The 2010 Chardonnay Sonoma County is a deep, expressive wine laced with apricot, pears, flowers and spices. The Chardonnay is fermented in barrels (36% new), yet the wine shows considerable freshness, vivacity and energy. Clean, saline notes round out the mineral-drenched finish. This is a fabulous effort for a wine with a production of 5,400 cases. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Chardonnay Bennett Valley shows the richness and weight of the Wente clone that makes up the majority of the blend. Dried apricots, flowers, spices and tangerine wrap around the palate in this rich, textured Chardonnay. A powerful, authoritative finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2009 Pinot Noir Los Carneros is big, voluptuous and full-bodied. The wine blossoms on the palate with an extroverted, juicy expression of fruit. Cola, spices, licorice and mint add complexity on the deep, textured finish. As good as this is, there is an element of heaviness on the mid-palate that attenuates the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.
The 2010 Chardonnay Russian River Valley shows lovely depth, focus and delineation. Bright flowers, citrus, spices and minerals are woven together nicely in this energetic, layered Chardonnay. The Russian River bottling is fermented in barrel, with full malolactic fermentation. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2009 Red Wine Trace Ridge is an attractive wine, but it doesn't quite offer the same visceral thrill of Kendall-Jackson's top 100% Cabernets. Hints of mint, crushed flowers and licorice add a measure of complexity on the finish. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot from Kellogg Vineyard in Knights Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2021.
The 2010 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands is a gorgeous wine layered with intense notes of minerality that frame dried apricots, wild herbs, dried flowers and orange zest. The delineation and nuance here is superb. Subtle hints from the oak linger on the finish. Estate owned vineyards in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara supply the fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2009 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block is a silky, mid-weight wine laced with sweet red berries, flowers, licorice and mint. This is a fairly restrained, cold-weather style for the Russian River built on linearity, energy and focus. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Zinfandel Fannuchi-Wood Road Vineyard is one of the more ethereal, mid-weight Zinfandels within the context of this grape. Sleek, silky tannins frame an expressive core of fruit in this vibrant, beautifully delineated Zinfandel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.
The 2010 Chardonnay Stone Cote Vineyard, from a block in the Durell Vineyard, caresses the palate with dried apricots, wild flowers, honey, tangerine and spices. It shows lovely roundness and finesse through to the creamy, inviting finish. This is a fairly lush, fruit-driven style of Chardonnay. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Pinot Noir is an attractive wine laced with sweet red fruit, flowers, licorice, mint and spices. Sweet floral notes reappear on the finish, adding lift and brightness. This mid-weight, feminine Pinot is best suited for drinking over the next 1-3 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is a burly wine loaded with dark red fruit, mint, flowers, spices and licorice. It reveals good depth and concentration, along with a medium-bodied personality best suited for near and mid-term drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco comes across as firm, dark and tightly wound. The wine's structure is impressive, but I don't quite find the level of elegance here that is typical in so many of the new releases from La Crema. This is the first vintage for the Arroyo Seco, and this bottling seems to be a work in progress at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is an attractive, mid-weight wine laced with sweet red cherries, herbs, mint and dried flowers. Bright floral notes reappear on the finish, giving the wine additional lift. This is an amazing value and a remarkable level of quality considering there are 210,000 cases of this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2009 Pinot Noir Nine Barrel is a silky, perfumed wine. Sweet floral and spiced notes are woven throughout the dark fruit in this layered, racy Pinot. Ultimately the Nine Barrel is a fairly straightforward Pinot whose charms are best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Los Robles, from a vineyard in Santa Barbara, emerges from the glass with black cherries, earthiness, spices and tar. Today it comes across as a bit heavy-handed...Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.
The 2009 Merlot Grand Reserve is a dark, full-bodied wine loaded with black cherries, plums, chocolate, spices and licorice. This is a far from easygoing Merlot. There is plenty of underlying structure to balance the fruit. The 2009 Grand Reserve has more then enough character to stand up to the heartiest of cuisines. A dollop of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon was added in the final blend. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve is another terrific wine in the Vintner's Reserve series. Expressive red berries, herbs, flowers and spices are some of the notes that flesh out in the glass in this polished Cabernet. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.
The 2010 Chardonnay Highland Estates Seco Highlands is an intensely aromatic, tropical Chardonnay. It boasts gorgeous textural richness to match the wine's exotic flavor profile. This is an unusual wine, but it works. I would have guessed there might be some Viognier or other aromatic variety in the blend, but according to winemaker Mark Theis, it is the Rued clone that gives the wine its bouquet. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Monterey is big, juicy and bursting with dark fruit. The wine shows excellent up-front intensity, but then loses some of its persistence on the mid-palate and finish. This tasty entry-level Pinot is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016.
The 2010 Chardonnay Monterey, from one of the lesser-known appellations in California, is a terrific value. It reveals gorgeous focus and length at this level, with persistent notes of lemon, spices and minerals that flow through to the finish. The wine was fermented in barrel, with full malolactic fermentation. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
The 2010 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is an attractive, plush wine with good varietal character and an equally friendly price point. Lemon, spices and mint are layered into the cream finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve is an attractive, juicy red. Sweet roses, flowers, spices and berries linger on the finish. This mid-weight, feminine wine is about as good a Pinot as readers will find for the money. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
The 2009 Syrah Vintner's Reserve bursts from the glass with dark cherries, licorice, game and spices. This plump, juicy red has plenty of varietal character and an engaging personality suited to drinking over the next 1-2 years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
The 2009 Merlot Vintner's Reserve shows excellent plumpness and juiciness along with an open, approachable personality. Ripe red berries, flowers, licorice and spices are some of the notes that flow from this flavorful Merlot. Subtle floral and earthy notes add complexity on the finish. This is another strong performance in the Vintner's Reserve series. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
The 2010 Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve wraps around the palate with layers of expressive fruit. Butterscotch, spices, flowers and hazelnuts add complexity. This is another fabulous value. The entire 2,000,000 case production is made from estate-owned vineyards, which is simply mind-boggling to contemplate. Frequent lees-stirring and aging in French oak barrels impart a level of textural richness that is uncommon for a wine in this price range. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.