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

A voluptuous red, brimming with sweet fruit flavors and earthy character. It's got all five varieties blended but is mostly cabernet sauvignon.

One of the Top-10 list of California's best red wines.

It is big, ripe, dense and acceptably varietal in its amalgam of ripe black cherries, roasted wood notes, suggestions of loam and hints of raspberry jam. In the mouth, it is lush and full-bodied, counterparts while being that much more in weight again than the wines from France. Along with weight and intensity comes a certain extra bit of heat in the latter palate and finish that marks this one as out of the ordinary and directs it towards service with savory meats.

This is serious stuff. Huge, concentrated blackberry fruit characterizes this meritage blend. Made in a Bordeaux style, the wine is round and silky with surprisingly ripe tannins. The best juice from the cellar and the best barrels are used for this showcase wine.

...Smooth and supple, deeply concentrated, with a rich, detailed core of mineral, coffee, currant, cherry and sage flavors and a long, complex aftertaste where the flavors keep pumping. Drinks well now, but should be a beauty in another year or two. Best after 1999. A blend of 51 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 percent Merlot, 9 percent Cabernet Franc, 1 percent Petit Verdot. Highly Recommended.

Bright reddish purple. Medium-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately tannic. Tobacco, vanilla, cedar, black fruits. Plush elegant aromas are strikingly attractive, leading a rounded velvety palate with textured tannins and a lingerin cedary finish. A charmer, drinking nicely now.

Harvest Fair gold. Has heavily extracted, earthy aromas and flavors, with hints of prune, violets. Muscular, tannic. Balance could be better.