Bright ruby-red. Almost mute on the nose today, with a lightly dusty quality to the black fruit and mineral aromas. Then suppler, sweeter and more pliant than the Christopher's but with a bit less spine and energy than that wine. Here the slightly medicinal tannins arrive earlier.

(from vines at 1,000 feet): Palish yellow with a green tinge. Cool aromas of lime ice, menthol and dusty stone, with a lightly metallic quality. Supple and quite dry, with subdued flavors of citrus peel and dusty stone. Very laid-back today, with the metallic quality carrying through in the mouth. This uncompromising chardonnay offered a hint of fresh apricot with air but its rather forbidding texture did not loosen up even after 24 hours in the recorked bottle.

Bright ruby. Cherry, dark berries and minerals on the nose, with hints of licorice and pepper. Offers a restrained sweetness and good depth to its dark fruit flavors. Shows a youthful, medicinal quality, a hint of black cardamom and dusty tannins on the long, incisive yet broad finish. This could use a bit of time to stretch out.

Bone dry, fruity and tannic, this pleasant Syrah has complex flavors of berries, cherries, grilled meat, pepper and smoky oak. Substantial in body, if a bit tough and astringent in tannins. Needs rich meats and cheeses. Could even improve in the cellar for a few years.

Bright yellow. Textbook viognier aromas of peach, pear, anise and pungent flowers. Graceful and precise in the mouth, offering juicy pit and orchard fruit flavors and a lively touch of bitter lemon zest. This delicious wine is very fragrant and shows no excess fat.

Light gold. Complex aromas of dried pear, iodine, white flowers and smoky peat. Densely packed, spicy and complex, with very good energy to the citrus, mineral and iodine flavors. This deep chardonnay finishes firm and smoky, with strong suggestions of minerals and anise.

(from an altitude of 820 to 1,000 feet): Bright medium yellow. Reticent aromas of peach, nutmeg and coconut, with a note of marzipan emerging with air. Broad, plump and silky; full without being heavy, but showing more oak and spice elements than primary fruit flavor.

Saturated ruby. Cherry-vanilla, red currant, smoke and licorice on the nose. Lush and chewy, with deep flavors of bitter cherry, dark chocolate and cracked pepper. Focused and linear in the mouth, finishing brisk and quite long. This offers attractive energy and freshness.

Greenish yellow. Assertive grapefruit and green apple aromas are complicated by lemongrass and white flowers. Dry, bracing and surprisingly concentrated, offering firm citrus and orchard fruit flavors, nervy minerality and a long, racy finish. A grown-up, low-fat, sharply focused style of the variety that I find utterly captivating.

A big, vital, dramatic wine, one of the finest Cab Francs of the vintage. Dazzles with blackberry, black cherry, mocha and spice flavors, wrapped into thick but finely ground tannins, and enriched with smoky oak. Beautiful now and for the next 4-5 years.

Rich berry-cherry, cola and raspberry fruit flavors mark this young wine. It's dry and stylishly elegant, and shows a certain aloof complexity. Almost rustic in scoury acidity and tannins, but it could develop bottle finesse in another 2-3 years.

Bright yellow. Subdued but pure, fruit-driven aromas of fresh pineapple, nectarine, peach and candied ginger. Then smooth and velvety in the mouth, with a firm mineral spine supporting the vibrant pit fruit and spice flavors. Fleshy but precise chardonnay, finishing focused, dry and quite youthful.

A fine, complex Merlot, appealing for its array of cherry, smoked meat, balsam, soy and pepper flavors. Shows lots of class and finesse for the price. Easy to find...

Shows good, deep, classic blackberry and cassis flavors, richly oaked, as well as some hard tannins.

A firmly structured, dry Cabernet whose thick mountain tannins frame classic Cabernet flavors of blackberries and cassis, elaborated with smoky new oak.

The wine is slightly sweet in pineapple, orange and vanilla honey flavors, with the crisp acidity that comes from coastal grape sourcing.

Bright gold. Lemon zest, apple and baking spices on the nose, plus a slightly honeyed nuance. Juicy, clean and linear on entry, then richer in the middle, with good mineral lift to its juicy orchard fruit flavors. Finishes with very good length and focus, repeating the spice and honey note strongly.

Bright, deep ruby. Aromas of black cherry, crushed dark berries, menthol, licorice, pepper and herbs. Densely packed, spicy and lively; an essence of urgent Howell Mountain black fruits. Nicely concentrated wine but powerfully tannic and a bit tough today, with a finishing flavor of licorice. A bit more aggressive at the same stage than the 2007 version, but equally concentrated.

Ripe and fairly rich, fruity and somewhat frontal with just a touch of something green at the margins, this wine smells like young Viognier in search of added juice. On the palate, it is a horse of a different color with its nicely rounded yet balanced flavors and its relatively long and tasty finish. Not in need of cellar aging, it nevertheless will hold for a bit.

Elegant, spicy, gamy notes jump from the glass of this medium dark ruby/purple-tinged effort. Pain grille, black currant, cherry and crushed rock characteristics along with prominent minerality are also found in this mid-weight, slightly tannic 2008. An excellent effort, it should drink well for 10-15 years.

Opaque ruby. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, cherry liqueur, smoked meat and black pepper. Juicy, focused and pure, with sharply delineated flavors of red and dark berries, pepper and spice cake. Nicely focused on the close, featuring building richness and good finishing power.

Deep ruby. Powerful aromas of cassis, blackberry, mocha, vanilla and smoke. Lush and weighty in the mouth, offering pliant dark berry flavors and a velvety texture. Finishes with smooth tannins and good cling, repeating the fruitcake note. This polished, supple cabernet is approachable now.

Deep ruby. Blackcurrant, cherry, dark chocolate, licorice and herbs on the nose. Plump but sappy and structured, with firm acidity lifting the flavors of singed plum, cassis and bitter cherry. Lots of dark fruit here. Nicely focused on the finish, which features dusty tannins and a lingering note of candied licorice.