The sensational 2009 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard offers up notes of almond paste, cinnamon, honey, crisp apples and white currants. This mineral-dominated, medium to full-bodied Chardonnay possesses a singular style. It should drink nicely for 4-5 years. Seascape is a ridge top property west of the village of Occidental that faces Bodega Bay in the Pacific Ocean, one of the coldest, windiest sites in the Sonoma Coast.

The 2009 Zinfandel Old Vine walks a hypothetical path between the complexity, foresty, spicy notes of Pinot Noir and the exuberant, ripe, rich blue and black fruits of Zinfandel. Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, pepper, spice and forest floor characteristics result in a complex, medium to full-bodied, supple-textured Zinfandel. This gorgeous Zin is already irresistible and should drink nicely for 4-5 years. One of the top Zinfandel specialists in California is Don Hartford at Jess Jackson's Hartford winery. They also produce an impressive portfolio of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays under the Hartford Court label. These five Zinfandels all come from dry-farmed, low-yielding, old vine Russian River sites.

More orange rind, tropical fruit blossoms and citrus oil characteristics are found in the 2009 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard. Like its siblings, it is kept in barrel for approximately 15 months prior to being bottled unfiltered. It, too, should drink nicely for 3-4 years. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

One of my perennial favorites, the 2009 Chardonnay Stone Cote Vineyard (actually a block of vines within the Durell Vineyard) enjoys indigenous yeast fermentation, aging in French oak, and bottling without filtration. It exhibits lots of green apple, honeyed melon, quince and nectarine notes in its full-bodied, beautifully textured, crisp, fresh yet substantial personality. It should drink well for 3-4 years. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

The aging ability and high quality of the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons is undeniable. One only has to go back 15 years to see how well these wines are aging. Furthermore, they often fare well in blind tastings against their more expensive and prestigious Napa Valley brethren. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale was aged 25 months in mostly French and some American oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Its deep purple color is accompanied by a classic combination of tobacco leaf, high class cigar tobacco, black currants, cedar and graphite. Full-bodied and pure with layers of fruit and lots of velvety tannin, this generously endowed, still youthful, unevolved Cabernet Sauvignon should hit its stride in 5-7 years and last for three decades.

All the Cabernets are dense, tannic and full-bodied with impressive levels of richness, minerality and blue and black fruits. My favorites include the Christopher's, Bear Point, Rockfall, and Cougar Ridge.

Here is a wine that is at once fairly open and straightforward in fruit while at the same time showing a real sense of reserve and potential. Its brooding nose of dark cherries and spice is echoed in kind by its deep, still-undeveloped flavors, and it draws back into its shell after teasing with a quick note of juicy immediacy. This one has the stuffing for keeping, and, if demanding at least a couple of years of forbearance, it has the pieces in place to grow for a good many more.

...From an 1,800 foot elevation, it reveals lots of honeyed pear, tropical fruit, brioche, nectarine and marmalade notes along with terrific acidity as well as richness. Moreover, little oak can be detected despite the fact that it (as well as its siblings) sees 50% new oak.

From Goldridge soils known for their ability to support high quality Pinot Noir as well as Chardonnay, the 2008 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard (made from Dijon clone 667) exhibits a deep ruby color along with sweet aromas of black cherries, black and red currants, crushed rocks, loamy soil and underbrush. With abundant minerality, silky tannins and an unexpected floral note, it should drink well for 4-6 years. It was fashioned from tiny yields because of the spring frosts. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

The 2009 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyard sees less new oak than its two siblings. It reveals elegant tropical fruit, citrus oil, pear and white peach notes in a medium to full-bodied, crisp, zesty style. It can be enjoyed over the next 4-5 years. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

Dick Arrowood was one of the early Rhone Rangers because of his work with Syrah, especially that from the Saralee's Vineyard. The 2008 Syrah Saralee's Vineyard (93% Syrah co-fermented with 7% Viognier, and aged 16 months in French oak) exhibits wonderful, exotic lychee nut-like notes intermixed with blackberries and flowers. Super-fruity with silky tannins, this is a hedonistic, classic Syrah to drink now and over the next 5-7 years.

The 2008 Pinot Noir MacLean's Block comes from an east-facing slope not far from the town of Occidental. Another wine that is neither fined nor filtered, it displays a dark ruby hue as well as a lush texture and hints of pomegranate, raspberry, black cherry, toasty oak and earth. It should drink well for 3-4 years. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

Big and brash up front, this pinot noir has some jazz in its acidity, a firm, lively finish that breathes with black cherry and smoke. The tannins are fine, holding the warmth of the wine in check.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma includes fruit from the famed Monte Rosso Vineyard. Aged in a combination of French and American oak for two years prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered, it is an outstanding Cabernet boasting a deep ruby/purple color along with copious aromas of creme de cassis, graphite and spice box. Full-bodied with supple tannins, a generous, even corpulent mouthfeel and a long finish, it should drink well for a decade.

Bright and juicy berry flavors race through this clean, friendly zin. The fruit is sweetly ripe, corralled by crisp, mineral lines of tannin.

You'll be hard pressed to find a better wine at this price. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, sourced only from coastal counties, it's totally dry, full bodied, firm in tannins and drinkable now for its wealth of blackberry, currant, black cherry and oak flavors.

The Cotes de Beaune premier cru-styled 2008 Pinot Noir Seven's Bench Vineyard comes from Dijon clones 667 and 777. It offers a dark ruby color, medium body and abundant aromas of vanilla, sassafras, pomegranate and sweet and sour cherries. It possesses more charm and flesh than the Hailey's Block, and both cuvees are best consumed during their first 3-5 years of life. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

Very much showing the restraint and firm balance predicted of its cool provenance, the spry Hailey's Block bottling is the leanest and most delicate of the Hartford Pinots. It is, however, not at all lacking in focus and fruit, and its buoyant themes of lightly oaked, fresh-cherry fruit stay the course through to its long finish. Its overall style directs it to service with lighter foods, and it should be equally happy as a partner to meaty fish such as seared ahi tuna or to more traditional dishes like Coq au Vin.

This wine's youthful, blueberry-scented fruit is cooled by a conifer forest tone. It's a smoky, juicy syrah that lasts on sweet scents of jam, a soft, pleasing match for roast venison.

If the least expensive of the several new Cambria offerings, the Clone 115 is a nicely rounded mid-density effort that pulls back on ripeness without pulling back on fruit. It is not an especially effusive or complex wine, yet it keeps its sights set on defined, Pinot cherries and never wanders off course. Its scant finishing coarseness will be remedied equally by brief aging and service of food.

Given its entirely modest price, we would be more than happy with the clean and very precise fruit provided by this altogether engaging youngster, but the wine is about more than fruit and shows a sense of crafting and complexity that makes it an out-and-out steal. Its ongoing themes of ripe cherries are accented with hints of vanilla and a wisp of dried-flower sweetness, and it is as trim and carefully balanced as it is just plain delicious. We would not argue with those who would drink it right now, but its structure and very fine fit of pieces ensure that it will keep. Good value.

Though light-bodied, this wine is more firmly structured than many California Pinot Noirs, and offers satisfying because neither sappy nor saccharined dark cherry fruit flavors enhanced by echoes of savory spice. Few Pinots at this price point prove as enticing.

Offering an altogether riper look at Green Valley fruit than the winery's Hailey's Block bottling, this weighty, relatively mouthfilling wine if rife with juicy black cherry fruit. It is fairly obvious and shows a little less range than several of its more complex mates, but its richness is beyond question, and its scant last-minute heat is no more than a minor distraction.

The pomegranate and red currant-scented 2008 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block reveals tart acids as well as a slightly austere style. Owned by Jess Jackson and Don Hartford and assisted by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, Hartford Court is one of the bright shining stars in Jess Jackson Family Vineyard's impressive portfolio. All three Chardonnays come from cool climate sites, either the Sonoma Coast or the Green Valley. I tasted five 2008 Pinot Noirs, a challenging vintage for some producers but Hartford Court had no smoke issues.

This 100% Viognier shows the variety's exotic side, with delicious tropical fruit, citrus, pear, melon, lychee and smoky oak flavors. It's a bit one-dimensional, but appeals for its fresh acids and richness.