Deep fruit, slightly jammy nose, spice and toasted-oak notes; textured, full tannins; good acidity; long fruity finish.

Relying on high ripeness and high oak, this substantial wine is both rich and somewhat layered but is never quite forceful in fruit. It has good body and a bit of suppleness in the mouth..

The flavor core is built around dry coffee, herb and currant.

Counting ripeness, rich oak and solid structure…

We loved this wine. Dense, plummy fruit, chunky texture, hints of tobacco and chocolate and long finish. The complexity of this serious and brooding merlot puts it up there with Duckhorn, Matanzas Creek, and other big California merlots.

Tarry, smoky oak scents dominate over low-intensity fruit in the nose flavors of this likeable yet never quite distinguished wine. Medium-full bodied, it has nice elements of fruit but gets a bit coarse and dry in its slightly earthy finish.

The fruit is ripe, the wine is soft, and the lushness of Alexander Valley is clearly present.

Big, intense with substantial oak but enough rich fruit to keep it balanced. Has an understated minty, earthy side that adds complexity.

Stonestreet scored well with Merlot in 1993 and so again finds a most successful formula for Cabernet. A rich, full, fairly weighty effort whose ample extract is always tied to ample fruit, this bottling has a measure more stuffing than is typical in wines of the vintage. Fairly tough at the moment, but no more so than good young Cabernet should be, it is all but certain to develop well for some seven to ten years.

Smelling nicely of plump cherries and chocolate, this viscous, very supple wine relies heavily on oak and ripeness as its two legs of support. More suggestive than explicit in its delivery of fruit, it is always generous in the things it does have and stays tasty despite the presence of latter-palate heat. Serve it with the likes of braised lamb shanks or Boeuf Bourguignon.

The most elegant of all, with complex currant and mineral flavors, treated to a lavish dose of pretty oak. An outstanding wine.

Medium-bodied with a silky mouth-feel and dusty tannins and moderate acidity. Nicely intertwined vegetal and blackberry notes carry a minty theme throughout.

Oak and dark chocolate tones. Ripe and round with a soft impression at entry.

A unique minty mocha character on the nose and palate distinguishes this wine. Cassis cherry fruit flavors mingle with leather and minerals on the finish.

A quantum leap. An intense, tasty merlot.

Its ripe, dried cherry and dark chocolate character combines well with its lavish oak.

Spicy oak nose with a touch of barnyard; rich and dense on the palate with lots of raspberry, cassis, currant and mocha, and black pepper notes; coating tannins.

Bordeaux-like. Blackberry and raspberry flavors. Tobacco and green pepper notes. Smoky. Grippy tannins. Velvety finish.

In addition to estate cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc that combine grapes from multiple vineyards, they produce five quality single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon and six chardonnay releases, all expressing distinct terroir within the Alexander Valley. Of note, Stonestreet’s two red blends mix different degrees of the same Bordeaux varietals and each delivers different nuances. The 2015 Farrier Mountain Blend combines 54 percent cabernet sauvignon with cabernet franc, merlot, malbec and petit verdot that is aged 20 months in 35% new French oak. In contrast, the 2014 Ridge Walk Mountain Blend consists of 74 percent cabernet sauvignon mixed with the other varietals and aged in 48 percent new oak.

In addition to estate cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc that combine grapes from multiple vineyards, they produce five quality single-vineyard cabernet sauvignon and six chardonnay releases, all expressing distinct terroir within the Alexander Valley. Of note, Stonestreet’s two red blends mix different degrees of the same Bordeaux varietals and each delivers different nuances. The 2015 Farrier Mountain Blend combines 54 percent cabernet sauvignon with cabernet franc, merlot, malbec and petit verdot that is aged 20 months in 35% new French oak. In contrast, the 2014 Ridge Walk Mountain Blend consists of 74 percent cabernet sauvignon mixed with the other varietals and aged in 48 percent new oak.

Stonestreet Fifth Ridge Alexander Mountain Estate