Dynamic yet elegantly structured with expressive raspberry and blueberry flavors that are laced with forest floor, mint and dusky spice as it gathers intensity toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2034. From Oregon.

This high-elevation vineyard usually features Pinot Noir, but the sleepers are the Chardonnay plantings. Delectable aromas of orchard fruit, citrus and dried herbs intermingle with sea salt, vibance and minerality. Squirrel this bottling away for another day, or enjoy the wine’s freshness and soaring energy now.

The spot where redwoods meet the Pacific Ocean is called the Deep End. From these super-steep, shallow and nutrient deficient soils come some stunning, nuanced and ageworthy wines. The bottling’s name is appropriate., since the wine is a storm brewing in the glass, with rich, deep berries, savory herbs, black tea and florals lingering across the palate. Decant or cellar until 2032.

A pleasing complex of black fruits integrated with baking spices and tobacco weave through firm, powdery-fine tannins for impressive structural integrity and a lot of length in this wine. Savory flavors emerge in the finish revealing a deftly made wine. —E.C.B.

A sense of balance is what first comes to mind with the Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay. Sourced mainly from vineyards between 1,600 and 1,800 feet, right where the inversion layer settles each morning, this wine captures the nuance of elevation. Aged for 10 months in 15% light-toast new French oak, with a portion fermented and aged in stainless steel, the blend exhibits both texture and lift. The nose offers a mix of citrus and freshly ripe nectarines. The palate exhibits a subtle richness, with notes of candied ginger and chamomile tea, carried by vibrant acidity through a long, focused finish.

Chris Carpenter calls this one of the most challenging wines he makes. “There are no
guardrails,” he says. “It just has to include all five Bordeaux varieties. This wine is all over
the board, and the goal is to create something seamless using fruit from our four mountain
estates—something that stands apart from the Cabernet Franc–driven profile of Caladan.”
After native fermentations, the components were aged for 22 months in 54% new French
oak. The result is a true enigma of a red wine—layered, textural, and complex, with
elements drawn from across the valley. Howell and Diamond Mountain contribute dark
blue and black fruit; Spring Mountain brings red fruit and spice; Mount Veeder lends herbal
nuance. The palate is medium-bodied and expressive, balancing the red-toned lift of
Malbec with the muscular tannins of Petit Verdot, the spiced plumpness of Merlot, and the
blackberry fruit and herbal depth of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In the end,
it’s a complete, satisfying wine—and that, Carpenter says, is all you can really hope for

Caladan was born out of conversations winemaker Chris Carpenter had with the hospitality
team at Cardinale. While Cardinale is known for its multi-appellation Cabernet Sauvignon
blend, Carpenter began thinking about the Cabernet Franc they have planted across all
four of Napa’s mountain AVAs—and wondered if he could craft a similar expression, but
with Cabernet Franc as the focus. He saw the growing momentum behind his mountain
Cabernet Francs under the Mt. Brave and La Jota labels, but with Caldan, he set out to
create something more elegant. He envisioned the red fruit and floral lift of Spring
Mountain, the minerality of Diamond Mountain, and complementary blending components
from Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder. The result is his homage to Cheval Blanc. The
2022 vintage is composed of 81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Merlot, aged for 22 months in
63% new French oak. The Merlot comes entirely from Spring Mountain, providing a soft,
red-fruited backbone, while the Cabernet Franc from across the mountains adds aromatic
lift and structural intrigue. In the glass, the wine presents pure black cherry and blackberry
fruit, with subtle notes of rhubarb and cola spice, and builds into lavish sagebrush notes. A
salty, crushed-stone minerality carries through, supported by fine, powdery tannins, blood
orange acidity, and hints of cedarwood spice. It’s graceful, vibrant, and full of energy—
approachable now, yet structured to age.

The Sycamore Vineyard is an 8.9-hectare site in Rutherford, planted at the base of the
Mayacamas Mountains on gravelly clay loam soils that are shallow and shaded. The vines
struggle to ripen here, which proved advantageous in the warmer 2022 vintage. This year’s
blend is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged for 20
months in 64% new French oak. The wine is strikingly cool in character, evoking the
sensation of a damp redwood grove or a shaded cluster of sycamore trees. It’s deeply
fragrant and truly expressive of its site—unique and unmistakably place-driven. Full-bodied
with chocolate-scented tannins and subtle spearmint nuances, it layers in freshness and
finishes with loamy earth and dark cinnamon, echoing the previous vintage. So precise, so
consistent—and a remarkable achievement in a challenging year.

In 2022, the blend for this single-vineyard Cabernet is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6%
Merlot, aged for 20 months in 61% new French oak. The vines here are earlier ripening and
avoid the aggressive grip often associated with Rutherford tannins. Instead, the tannins are
superfine, supporting a medium-bodied richness that makes the wine especially
approachable in this vintage. Ripe, sweet fruit leads the way—black cherry and fig layered
with blue fruit that fills in the gaps—while the polished structure resolves into a rocky
mineral character, complemented by intense cocoa powder and forest berry notes. Rich,
layered, and immediately accessible. The Bosché Vineyard has a storied history with
Freemark Abbey. In 1972, the winery’s partners secured a long-term agreement with grower
John Bosché for his Rutherford Cabernet, which had previously been sold to Beaulieu
Vineyard as a component of its flagship Georges de Latour bottling. Since 1970, Freemark
Abbey has bottled Cabernet Bosché. The 8.9-hectare vineyard sits on a gravel bench with a
high water table and requires careful canopy management to control vigor

A complex and layered wine that is fresh, persistent and evocative of this famous vineyard. On the nose bright red berries and cherries mingle with resinous herbs. The palate is fresh and juicy, with that same mix of raspberries, cherries and herbs. Taut and mineral-driven finish. Medium- to full-bodied. Drink or hold.

The beauty of this wine is that, for the most part, the Loire Valley’s Touraine region (just west of Sancerre) isn’t known for producing higher-end wines, at least on the American market. Here, this bottling from Oisly (the commune where the grapes come from) shows that wines from the large wine making zone can still exhibit finesse and focus. Compared to the more expensive wines of nearby Sancerre this wine punches far above its weight and shows just that. The nose brings subtle notes of pepper, citrus, orchard fruit, and river rock minerality. The mouthfeel is precise, but still showcases all of the best elements of this complex variety. The finish is elegant and lengthy.

Cherries, brambleberries, herb tea and forest floor create a complex, attractive nose. On the palate, blood oranges, Amarena cherries, violet pastilles and star anise are sappy and well structured, and a savory dusting of crushed rock and toasted fennel seeds anchors it through the finish. Drink or hold, but patience is warranted.

This red has the energy and structure for the cellar, but enough fruit to make it hard to resist in the next few years. Bay laurel and mountain scrub notes are spiced with cracked pink peppercorns and layered with Rainier cherries, black raspberries, cocoa powder and hibiscus. Terrific complexity. Drink or hold.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2022 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard pops from the glass with vibrant notes of kirsch, freshly crushed cranberries, and roses, plus hints of lavender and Provence herbs. Full-bodied, the palate is dense yet shines with bright red berry flavors, supported by grainy tannins and impressive tension, finishing long and minerally.

Pale lemon-gold color, the 2014 Fog Dance Vineyard Blanc de Noirs slowly emerges with evocative
scents of Red Delicious apples, rose bud tea, crunchy pears, and croissant, leading to hints of red
cherries and marzipan. The palate is surprisingly intense with red berry and cherry flavors and a
crisp backbone supported by a very fine mousse, finishing long and fantastically pure. This was
disgorged in August 2024. It has 0 grams per liter of dosage. Only 90 cases were made.

The 2022 Cabernet Franc offers a gorgeous array of red and black fruits as well as lots of floral and sappy herb notes, hints of chocolate, and some classic Mount Veeder wild herbaceous, resinous characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, with beautiful purity and depth, it delivers classic varietal nuances while staying balanced and structured. Aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak, it’s a compelling Cabernet Franc from this challenging vintage that will evolve for a solid 15 years.

The 2022 Caladan Red Wine Napa Valley is a gorgeous Bordeaux blend that delivers a seamless,
full-bodied profile that ranks, unquestionably, with the top wines of the vintage. Based on 37%
Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot, aged 22
months in 54% new French oak, it offers a complex bouquet of black cherries, cassis, darker
chocolate, graphite, and spicy oak nuances. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, it has a pure,
layered mouthfeel, ripe, polished tannins, and outstanding length. This awesome wine will benefit
from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years. Hats off to Carpenter for this incredible wine in
a challenging vintage.

A ripe yellow/golden color, the 2023 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard is bright and spicy on the nose with notes of white pepper, flinty reduction, lime zest, green apples, and fresh f lowers. The palate is focused and bright, with refreshing, mouthwatering acidity, an elegant and refined feel, and refreshing saltiness on the finish. From the first coastal ridge overlooking Bodega Bay, it’s refreshing now and has the structure to drink well over the next 10-12 years.

From Russian River Valley, the 2023 Chardonnay Jennifer's Vineyard is a bright golden/yellow color and offers ripe notes of dark wet stones, grilled pineapples, baking spice, honeyed citrus, and candied ginger. The full-bodied palate delivers persistent driving tension and acidity, with the power you expect to see from the rich ripeness of the Russian River Valley but the tension and acidity from cooler sites. It has a powerful feel and is built to last over the coming 10-12 years.

From the Russian River Valley, the 2023 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards is a wine Hartford Court has been producing for 25 years. It comes from four vineyards in different areas of the appellation but all with old vines averaging around 45 years. The color of the 2023 is a richer yellow hue, and the wine itself is by far the most powerful, assertive, and ripe of the Chardonnay I tasted, with notes of baked golden apples, poached lemon, smoky earth, and marzipan. The palate is full and broad, with a mouthwatering spine of acidity that balances out this richly structured wine. It has a long finish and a noble feel. Drink 20252037.

Also coming from Green Valley, the 2023 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard is a bright yellow color and is more focused on the nose, with lifted reductive notes of flint, lemon and lime zest, white pineapple, citrus blossom, and green apples. The palate has more tropical notes coming through, with a focused feel of acidity that closes on the finish. It’s my favorite of these Hartford Court whites and has a more energetic feel that suggests it will improve with time over the coming 10 years.

The 2023 Pinot Noir Sevens Bench Vineyard from Carneros is a jeweled ruby color and takes on notes of dark wild black raspberries, mossy earth, and fresh violets as well as savory but fresh hints of porcini. Medium-bodied, it has more richness, with ripe tannins and a savory, snappy, iron-rich feel that closes it out and accents the finish. It has a deeper feel but remains refreshing and is going to drink well over the coming 15 years.

A transparent bright ruby color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard comes from the West Sonoma Coast and reveals pretty, focused, bright aromas of ripe cranberries, fresh rhubarb, sea spray salinity, and fresh wildflowers. The palate has a medium-bodied frame with a linear feel, offering bright acidity, a mouthwatering feel, ripe, chalky tannins, and a zesty f inish. It’s going to benefit from another 6 or more months, although I love the snappy freshness and tension this wine brings Drink 2026-2040.

A bright ruby color, the 2023 Pinot Noir Arrendell Vineyard comes from the Russian River Valley and leads with notes of dusty earth, ripe cherries, roses, brambly fresh herbs, cinnamon, and toasted cedar. The palate is bright and has a mouthwatering feel, with ripe tannins and a good deal of focused length, with a kiss of sweet strawberry fruit on the f inish. It Drink 2026-2040.

Pouring a dark magenta/purple color, the 2023 Zinfandel Russian River Valley is deeper, offering notes of black cherry cordial, dark chocolate, lavender oils, wet stones, and dark sappy earth. The palate is full-bodied, with a broad-shouldered tannic structure that has an even feel, while refreshing acidity holds this wine together. It’s well-structured and has the ability to age over the coming 10 years.