A lush and round Napa Valley cabernet, this is all about soft ripeness of black fruit and rich, espresso-roast tannin. A pretty floral note adds to the wine's simple, delicious flavor. A steakhouse pour.

The grapes are from all parts of the valley, cool as well as warm, and the wine shows a complex structure and rich fruity flavors. The tiers of pineapples, tangerines, sautéed bananas, green apples and butterscotch have a honeyed, botrytisy richness, although the finish is thoroughly dry.

This is a beautiful 2006 Zinfandel that sells for a song. This has got to be one of the better values, and of course, 2006 looks to be a vastly superior vintage to 2005 for Zinfandel. This wine, which has some Petite Sirah, Merlot, Syrah, and Grenache blended in, exhibits deep ruby color and a big, sweet nose of peppery black cherry and raspberry liqueur intermixed with spring flowers and earth. The wine is medium to full-bodied, ripe, and altogether a hedonistic mouthful of big Zinfandel. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2006 Viognier Saralee’s Vineyard is 100% barrel-fermented and 100% malolactic-fermented, yet always seems to retain crisp acidity. It has the exotic lychee and tropical fruit notes of Viognier, but more minerality and definition than most wines made from this varietal tend to possess in California. The wine has good fruit and should drink nicely for another 1-2 years.

Here's a polished Chard with an elegant balance to a variety that often lacks both. Everything is here, from the ripe tropical fruit and rich oak to the crisp acidity and mineral trimmings, all poised in perfect equilibrium.

The deepest of the three Pinots is the 2005 Pinot Noir Ahmen Vineyard. Denser, deeper ruby than the other Pinots, with a broad, savory mouthfeel, some hints of pomegranate, black currant, and cherry, with some forest floor and roasted herbs, this wine is fresh, savory, rich, and actually might improve over the next year or two.

The 2005 Pinot Noir Falk Vineyard has intense aromatics which reflect the cool Anderson Valley. Plum, strawberry, cherry, and even a scent of blueberry jump from the glass of this wine, made all from the Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777. This is an attractive, floral, elegant, yet flavorful Pinot Noir to drink over the next several years.

The 2006 Chardonnay Russian River is a beauty. Tropical fruit notes of pineapple and a hint of white peach in a restrained yet powerful style are followed by a palate that has gorgeous precision, purity, and ripeness. It is elegant, subtle, yet substantial. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

This is a polished, really likeable Chard. It offers everything the variety should: a rich, creamy texture, brisk acidity, and ripe, delicious flavors of pineapples, apricots, peaches and kiwis coated with vanilla.

In some ways, this is the richest of the Highland Estates triplets because it comes wrapped in generous layers of rich and creamy oak, and while it displays plenty of fruit in its lavishly sweet and concentrated aromas, it is also unremittingly tannic in its texture and dry and tough as it finishes. Because its ripeness is controlled and its fruit and acid are balanced and youthfully energetic, it is entirely possible that the wine will hold up for the decade and more required for it to open.

Cabernet yields powerful tannic extract in this mountain vineyard, here worked into a soft, luxurious texture. The cherrylike fruit is merely a backdrop for the tannic complexity. An accessible mountain red to serve with prime rib.

Not to be taken for less than exciting is this ripe and somewhat rugged bottling from the very top of the eastside mountains above the Alexander Valley. Like its cellarmate from Napa, it is deep and tasty and in need of cellaring. It is perhaps a bit less polished in feel and exhibits a bit of a dried leaf overlay, but its depth and sheer mass will make it a fan favorite for those whose palates prefer Cabernets in need of bottle age.

The 2005 Pinot Noir Jennifer’s comes from a vineyard in the well-known Petaluma Wind Gap, which is a funnel for winds coming off the Pacific and churning into the Russian River Valley. It is a very cold area, and the wine reflects that in its hints of sassafras, pomegranate, cherry, and strawberry. The wine is dark ruby, medium-bodied, with zesty acidity, and a heady finish.

The 2005 Pinot Noir Hailey’s Block comes from Green Valley’s Arrendell Vineyard, one of the coolest places for growing fruit in northern California. This vineyard, which is at a modest elevation, has produced a wine with medium ruby color, notes of cranberries, strawberries, and red currants with hints of pomegranate and earth. The wine has tart acidity, beautiful fruit purity, and a fragrant bouquet. It is definitely a cool-climate Pinot, but an impeccably well-made one. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.

The 2006 Zinfandel Hartford Vineyard comes from 92-year-old vines that are farmed biodynamically. A gorgeous briery, peppery, raspberry, and blueberry nose soars from the glass. The wine is deep ruby/purple-tinged to the rim, full-bodied, and almost Pinot Noir-like in its delicacy and nuances, but the power and heady alcohol (15.9%) in the finish reinforce the Zinfandel’s personality. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2005 La Muse was completely closed when I tasted it. Dark ruby/purple, this elegant blend of 86.5% Merlot, 11.5% Cabernet Franc, and 2.4% Malbec has some notes of black fruits, dusty earthiness, and subtle new oak. It seems lighter than previous vintages, and also more austere, but I wonder if the wine was just going through a pre-bottling stage of hardness and a closed personality. This wine will make old bones, but it is austere at present. I look forward to tasting it in twelve months.

The 2005 Zinfandel Chase Vineyard has an intense black cherry and raspberry nose, a dark ruby/purple-tinged color, surprisingly full body and depth, and is quite a complete wine, even in such a difficult vintage.

The dark ruby-colored 2005 Zinfandel Ciapusci Vineyard has nice briery, mountain berry fruit with some pepper and herbs. It is elegant, medium-bodied, and best drunk over the next two years.

Richard Arrowood still produces wines at Arrowood Vineyards and Winery in spite of the sale of Arrowood first to Robert Mondavi, then to Constellation, and then to Jess Jackson. He, and most importantly his boss, seems to have changed little, and that’s good news for wine consumers.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in a combination of French and American oak for 24 months before being bottled unfiltered, has a dark ruby/purple-color and a dense nose of black currants, white chocolate, some toast, and vanillin. This medium to full-bodied wine has excellent purity and loads of character. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

The 2005 Chardonnay Reserve Speciale is an elegant, almost Chablisian style of Chardonnay that has backed off some of the power and richness of other vintages. The wine displays lemon blossom, nectarine, and guava notes intermixed with some subtle wood and fresh acidity in a medium to full-bodied finish.

The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Terra a Lago is a richly fruity, deep ruby, chunky style of Cabernet that is satisfying, but lacks the complexity to merit an outstanding score. It is well-made, medium to full-bodied, and pleasant.

Fresh black cherry flavors runs through this simple, well-made cabernet. The juicy red fruit trumps earthy tannins. A good match for steaks off the grill.

Nicely concentrated, rich in fruit and filled out with a full measure of creamy oak, this ripe and showy wine admittedly abandons any claim of finesse in its pursuit of richness, but its richness is real and stays the course even as a touch of heat comes on at the finish. To be sure, it is not one to pour as an accompaniment to delicate foods, but it will turn the trick nicely with appropriately flavorful dishes such as baby quail stuffed with wild rice.

The red wines include a raspberry and chocolatey-scented and flavored, medium-bodied 2004 Malbec that is elegant, with fine tannins, medium body, and a nice, finesse-styled personality. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. Chocolate, cocoa, mocha, and some underbrush dominate the 2004 Merlot. This is a nice, fleshy style of Merlot that could use more complexity, but it cheats no one in terms of flesh, texture, and richness. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.