Apple, citrus and grass notes integrate nicely with toasty oak.

Medium red. Deeply pitched aromas of raspberry, chocolate, tobacco and earth. Vinous, textured and quite dry, with good texture and fairly substantial alcohol. Comes across as more tannic than the '99 which may be lower in acidity.

Bright, dark red. Lively aromas of cherry, currant, raspberry, tobacco and shoe polish. Bright, dense and layered with good ripeness and balance for the vintage. Finishes with suave, building tannins and very good persistence.

Dark red. Aromas of raspberry, cherry, bitter chocolate, smoke, tar and earth. Supple, sweet and ripe, with nicely defined red fruit flavors. Finishes with dusty but essentially sweet tannins.

Good full red. Perfumed, fruit-driven nose combines redcurrant, raspberry and black cherry; fresher and less rustic than that of Alexander Valley bottling. Dense, sweet and full in the mouth, with harmonious acidity keeping it fresh. Conveys Alexander Valley bottling. But finishes slightly more aggressive, with big, dusty, tannins.

Good full red. Aromas of redcurrant, leather, chocolate and tobacco. lush and seamless on the palate, with an attractive restrained sweetness and good acid verve. Not yet displaying its full personality, but this is already aromatic in the mouth. Finishes with dusty, mounting tannins and a very good persistence.

Red-ruby. Very ripe, slightly briary aromas of raspberry, cherry and smoky oak. Large-scaled and mouthfilling; very ripe but not at all heavy. This offers impressive sweetness and depth of flavor. Finishes long and smooth, with sweet tannins spreading out to coat the palate.

Subdued nose of pear, citrus skin and vanillin oak. Juicy and brisk, with good texture and intensity and a nicely restrained sweetness for this bottling. Firm acids frame the flavors. Finishes with decent length and a slight alcoholic harshness.

Bright, pale color. Rather exotic aromas of apricot, tropical fruits, toffee, butter and sweet oak. Chewy and rich in the mouth, with firm acidity leaving the sweet peach and apricot flavors. Finishes ripe and satisfying.

Saturated medium ruby. Brooding aromas of briary dark berries, bitter chocolate and nutty oak, all lifted by a floral element. Dense but juicy, with rich, slightly medicinal flavors of black cherry and menthol. Finishes very long, with big, chewy tannins. Offers strong potential.

Full medium ruby. Slightly medicinal aromas of blackberry, cassis, and mint, plus a whiff of game. Fat, lush and supple but uncompromisingly dry, with a large underlying structure. A more elegantly styled wine than the Howell Mountain cabernet. The substantial, building tannins spread out to coat the entire palate.

Good saturated medium ruby. Briary aromas of cassis, bitter chocolate and menthol, along with a floral aspect. Lush and thick, with fruit-driven flavors of bitter cherry and menthol. Rich, dense and layered, but given shape by the firm acidity of the vintage. This should develop slowly and last well.

Exotic, slightly musky aromas of pineapple, coconut, orange zest and spicy oak, plus an intriguing minerality. Supple, silky and seamless, with deep, persistent flavors of apple and honey. Long and perfumed on the aftertaste. Sexy Chardonnay, from a crop level a good 25% lower than normal for this wine.

Bright medium ruby. Aromatic nose combines roasted plum, black raspberry and lead pencil. Lush and lively in the mouth, with bright, complex flavors of raspberry, plum and smoked meat. Finishes with ripe, oak-sweetened tannins and excellent persistence. Superb for the vintage.

Deep ruby. Sappy, sweet aroma dominated by black raspberry; impressively ripe for '98. Lush & sweet, with black fruit & lead pencil flavors of noteworthy depth. Finishes very long, with dusty, even tannins. Almost magically escapes the herbaceousness that plages most '98 cabernet-based wines from California's North Coast. This was made possible but severe selection, according to winemaker Pierre Seillan, who added that he used SO2 to protect the fruit & delay the onset of fermentation, then used a faster yeast in order to avoid extracting green tannins.

Deep medium ruby. Bright, ripe aromas of cassis, black cherry, tobacco and minerals. Quite dense but more backward and less sweet than the Vérité Merlot (1998). But this is ripe, layered and deep. Finishes with big tannins that avoid dryness. The 1999 is huge, thick and silky; still rather unformed but has all the elements to make an outstanding bottle.

Bright medium ruby. Intriguing, highly aromatic nose combines tart dark berries, smoked meat and espresso. Thick, rich, deep and concentrated; conveys an impressively full, sweet impression. Finishes with ripe, even tannins. I like this!

Aromatic nose of orange blossom, ripe pineapple and stony minerality. Fresh and full in the mouth, with brisk flavors of grapefruit and wet stone. Strong acidity contributes to the impression of firmness. Finishes quite dry and minerally. Rather uncompromising, firmly built wine from grapes harvested into early November.

Aromas of pineapple & subtle nutty oak. Fat, round & buttery; lush & full, but with sound framing acids. Flavor dominated by pineapple. Holds its shape nicely on the lingering, buttery back end.

Leesy aromas of honey & flint. Fatter & riper than the Katherine's, with more depth of flavor. Citrus & spice flavors nicely firmed by fresh acids & complemented by toast & vanilla from the all-new French barrels. This offers a good chewy middle & excellent persistence.

Good medium ruby. Oaky aromas of wild blackberry and Provencal herbs. Juicy, intensely flavored and penetrating; less opulent than the Marin County wine, but offers lovely fruit and has plenty of material to buffer its firm tannins. Finishes with subtle persistence.

Big nose of coconut & resiny oak. Opulent & large-scaled but quite dry in the mouth; fat & oaky with substantial alcohol. Finishes quite oaky & long.

Full red-ruby. Aromatic nose combines raspberry, cherry, blueberry, mint and white pepper. Uncompromisingly dry in the mouth, with strong, somewhat aggressive dark berry flavors. The wine's acids and tannins have not yet harmonized, and the wine finishes with a slight dry edge. But this still-tight wine, from a vineyard next to Gary Pisoni's in the Santa Lucia Highlands, will not be released until early next year.

Red-ruby. Aromas of wild berries, cherry, earth & eucalyptus. Fat & full, with interesting flavors of wild berries & cherry. Offers a glyceral mouthfeel & a faint impression of heat. Finishes with firm dusty (oak-enhanced) tannins.

Bright, deep red-ruby. Slightly reduced, meaty aromas of raw wild berries, dark chocolate and maple syrup. Sweet and lush, with flavors of crushed dark berries and spices. Yes, it's velvety, and attractively open-knit. Finishes with dusty tannins.