Zinfandel of the Month – 2019 Hartford Family Winery Zinfandel Russian River Valley Old VinePurple in color. 15.1% ABV. Awesome nose of red fruits, peach and baking spices. Medium body with perfect acidity. Absolutely bursting with bright, sweet fruits. The purity of the fruit is notable. Cherry, strawberry, raspberry liqueur and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Stunning Zinfandel that is on par with the glorious 2015. Just a baby. This will drink well for 4-6 years.

The 2018 Syrah Brosseau is dense, powerful and meaty. Inky dark fruit, gravel, cured meat and dried flowers. A wine of real density and power, the Brosseau Syrah is endowed with massive power and concentration. There is so much to the 2018. This site on decomposed granite with limestone yields wines of tremendous complexity and character. The 2018 is fabulous.

The 2018 Syrah Sea Lift is fabulous. Inky dark fruit, black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice, spice, sage and menthol build in a powerful, deep Syrah endowed with tremendous character.

The 2018 Syrah Hawkes Butte is once again one of the most distinctive wines in the range. Inky dark fruit, black pepper, sage, lavender and spice all run through this super-expressive Syrah. The 2018 is rich and unctuous but also not at all heavy. It is incredibly singular and full of character.

The 2018 Chardonnay Brosseau, from the famed vineyard in the Chalone AVA, is fabulous. Dried flowers, sage, mint, chamomile and graphite give the Brosseau its distinctly savory, mineral personality. Structure, acid and soil tones dominate this rich, full-bodied Chardonnay, while the fruit is very much in the background.

Polished, vibrant and generous, with black cherry, red licorice and maraschino cherry flavors that mingle with details of white tea, brown sugar and fresh loamy accents, lingering on the long, expressive finish, with supple tannins.

This distinctive red offers a powerful, robust mix of blood orange, dried cherry and pomegranate flavors on a firm, muscular frame. Notes of baking spices, cigar box and salty black licorice linger on the finish, with a touch of sarsaparilla. Drink now through 2035.

Merlot led blend.Deep ruby red in colour. Blackberries, dry leather, pipe tobacco,Eastern spice. Dense and sumptuous. Seamless and unwavering linearity.

Purple colour from core to rim and up the sides of the glass as well. Plums, rosemary and sea-spray aromatics. The palate flows majestically from front to back, light of foot but carrying serious intensity and drive. Structured to accentuate the long and lingering glide of fruit into the finish. So much pleasure now and will provide for many years to come.

Incredibly vibrant deep purple colour in the glass. Subdued nose, dark loam and black fruits lurk with intent. Remarkable poise for such a young wine, dark fruits, blood and ironstone all meld seamlessly. Full of palate yet has a feeling of compression from acid and tannin so it pushes very deep and long. Time will provide even further layers and complexity.

A quite light red and bright colour in the glass. The aromas are elegant, lifted and fragrant, with red cherry, spice, rose water and a splash of talc. Flavours are refined and incredibly textural, with the red-fruited cherry and raspberry elements being driven by this savoury, very grippy, grainy tannin that coats the mouth and gives the wine some serious, chalky, sophisticated mouth-feel.

Deep purple colour, concentrated aromas of blackcurrants and sweet baking spices. Rich, smooth texture, a hedonistic treat of wild cherries, plums, tamarillo and dried herbs. Colossal tannins, full-bodied and a finish that lingers.

A rich, succulent mix of dark chocolate, spiced plum, wild blackberry and black licorice notes. Showcases both power and elegance, with chai, cigar box, violets and dried sage notes, velvety and generous, on the long, generous finish.

The 30ha estate-owned Sexton Vineyard, planted by Giant Steps founder Phil Sexton in 1997, is the pinnacle of the single-vineyard Chardonnays produced each year, and has a real cult following among winelovers. It is whole-bunch pressed and, using wild yeasts, fermented and aged for 10 months in 500-litre puncheons, 20% new. There was some batonnage, but no malo, ensuring a great balance of steeliness and creamy, waxy palate weight. Complex and layered orange blossom honey on toast, hazelnuts, lemon curd, melon and florals, with beautiful mineral clarity. Tangy, citrus zest acidity enlivens the palate. I last tasted this 15 months ago, and the extra time in bottle has really made it sing.

Seductively smooth and weathered in crisp cranberry, plum and dark cherry, this old-vine wine offers a substantial grip of tannin and notes of crushed rock and oak. Velvety texture leads to dusty black pepper, nutmeg and tobacco.

From two vineyard sites just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, this wine is juicy in cranberry and pomegranate. Lifted accents of white pepper, orange peel and rose add complexity and nuance to the robust frame.

Hawkeye Mountain is K-J's signature mountain property in the Alexander Valley AVA. It is planted from 900 to 2400 feet above sea level on shallow, rocky, and gravelly loam. The vineyard pitches mostly west and sometimes south on steep hillsides. For the most part, limited release Hawkeye Ridge red sits above the fog line earning the ‘island in the sky’ moniker. Early mornings can be cool, building acidity and lengthening the growing season, but the afternoons above the fog line are warm. It’s a mountain wine, so double decanting is highly recommended if you're going to drink it at such a young age. It’s the second time I have tasted this wine this year, and it remains big and bold but with a surprising amount of restraint. The palate is packed full of black fruit spiked with licorice, tobacco, and a quiet undercurrent of oak. The finish is long, savoury, and persistent with mineral tones and rich, fine-grained tannins. This is the real deal and an excellent starting point to talk about Sonoma County cabernet's ability to reach eights normally attributed to only Napa Valley. Bravo Randy Ullom.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionIn 2015 Arcanum was not 100% Cabernet Franc but blended with 10% of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as a drop of 6% Petit Verdot which seems to be essential to the structure here. The wine is burly, with forward plum and cassis fruits, showing great concentration on the mid-palate with initially silky then progressively powerful tannins of excellent texture. More approachable in its youth yet not without the ability to last.

Aromas of spices, such as cloves, dark berries and some herbs. Full-bodied and layered with chewy tannins and a savory finish. Juicy and flavorful. Drink after 2024.

Blackberry and chili with hints of cloves and graphite. Bitter chocolate, too. Full-bodied, very linear and tight with intense tannins that lead you down the finish. Solid structure. Needs four or five years to open up. Better after 2025.

A super intense and dense palate of blackberry with hints of chocolate. Full-bodied with density and purity. Long and powerful. Tight and reserved, but telling you it has so much there. Drink after 2024.

A firm, silky red with blackberry, blueberry and hints of black and green olives and herbs. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, chewy tannins and a fruity finish. Drink or hold.

Fine yet chewy tannins in this with full body and richness. Blackberry, dust, blueberry and bark character and a flavorful finish. Give this some time. Better after 2024.

Flowers, crushed stones and blue fruit on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins and a nuanced finish. Tight, racy and focused. Mountain fruit. Drink after 2023.

Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at an elevation of 1,400 to 1,800 feet on an area planted since the early 1860s. On the western flank of Napa Valley, the estate is named for the native Wappos, who first called it home. The mountain site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils planted to four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) that combine to neutralize some of the issues in what is usually a slow-moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line. It’s an excellent vintage, and the black and blue fruits boast very high-quality levels. Mineral, floral, and dry, the underbelly effortlessly balances off the fruit, adding extra complexity to the mix. It spends 20 months in 74 percent new French oak. The blend is 86/4/6/2/2.5 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Winemaker Chris Carpenter likes to say, “Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is meant to show all that is Mt. Veeder, without overt tannins.” He is right, and it is a stylish blockbuster cabernet that will live on through 2025.