It possesses a Bordeaux-like profile (although it is fuller-bodied than most Bordeaux) with notes of cocoa, chocolate, black cherries, cassis, and liquid minerals. Smoky, rich, and sweet on the attack, with firm tannin in the finish, this still young, unevolved red required 3-4 more years o cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018.

A wine of undeniable complexity. More evolved aromatically than the 1999, it reveals notes of minerals, licorice, coffee, black fruits, and smoky oak. Although it can not match the 1999's sheer volume and intensity of flavor, the 2000 is full-bodied and rich, with hints of roasted tobacco, sweet blackberry and espresso-tinged fruit, and a long, opulent finish. It should drink well for 15+ years.

Creamier and juicier with intense tropical fruit notes. Dense and fruity, with a green hue to its straw color, it should drink well for 4-5 years.

Along with Turley Cellars and Robert Biale, Hartford has become one of northern California's most compelling Zinfandel producers. That is evidenced by the following five Zinfandels, all heavyweights from a difficult vintage. The 2000 Hartford Zinfandel Russian River (1000 cases, 15.9 % alcohol) is a sexy, sweet, ripe effort with oodles of briery, berry fruit intermixed with pepper, earth, and new oak. There is good acidity, but this is not meant for aging so enjoy it over the next 3-4 years.

Reveals a complex aromatic display of plums, red currants, cherries, earth, and spice. It possesses delicate flavors, low acidity, fine ripeness,and a seductive, premier cru Cotes de Beaune-like personality. This is the only Pinot Noir offering where the acidity seemed moderate rather than high.

The dense, dark ruby color of the 2000 Pinot Noir Seven Bench Vineyard is followed by pure aromas of red and black fruits intermixed with acacia flowers. Medium to full-bodied, but tight-fisted in the mouth as well as angular in the finish, if it fleshes out with aging, it will turn out ot be a spectacular Pinot given its olfactory fireworks.

St. Emilion look-alike, this wine is difficult to fully understand. The aromatics justifiy a mid-ninety point score, but the palate merits an upper-eighty point rating, so where does that leave us? It possesses a dense saturated purple color, a phenomenal bouquet of dried Provencal herbs, sweet black fruits, spring flowers, and scorched earth, and medium body, but the finish is a bit compressed for all the perfume and impressive attack. It will unquestionably be an outstanding wine, but it is not as remarkable as the 2001. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.

It was nearly impossible to judge the closed 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard. While unquestionably a very good wine, I was unable to determine if it was an exceptional effort because of the high tannin and unformed nature of what I tasted.

Possesses less weight and depth than the 1999. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by beautiful sweetness upfront, but hard, austere tannin in the finish. There is a lot going on, but my instincts suggest the tannin level may be troublesome. Antici

The high acid 2000 Pinot Noir Arrendel Vineyard (from the cool climate Green Valley area) exhibits a dark ruby/purple color along with a huge, intense bouquet of sweet black cherries intermixed with liquid minerals and herbs. Made from frightfully small yields of less than one ton of fruit per acre, this 800-case offering possesses a low pH (high acidity compresses the texture, giving the wine a lean, austere personality), but there is trememdous complexity aromatically. If it fleshes out, it will merit an outstanding rating.

Inky in color, tannic, and dense, with plenty of muscle and structure, but not as much sweetness or charm as the 1999. The harvest was extremely late as this is on one of the windiest and coolest sections of the Alexander Mountain Estate Vineyard. Neverthless, this is a very good effort that will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2014.

Lighter, but fruity, elegant, and pretty, the 2000 exhibits a more evolved personality, displaying notes of coffee, black cherry and currant fruit, and spicy new oak. Although meduim-bodied, it does not have the depth or persistence fo the 1999 and 2001. Nevertheless, it offers plenty of charm.

With respect to Matanzas Creek's Chardonnay, the new winemaking techniques include largely indigenous yeast fermentations, whole cluster pressing, and lees stirring. That is evidenced by the 2001 Chardonnay, which exhibits a creamy texture along with notes of minerals, oranges, and tropical fruits presented in a medium-bodied, clean, delicious, dry style. The wood influence is kept in the background.

Another high acid, austere-styled Pinot Noir is the 2000 Dutton Ranch/Sanchietti Vineyard. It offers up scents of plums, sweet as well as sour cherries, toasty oak, loamy soil, and flowers. The flavors are tough-textured, austere, and angular because of the high acidity/low pH. It should drink well for 5-7 years, possibly longer.

It reveals tangy acidity ( a characteristic of the vintage) as well as medium to full body, and lemon custard/citrus characteristics with subtle wood in the background. An excellent tropical fruit-filled, bold, California-styled Chardonnay, it will drink well for 2-3 years.

Far superior to the 2000, revealing more perfume as well as abundant quantities of honeyed orange and melon fruit. There are 11,000 cases of this 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon blend.

The dark ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits a dense, austere, Bordeaux-like structure, rich, sweet cassis fruit intermixed with earth, licorice, and roasted herbs, medium body, and abundant tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015.

The floral-filled 2000 Chardonnay Laura's is a 300 case cuvee that tips the scales at 14.2% alcohol. Its aromas of stony fruits and white flowers along with the austere mid-palate and finish are reminiscent of a young Corton-Charlemagne. Steely, minerally and totally different from most California Chardonnays, it may merit an even higher score with additional age. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.

Characteristics of crushed minerals, forest floor, sweet black currants, and toast emerge from this wine. It possesses medium body, austere tannin, and a certain hardness in its Bordeaux-like character. This 1999 should age for 15+ years, but whether it will ever become charming or expansive is questionable.

The front end-loaded 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain offers ripe fruit, good accessibility, and plenty of black currants, but falls off on the palate, revealing a deficiency in the mid-palate as well as a short, compressed finish. It is a charming but undistinguished effort to drink during its first 10-12 years of life.

Reveals abundant quantities of chocolate, mocha, sweet toast and straightforward black cherry fruit notes. Sweeter fruit, but not the structure of the 1999. The 1999 and 2000 are more similar than dissimilar. Best consumed during the first 5-7 years of life.

Lighter weight, also possesses hard tannin, along with hints of black currants, mint, earth, and oak. Again, there is not enough substance to support the high tannin level. I suspect all of Lokoya's 1999s will last 15-20 years, but will they ever achieve harmony and finesse? Will they ever be enjoyable enough to actually drink? As for the 2000s, even with their tanninn levels, I would opt for drinking them during their first 8-12 years of life as they do not possess the substance necessary to back up their structrue. I hope I'm proved wrong, but these are far below the quality of the '97s and '98s.

Reveals abundant quantities of chocolate, mocha, sweet toast, and straightforward black cherry fruit notes. Medium bodied with sweet tannin, and a lush heady finish. Similar to the 2000. Best consumed during their first 5-7 years of life.

Reveals some of the vintage's austere tannin along with meduim body, and a nice entry displaying notions of cassis, fudge, tobacco, and smoke. The meduim-bodied finish is slightly pinched. Drink this very good effort over the next decade.

Displays straightforward cherry and black currant fruit flavors intermixed with spice box, cedar, herbs ad earth. While it does not possess much weight, it is more charming as well as friendlier than the 1999. Drink it over the next 7-10 years.