violets are followed by a wine of great intensity, full-bodied richness and a layered, multidimensional personality with sweet tannin as well as low acidity. This beautiful, savory, full-throttle effort should drink well for 15 years.

More crushed stone, mulberry, black currant, lead pencil shavings and wet pebble-like notes emerge from the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. This beauty possesses great intensity, full-bodied power, low acidity and sweet tannin. It can be drunk now and over the next 12-15 years.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard is cut from the same cloth. Its opaque purple color and sweet creme de cassis fruit intermixed with crushed rock and forest floor notes lead to a broad, rich, full-bodied mouthfeel with excruciatingly high tannins and intense power and richness. It should be forgotten for at least a decade.

An extra special wine, the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard possesses full body as well as a terrific bouquet of blue and black fruits, crushed rocks and spring flowers. A super-muscular, rich, powerful Cabernet built for long-term cellaring (which may explain why it has not yet been released), I would not touch a bottle for 5-7 years. It should last 30-50 years.

The brilliant 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard (another Rutherford site on Bella Oaks Lane) is a blend of 85.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot aged 28 months in barrel. It boasts an opaque purple color, terrific notes of licorice, creme de cassis, charcoal, forest floor, baking spices and earth, as well as a full-bodied mouthfeel with great fruit intensity and purity. This savory, mouthfilling beauty is best drunk over the next 20-25 years.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard comes across as one of the most tannic, backward wines I tasted from any of the four vintages I was looking at during my extensive trip to Napa Valley in late August and early September. Very extracted with high tannins (almost excessive), this 2009 is built like an old style Bordeaux with lots of red and black fruits, graphite and noticeable oak. Forget it for a long, long time.

Absolutely stunning, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder is a beauty. Notes of charcoal, blueberry liqueur, black currants, licorice, incense and violets jump from the glass of this 93.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc blend that was aged in 91% new French oak. This full-bodied 2011 is a tremendous success for the vintage, again reflecting that mountain sites often did very well, and taste like a completely different vintage than the valley floor 2011s. This savory, fleshy wine has low acidity and ripe tannin, so it can be drunk now or cellared for a decade or more.

A monster red, the 2010 Petite Sirah comes from the Wood Ranch Vineyard. Its inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of incense, charcoal, pepper, graphite, blueberries and blackberries. Aged 27 months in a combination of French and American oak, this wine possesses full-bodied power, enormous weight and richness in the mouth, and 30+ years of longevity.