cabernet sauvignon pg 97 chardonnay pg 107 best buys pg 112

april 2012

Any issue that reviews both Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay one after the other is bound to be filled with excitement. Cali-fornia is capable of producing great wines in many varieties and certainly deserves credit for the diversity of its products and their quality, yet the two varieties in this Issue are, with only Pinot Noir to challenge, the top red and white wines produced. People may, and will at the drop of a hat, argue whether the California style is great or over the top, and some will ironically suggest that a retro turn to European “sensibilities” is the only way forward for California. Those arguments, which have grown in sharpness over the last five years or so, are being further fueled by three consecutive cooler-than-normal vintages. Proponents of restraint can point to wines that have come good at lower alcohols and proclaim, “See, it can be done. California is saved.” Those who disagree will rightfully point out that cool vintages only prove that good wine can be made in cool vintages, not that lowered alcohol is the new “law of the land”. Here at Connoisseurs’ Guide, we are agnostic on the subject of alcohol level. We neither know nor care what the alcohol level of any wine is when we taste the wines we review. We simply try them blind and “call ‘em the way we see ‘em”.

Appearing almost daily on the CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE Home Page, our blog offers comments and editorial views about controversial subjects in the world of wine. It should not surprise you that your trusty editors have a few things to say about the wine scene, and it should further not surprise you that we are not afraid to prick inflated egos even as we float a few trial balloons of our own.

The “King” still reigns if measures of price and sales volume are to be believed. And while the cool vintages of 2009 to 2011 will be shown to have been less favorable to later-ripening varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel than they have been for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it has always been in the nature of California, at least in our modern, post-1970 era, that diversity of site, careful selection of grapes and even more careful selection among lots in the winery, have allowed the produc-tion of good wines in most vintages. These three, now coming into our lives, will be no different in that regard. But, they will demand far more selectivity that we have had to exercise in some time.

By all rights, Chardonnay should simply be less affected by cool vintages than Cabernet Sauvignon. It ripens earlier and thus, in cool years, can hang an extra month in generally moderate weather. Certainly, the first wines of these vintages, and no one has any real and verifiable judgments yet on the 2011s which are potentially the most problematic of these three less than classic years, have not shown Chardonnay to be going over the cliff. But what we do see is a slight shift in evaluations with some bigger, richer wines dropping back a few points, or more, and a corresponding increase in the range and complexity of some wines that are less driven philosophically by ripeness.

The varieties featured in this Issue may be the leaders of the pack, but they are not the only wines in which our palates have interest. BEST BUYS this month turns it focus to great values in Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot and happily directs you a selection of bottlings that will please both your palate and your wallet.

Chardonnay

Cabernet Sauvignon

Best Buys

The Connoisseurs’ Blog

CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE [ISSN 0161-6668] is published monthly at 651 Tarryton Isle, Alameda, California 9450l and is available only by subscription. Periodicals postage has been paid at Alameda, California and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE, Post Office Box V, Alameda, CA 94501. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED.

© 2012 by CONNOISSEURS’ GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA WINE, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Publisher/Editor: CHARLES E. OLKEN. Associate Editor: STEPHEN ELIOT. Winery and Subscriber Relations: THERRY L. OLKEN. The Guide is printed at the Pinnacle Press, Hayward, California, on recycled paper. April 2012.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Connoisseurs’ Guide Subscriptions include our complete online data base of past issues and reviews and also provide access to each new issue in print via downloadable pdf from our website. One-year subscriptions are available for $90. Two-year subscriptions are offered for $160.

AVAILABILITY

3 Generally available in most market areas.

1 Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution.

O Very limited availability.

GV Good Value

S Soft and fruity wine. Quaffable by itself or with light foods.

F Crisp white. Medium acid and dry. Fish or delicate flavored foods.

C Mellow white. Dry to slightly sweet. Enough acid for white meats.

l Full and balanced dry White. Try with rich seafood and fowl dishes.

L Light Red and powerhouse White. Fowl, veal and light meats.

B Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. Beef and lamb.

T Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced meat dishes.

d Sweet Dessert wine. Enjoyable by itself or with sweet desserts.

DRINKABILITY

D Drinkable now. Unlikely to improve with further aging.

I Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.

A Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging.

U Not suitable for drinking.

OUTSTANDING WINES CHARACTERISTICS & TRADITIONAL USE WITH FOOD

Tasting Note Legend

NOTE: Wines not marked with stars are often delightful wines. Each has unique virtues and any of these wines may be the best wine to serve your needs based on value, availability or for your dining and taste preferences. *Prices – Approximately California full retail prices.

Connoisseurs’ Guide tastings are conducted with Stemware.

*** THREE STARS: (95-98 points) An exceptional wine. Worth a special search of the market.

** TWO STARS: (91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable.

* ONE STAR: (87-90 points) Fine example of a type or style of wine. Without notable flaws.

97

Get ready for it. We are about to enter the twilight zone of wine evaluation here in California, and it all has to do with the notion that California wines have been too ripe, too rich, too big and too good for the wrong people. Those “wrong people”, of course,

have been the wine consumers because you have liked those full-bodied Cabernets and “have forced” the winemakers to go against their very natures in making wines that suit you rather than suit them.

There is an interesting sub-context to that argument, by way, now being advanced by the proponents of lighter wines. It is to call names of everyone who accepts bigger wines as interesting, useful and collectible and says so out loud. The San Francisco Chronicle beat writer calls those folks “high alcohol apologists”. A recent comment on the vaunted CGCW blog (and folks, if you are not reading the near-daily blog on our home page, you are missing out on the fun) from a maker of “new paradigm” wines went so far as to say this his style is the real style of wine, the tra-ditional style. It is the higher ripeness style that is the outlier.

Now, folks, never mind that the entire world has seen the alcohol levels of of its wines go up as several overlapping ideas have taken sway. Among them are better trellising systems that ripen grapes more completely, a run of non-problematic vintages in Europe that has made wines like Bordeaux as consistent (non-disastrous) as our wines here in California have been for the last several decades and the recognition that wine-drinkers do not necessarily want to fight their ways through massive tannins and puckery acidities in order to enjoy the bottle they just pur-chased. Nor do those same aficionados want to have to put everything in their wine cellars for twenty years. Along the way, someone noticed that somewhat higher ripeness levels led to wines that were both deep in character and somewhat richer and rounder in their collective youths. It matters not whether it was the winemakers like Kent Rosenblum who explained that he liked the increased intensity he could get by picking balanced grapes at higher ripeness or Professor Peynaud in Bordeaux who encouraged the wineries there to seek a more comfortable balance in their wines while not losing the essential beauty of those wines.

Here then is where we enter the twilight zone. The three vintages in California of 2009, 2010 and 2011 were undeniably cooler than normal. In addition, there were late rains at times and killing heat spikes at others (vines shut down when it is too hot to protect themselves but they cannot protect themselves from “sunburn” when the berries are exposed). In each of those vintages, there are problems with the wines, but each is different. Yet, you are going to read that those vintages constitute a return to sanity and to the production of wines the way they are supposed to be made. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those vintages are mixed bags at best. For every winery that succeeds, there will be one that does not. For every vineyard-designate that succeeds, there will be one from an adjoining plot that does not. We have become accustomed in today’s world to think that every vintage has some level of great success and that even weak vintages like 2006 are not disasters. We have come to that state of thinking because it is borne out by the facts. But, 2009, 2010 and 2011 are not going to be so reliable despite what the purveyors of the new paradigm tell us. Even the early ripening varieties like Chardonnay (see the next article) are demonstrating less than exemplary results. And for varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, these three vintages are going to be tricky for those of us who buy California wine. Despite what some in the biz, whether writers, sommeliers, retailers or winemakers, may tell us, we consumers are going to need to be wary and to exercise more selectivity than we have had to for some years now.

xx98

The clear message of these two from Atlas Peak is that “youth must be served”. Or if you prefer, that vintage does matter. Even if a touch tilted to the riper end of the spectrum and picking up chocolaty notes in the bargain, this one is also more noticeably fruity and thus better for it. Its supple entry and astringency-tight finish create both a semblance of balance and the basis for a few years of optimistic cellaring. 3 B I $38.00ip ATLAS PEAK Mount Veeder Napa Valley 2006Age and vintage both work against this wine whose fruity base is questionable and whose tannic framework and dry interior are made up of the most difficult parts of a difficult vintage. Despite an evident bow to black cherry fruit in its aromas, this wine has little past its coarse, hollow coverlet on the palate and falls with a rather prodigious thud. 1 B I $86.00

** jp AURIELLE Napa Valley 2008Rich and complex, deep and boasting plenty of still youthful yet outgoing curranty fruit, this wine is about as close to classic as a wine of its size and expressiveness is likely to get. Its keen focus on varietal character is matched by the supportive, wonderfully complementary oak in its makeup, and if a wine of size, it is also a wine of great sophistication. That it comes with a fairly evident wash of latter palate tannins is neither a surprise nor a problem because the wine’s depth is matched to its lean underlying sense of balance. A decade or more of growth would seem to be in the offing with this one. 1 B A $90.00* it BENZIGER Sonoma County 2008This wine is what widely available, moderately priced Cabernet should be all about. Its mid-volume aromas focus nicely on ripe cherries with intimations of currants and are supported by whiffs of oak and graphite. It is fairly supple and even a bit rounded at entry before youthful tannins firm it up in the late going. It does dry a touch in the finish, but service with grilled steaks or chops will overcome that minor concern. Its fair price adds to its charms.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $20.00in BISHOP’S PEAK Paso Robles 2008By Talley. Neither price nor moderately lower alcohol can protect this muddled effort from itself. Its aromas are of ripe grapes and herbs, and the oddly pungent sweetness that results has nothing whatsoever to do with Cabernet Sauvignon. It is soft at the front and chalky at the back. 1 B D $18.00iq BLACK STALLION Napa Valley 20096% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 3% Malbec. Lesser in reach and lesser in stuffing but still showing the rigid, slightly rough frame of young Cabernet, this bottling may stint a bit on basic fruit, but its musters enough ripe-cherry character to stay in the game, and it should improve a little if allowed to soften for a couple of years. 3 B I $25.00* it CALLUNA Estate Red Wine Chalk Hill 200940% Cabernet Sauvignon; 38% Merlot; 8% Cabernet Franc; 8% Petit Verdot; 6% Malbec. If still far too young to be enjoyed any time soon, this solid, rough-cut wine shows plenty of well-extracted fruit and a marked sense of layering to its complex, long-lasting flavors. Its presently prohibitive tannins want five or six years in which to ease, and it should continue to grow for five or six more. 1 B A $50.00

** jn 2480 Napa Valley 2008By Hollywood and Vine. Medium-volume, young and a touch on the direct side at this point, this wine leaves no doubt as to the depth and richness that promises to show up here in good time. Under all that creamy oak and clay-like complexity beats a pure black cherry heart wrapped in a slightly fleshy, developing supple texture and finished for the moment with both evident balancing acidity and gritty tannins. Not one for early enjoyment, we would put this one away for six to ten years. 1 B A $83.00* is ADELAIDA Chelle Mountain Vineyard 2008York Mountain. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 32% Syrah. Ripe, sweet and juicy, yet never so big or burly as its high percentage of Syrah and its ample 15.3% alcohol might predict, this one steers away from classic Cabernet as well. It starts out open and fairly supple in feel with direct, ripe-berry flavors, and, if it firms as it goes, it is not particularly tannic, and it strikes us as wine to tag for drinking within a few years. O B I $50.00iq ALEXANDRIA NICOLE Alderdale 2009Destiny Ridge Vineyards. Horse Heaven Hills. A bit on the quiet side and showing modest notes of currants and cherries beneath its first, faintly foresty smells, this mid-sized working is beset by acid-pushed tannins early on and fights to hold on to its slender fruit. To its credit, it does not dry out at the finish, but it comes up a bit shy on the fruity conviction to guarantee real beauty with age. 1 B A $38.00

** jm ALPHA OMEGA Era Napa Valley 200852% Cabernet Sauvignon; 26% Cabernet Franc; 15% Merlot; 7% Petit Verdot. Big and rich, extra ripe in its cherryish, cola and graphite orientation, this full-bodied effort will never lack for an expressive personality now or in a decade and more. But, so too will it always favor boldness and concentration rather than grand suggestions of nuance or reserve. That said, it will make a perfect partner to a juicy standing rib roast and needs no apology for depth or outright richness. 1 B A $175.00ip AMIZETTA Terraced Hillside Estate Napa Valley 2009Low-keyed aromas of cherries, blueberries and sweet oak make for a fruity if fairly quiet start here, but the wine’s promised fruit is bludgeoned by acidity and tannin once in the mouth, and its flavors wind up empty and dry. 1 B I $45.00iq ANCIENT PEAKS Oyster Ridge Paso Robles 200850% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Petit Verdot; 20% Petite Sirah; 10% Malbec. Very ripe in tone and somewhat herbal in cast, this blend may have plenty of depth, but its messages are mixed and unclear at one and the same time. Hints of stewed fruit are played off against greens and then against whiffs of chocolate, but at no point does this wine take on much that one would find associated with its major varieties. Its finish is hot, gritty and somewhat bitter. O T I $50.00* is ATLAS PEAK Napa Valley 20083% Cabernet Franc; 3% Merlot; 3% Malbec; 1% Petit Verdot.

99

* it CALLUNA Estate Red Wine Chalk Hill 200835% Cabernet Sauvignon; 32% Merlot; 18% Malbec; 12% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot. Big, brash and extracted, and utterly lacking in manners just now, this weighty, well-stuffed young wine fits the Calluna family mold. It packs lots of tongue-numbing tannins, and it suggests a touch of heat at the finish, but it is also deep and brimming with brooding dark fruit, and it would be a shame to give up on it too soon. Find a dark place in the back of the cellar, and put it away for anywhere from six to ten years. O B A $50.00ir CALLUNA The Colonel’s Vineyard Chalk Hill 2009Yet another gutsy, rather raw-boned youngster whose tannic austerity tags it as a wine demanding of considerable patience, Calluna’s Colonel’s Vineyard bottling is so tough and dry as to make us wonder whether its admirable fruit will carry it for the six to ten years of aging that seems prescribed, and it comes with equivocal endorsement. O B A $60.00

** jn CAYMUS Napa Valley 2009Not the least bit shy about standing up to its big and pricey mate, this nicely crafted wine shares a keen focus on the currant fruit that makes Napa Valley Cabernets so special. It also shares a drift into slight fleshiness, and, in this case, shows greater willingness to be drunk up in the next five years even if keeping it longer is within its ability to age. Still, with a somewhat more open stance and more inviting price, this wine serves up lots to like while we wait for the Special Selection. 3 B I $68.00** jm CAYMUS Special Selection Napa Valley 200913% Merlot. High in ripeness and generously enriched by scads of creamy, somewhat caramelly, slightly toasty oak, this full and complete wine from Caymus does a masterful job of delivering lots of concentrated currant fruit tinged with notes of blueberry and root beer. It is supple and a tad fleshy in feel and takes full advantage of its ample tannins for some needed spine that serves as an offset to its never-say-die, lengthy fruit on the palate. Put it away for five to ten years. 1 B A $130.00iq CHAIX Rutherford Napa Valley 2009As much as we may like this promising offering’s comparatively refined aromas of cassis, briar, sweet oak and cocoa, we must admit to disappointment in its slender, slightly “green” flavors. The wine is moderately full-bodied, yet it wants for a little more central fruit substance, and that lack is made more apparent as acidity narrows its finish. O B I $48.00* is CHAPPELLET Mountain Cuvée Napa Valley 200956% Cabernet Sauvignon; 32% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot; 2% Malbec. This is not a wine that aims for nor achieves high extraction or breathtaking depth but is, instead, an attractive and very approachable claret-styled red that hits the mark in terms of proportion, fine balance and no-nonsense drinkability. Its modest tannins do nothing to interfere with its forthright fruit, yet they afford some staying power and negate any need for hurried drinking. 3 B A $32.00

ir CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Columbia Valley 20099% Merlot; 8% other. It may not compete with its high-ticket cousins when it comes to complexity and depth, but this young and buoyant bottling delivers the goods in terms of juicy, easy-to-like fruit at a price that makes it an out and out bargain. It is rounded and smooth as can be on the palate, and its minimally tannic style commends drinking soon.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $16.00ir CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Canoe Ridge Estate 2009Horse Heaven Hills. Long on chocolaty ripeness and creamy, caramel-like oak sweetness, but far less concerned about keen varietal definition, this viscous, fairly full-bodied working gets good marks for its richness if nothing else. It is a touch soft in balance and slightly hot at the finish, and it will appeal most to those who like their wines ripe. 3 B I $28.00iq CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Ethos Reserve 2008Columbia Valley. 6% Syrah. Although a fairly ripe and sizeable wine, this one is less than convincingly varietal in focus. It is big, blunt and unruly with tannin and heat surpassing all else at the finish, and, while it is sufficiently tough to require a few years of aging, it is not a wine that we expect will find appreciable grace even with time. 1 B A $38.00iq CLOS DU VAL Stags Leap District Napa Valley 2007Right in step with the winery preference for understatement and modest ripeness, this clean, but fairly limited wine begs the ques-tion of when is less actually too little. Its defined, but not very deep flavors dry and take a slightly reedy turn at the finish, and its muted impressions of loosely curranty fruit are quashed by unbuffered chalkiness. 1 B A $75.00iq CLOS DU VAL Napa Valley 20097% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 3% Petit Verdot. Clos du Val has long eschewed wines of high ripeness and has been making subtle Cabernets long before the recent hubbub about lower-alcohol wines. True to form, this one is slender and a bit lesser in extract, and its drift to acidy greenness leaves it fairly tart at the end. It might please fans of the style, but we would prefer a little more richness and range. 3 B I $38.00

** jm CLOS PEGASE Napa Valley 200810% Cabernet Franc; 1% Petit Verdot. Bright, fragrant and built around a mix of curranty and slightly berryish fruit with nicely fit nuances of spice and creamy oak, this wine is both fully ripened yet light on its feet. In the mouth, its keen focus on varietal fruit is again augmented by a light berryish note and by rich oakiness in flavors that are continuous, accessible and just tight enough at this writing to suggest further expansion with some four to six years of patient cellaring. 3 B I $48.00** jo CORNERSTONE The Cornerstone Napa Valley 200995% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2½% Cabernet Franc; 2½% Merlot. There is a certain sense of crafting and seamlessness to this very good wine’s fit of many parts, and right from the start, it shows a little more sophistication and depth than its cellarmates. It is full and supple in feel with good, fruit-buffered tannins, and, if its youth is made manifest by some finishing toughness, it is a wine clearly meant for the cellar. Wait for five years at least, ten if you have the patience. O B A $125.00

xx100

** iu CORNERSTONE Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2009Mountain Cabernets are commonly given to toughness in their early years, but this big, highly ripened rendition is surprisingly plush and easy to access even now. That is not to say that it is anywhere near to being at peak form, and while it is certain to improve for a half-dozen or more years, it is wonderfully rich in sweet oak and outgoing fruit. 1 B A $75.00* is CORNERSTONE Napa Valley 2009Very fleshy, very full-bodied and very much driven by ripeness, this thick and weighty wine stops short of being too much, but it just barely does so. It smacks of coffee and chocolate without sacrificing fruit, and, if it starts out slightly soft-seeming, it has enough tannin to provide grip and the potential for at least a few years of improvement. 1 B A $65.00* iu CREO Clajeux Vineyard Chalk Hill 2007Strength rather than subtlety is the concern here just now, and the wine conveys an impressive sense of solidity and substance throughout its length. Its themes of black cherries, graphite and currants are overlain by a lavish veneer of sweet oak, and, at the end, its resilient fruit successfully fights its way past the ten-year tannins that warn off hasty drinking. 1 B A $75.00* iu DOGWOOD Meritage Mendocino 200750% Cabernet Sauvignon; 50% Merlot. Fairly complex in the nose with attractive accents of mint, fresh dill and cedar to its very confident ripe-currant fruit, this rich and well-composed wine exhibits plenty of flesh and fine fruity drive from start to finish. It is plush without being at all heavy, and it sports a nice spine of integral tannin with the fruity length to ensure many more years of improvement. O B A $40.00* it DOGWOOD Mendocino 200725% Petit Verdot. Showing the same mannerly sense of claret-like balance as the Dogwood’s Meritage bottling, this polished wine is just starting to hint at a bit of developed complexity in both its oak-sweetened aromas of cherries and its moderately deep, slightly more obviously ripened flavors. Its nominal tannin and scant finishing heat impart a little last-minute raggedness, but a few years of patience or service with food should make its minor coarseness moot. O B I $38.00iq FAZELI Khayyam California 2008This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is ripe to the point of exchanging fresh fruit for dried cherry smells and it picks up a suggestion of angularity in the process. Depth and richness bring it back to the center of the pack but neither is sufficient to earn the wine more than grudging acceptance. O B I $44.00ip FOREFRONT 92% Napa County 2009By Pine Ridge. 10% Merlot; 5% Syrah; 5% Petit Verdot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 2% Grenache. Fairly tight right from the start and never conveying much at all in the way of fruity richness, this uncomfortably balanced wine runs from slick to stiff on the pal-ate and cannot shake the nagging sense of greenness that shows at every stop. 3 B I $24.00* is FRANCIS COPPOLA Director’s Sonoma County 2009Top notes of chocolate and mint are complementary partners to confident, ripe-currant fruit first in the nose and then again in the compact, moderately deep flavors of this nicely composed young Cabernet. While prominent tannins work to toughen its

finish, it never lets go of its fruit, and a few years of forbearance should make for a more polished and mannerly wine. GOOD VALUE 1 B A $21.00iq FRANCIS COPPOLA Claret Diamond Series 2009California. 9% Petit Verdot; 5% Malbec; 3% Merlot; 2% Cab. Franc. Scents of well-ripened cherries and plum are overlain by a sweetening veneer of vanilla-bean oak in the nose here, and, the same mix of fruit and oak is carried forward in the wine’s flavors. Chalky astringency cuts in and leaves the finish a little too dry and austere. 1 B A $20.00ip GEYSER PEAK Alexander Valley 2008Small and simple with red cherry notes joined by suggestions of green leaves and stems in the nose, this medium-bodied effort is no more complete on the palate where its mild fruit does make a passing bow to varietal character before petering out in a thin, somewhat coarse-edged finish. 3 L D $18.00ir GIRARD Napa County 2009A bit on the lighter side as far as substance and size go yet still nicely focused on curranty fruit and enriched with lightly laid-on oaky sweetness, this medium-full-bodied effort starts out on a supple note and then finds some tannic grip as it goes. While it could do with a few years of smoothing, it is always somewhat straightforward and simple, and it never conveys the sense of potential for lengthy cellaring. 1 B I $29.00

* jl GRGICH HILLS Estate Napa Valley 20085% Petit Verdot; 3% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc. Briary, woodsy and dusty spice overlays add extra interest to the medium-depth black cherry and cola notes that lie at the heart of this attractive young Cabernet. It is fairly full in body and is made bouyant by the balancing acidity that is so much a part of the winery’s style, and there is no surprise in the tightened backend to the wine’s personality. As with so many offering from Grgich Hills, this one seems a sure bet to improve, and we would counsel a minimum of four to seven years of bottle age. 3 B A $60.00iq HANNAH NICOLE Sonoma Valley 2009A loose note of plummy fruit is met by suggestions of smoke, hints of a caramel and lightly woodsy, dried-brush “spice” in both the aromas and flavors of this wine, and, if always in the Cabernet camp, it is a bit too hard in feel, and its finish is closed off by drying astringency. 1 B A $28.00* iu HEDGES Red Mountain 200836% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 14% Syrah; 11% Cab. Franc; 6% Malbec. Here is a solid and sturdy wine with a real Claret-like sensibility to its mix of cassis, loamy soils, briar and well-balanced oak, and, while fairly full on the palate, it is nicely structured and its ample tannins lend a fine bit of grip without ever being too forceful. It is a successful wine of real potential and promise, and it should be set aside for another five years at the very least. 3 B A $25.00

101

* it HESS COLLECTION 19 Block Cuvee 2008Mount Veeder. Napa Valley. 69% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13% Malbec; 8% Merlot; 8% Syrah; 2% Other. This blended bottling offers mid-volume black cherry aromas with a quiet note of cassis in the mix and follows in the mouth with a full-bodied, somewhat fleshy textured impression that comes across as a bit on the soft side under a light veneer of fine-grained tannins. While it is not in want of extended aging, it should hold up in bottle for several years to come. 3 B I $36.00ir HIDDEN RIDGE 55% Slope Sonoma County 2007Very much a wine of contrasting pieces and one that begins as a bit of a muddle with its mix of chocolate, herbs, dried-grape ripeness and earth, this bottling gets good marks for richness if not for focus or polish. It is never wanting for character, but it is both heavy and slightly hot, and, in the end, ripeness becomes its most lasting trait. 1 B A $45.00iq HILL Napa Valley 2009Clean, a bit underplayed and notably lesser in richness with a bias to tangy, vaguely berry-like fruit, this light, low-tannin wine is never so sure about its varietal bearings, and it sputters and empties out en route to a fairly stiff, acid-edged finish. It should soften with time but it will not grow any richer, and it is one to mark for near-term drinking. 1 B I $25.00

** jm IMAGERY Estate Sonoma Valley 2008Keenly fruited, nicely focused, surprisingly light on its feet given the ripeness implied by its 14.8% alcohol, this wine smells of tart red cherries and riper black currant notes with an intriguing whiff of mint in the mix. Fairly full in body but not the least bit heavy, the wine is firm and reasonably alive for Cabernet of its stripe, and its rich yet balanced approach on the palate will see it hold in good shape for five years at a minimum and will likely keep it upright well into a second decade. O B A $60.00

* it JARVIS Reserve Napa Valley 2006Requiring an unquestioned belief in the future, this deep, highly structured effort boasts obvious, ripe black cherry fruit aligned with hints of raspberry and a generous dollop of caramelly oak. While starting out with a certain suppleness at entry, and then offering up ripe and slightly soft, rich flavors at its heart, it runs smack into a decade’s worth of gritty tannin and seems unlikely to emerge much before that time. Its fruit may well survive, but there is no guarantee, and the wine’s optimistic pricing scares us away from the needed commitment. 1 B A $245.00iq JARVIS Napa Valley 2006Ripe and dry at the same time in its aromas with woodsy, cedary and slightly herbal accents all contributing their complex notes, this wine is short on fruit in the nose, and its palate turns tough and somewhat sere in the continuing absence of compensatory

fruit. The wine’s shortcomings are a product of the vintage and are hard to overlook. 1 B I $110.00* it JASON-STEPHENS Montebello Road 2007Santa Cruz Mountains. Although cast in the same somewhat rigid, acid-and-tannin-framed style of its cellarmates, the 2007 Montebello Road has more evident fruity flesh on its bones and thus comes across as being a little more friendly and a bit less austere. It is still gruff and gutsy and it pulls up a touch short at the finish, but given four or five years, it should smooth enough to be ready to go. 1 B A $70.00ir JASON-STEPHENS Montebello Road 2006Santa Cruz Mountains. Most all of the Cabernets from Jason-Stephens share a certain angular, acidy stiffness that distracts from what is often attractive fruit, and this otherwise deep and defined working falls victim to just that. Its back-palate tartness amplifies the drying effects of its nominal tannins, and, while it should relax a little with further age, real suppleness may lie out of its reach. 1 B A $70.00ir JASON-STEPHENS The Blend Santa Clara Valley 200760% Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% Syrah. Pushy ripeness and very obvious acidity pull this wine in two opposing directions, and its uneasy balance detracts from what is otherwise a fairly rich mix of dark fruit, tobacco and peppery spice. There are pieces to like now, and there may be more with time, but there is also a too-tangy, close-to-sour twist to the finish that holds the wine back from full endorsement. 1 B A $36.00ir JASON-STEPHENS Santa Clara Valley Estate 2009If, on the one hand, a nicely ripened and fruity wine with a bent to Merlot-like suppleness and early accessibility, this wine is also a bit fuzzy in focus with just enough scattered suggestions of earth to muddle things. There is a slight sour edge to the finish that recalls that of its siblings, and, while it may ease with age, it is a little too evident now. 1 B A $28.00io JASON-STEPHENS Estate Meritage 2007Santa Clara Valley. 48% Cabernet Sauvignon; 47% Merlot; 5% other. Conflicting elements of lightly candied cherries, dried brush, dusty earth and old leather add up to an odd, less-than-likeable nose, and the wine follows suit on the palate with dry, diffuse, unfruity flavors and an overtly puckery, slightly bitter finish. Not much joy to be found here. 1 B I $34.00

iq KENWOOD Sonoma County 20096% Merlot; 3 Syrah; 3% other. Rather pulled back in ripeness and favoring Cabernet’s slightly reedy side, this mid-sized effort flirts with red cherries and plums, but it is a bit underfilled and relies on a bit of oaky sweetness for richness. It is a tad stiff in structure and will soften with a few years of age, but its limited fruit will take it only so far. 3 B I $18.00

* is KORBIN KAMERON Sonoma Mountain 2006Rooty spice teams with ripe, red-cherry fruit in the mid-density aromas and then again in the slightly narrow, but fairly deep flavors of medium-full-bodied bottling, and, if the wine leans a little to acidy firmness, it does not tilt too far. Its flavors outlast its nominal tannins, and three or five years in the cellar should bring real benefit. 1 B A $46.00

102

ir KORBIN KAMERON Cuvée Kristin Sonoma Valley 200731% Cabernet Sauvignon; 28% Merlot; 19% Cabernet Franc; 13% Malbec; 9% Petit Verdot. Clean, keenly fruity and graced with a suggestion of herbs in the nose, this mid-sized effort is arguably a touch thinner than advertised on the palate. It is firm and a bit biased to acid with modest tannin coming on at the end, and, while not a wine we see growing for ten years, it is still three or four from its best. 1 B I $55.00ip LAVA CAP El Dorado 2009From first sniff to finish, this mid-sized effort impresses as being fairly narrow and not very deep, and, while it may be clean, it is a minimalist with respect to Cabernet richness and fruit. It will relax with a couple of years of age, but it is not a wine built for lengthy keeping. 1 B I $22.00iq L’ECOLE No. 41 Columbia Valley 2008Distracting elements of burnt wood and earth push a hesitant note of dark berries to the wings early on here, and the wine never quite finds its varietal bearings. If not crashingly tannic, it is quite dry and gritty with astringency coming on strong as its half-hearted fruit plays itself out. 1 B A $29.00

* is LYETH Chronology Grand Reserve 2009Sonoma Coast. 13% Malbec. Somewhat subdued and fairly temperate in ripeness, this smooth, gently tannic take on the grape shows good Cabernet character with a decidedly lighter touch. It is polished and balanced and comes with few of the varietally tough edges that its youth might predict, and, while it is certain to age and improve over the next several years, it is wholly drinkable now. 1 B I $30.00ip MILBRANDT Traditions Columbia Valley 200915% Merlot; 6% Malbec; 2% Petit Verdot. Sweet and steering to candied cherries rather than any defined Cabernet character, this pinched and puckery, modestly filled working is more about make-up than substance, and it shows little behind its fleetingly pretty face. 3 B I $15.00ir PEJU Napa Valley 2008Sweet to the point of suggesting brown sugar in the nose and very much tilted to ripeness, this highly oaked offering steers around defined fruit without ever quite hitting the target. While it shows a good deal of up-front richness, it heats up and dries out a bit at the end, and its finish is punctuated by a touch of high-toned sharpness. 1 B I $45.00

* iu PINE RIDGE Napa Valley 200914% Petit Verdot; 6% Merlot; 4% Malbec. Nicely ripened and keyed on convincing Cabernet currants as its major theme, this inviting youngster teases with touches of creamy, root-beer-like sweetness in the nose and follows with deep, well-composed flavors that last and last. A bit lesser in tannins than its mates and enlivened by deftly fit acidity, it has a long life before it yet should need no more than four or five years before coming fully into its own. 3 B A $54.00* iu PINE RIDGE Oakville Napa Valley 2009Suggestions of cedar, cigar-box spice, dark-roasted coffee and

wispy notes of black olives lend this fleshy, fairly mouthfilling Cabernet a bit of singular distinction first in the nose and then again on the palate. Its ample fruit stays ahead of the grainy tannins that presently rough up its finish and thus makes it a good bet for keeping. We recommend that it be put away for another four to six years. 3 B A $80.00* it PINE RIDGE WINERY Stags Leap District 2009Napa Valley. Roasted-vanilla sweetness is a near-equal partner to straightforward black-cherry fruit here, and the wine is a little direct and frontal just now. It is, by a small margin, the softest, least solidly structured of the Pine Ridge contingent, but it is rich and fairly deep, and, if a bit too tannic to be enjoyed in the near future, it will pay dividends if allowed to rest for another three or four years. 3 B I $80.00ir PINE RIDGE Rutherford Napa Valley 200913% Malbec; 7% Petit Verdot; 4% Merlot; 1% Cabernet Franc. If arguably the biggest Pine Ridge effort in terms of ripeness and tannin, this one is less generous in defined fruit and very much given to tongue-numbing astringency at this point. It requires a lengthy stay in the cellar but never quite convinces that beauty awaits, and, while it might prove otherwise in six to eight years, its keeping comes as a gamble. 1 B A $80.00

* jl PRIEST RANCH Napa Valley 2009Somerston Vineyards. Very deep with a very precise varietal voice and already showing the loamy and briary complexities expected of good Cabernet, this ripe, but well-polished effort shows a careful winemaking hand. It is a plush and outgoing wine to be sure, and, even if it does not end with a big flourish of tannin, it has nice grip to its finish and will continue to evolve for a decade or more. 1 B A $40.00* it PRIME Midoriya Hills Vineyard Napa Valley 2008Its ripeness notwithstanding, this wine is tight at the front, tight in mid-palate and tight as it ends. It works because its keen black cherry focus is augmented by minty and slightly smoky oak notes and by a noticeable but not problematic veneer of sinewy tannins. A slight acidy edge rises at the back, and this wine will need the better part of a decade to open up. O B A $55.00ir PRIME District 4 Napa Valley 2008With its slight berryish cast, this wine is somewhat different in aromatic and flavor profile from the wine above, but its shares its essentially tough exterior with that wine. It is also about equal in its demand for aging, but, in this case, the possible rewards are demonstrably lower given this wine’s lower overall fruit profile. Two to five years in bottle might help. 1 B A $39.00* it PURE COZ Napa Valley 200743% Cabernet Sauvignon; 21.5% Cabernet Franc; 21.5% Merlot; 14% Sangiovese. By Pure Cru. Mitch Cosentino is back in a new setting and is the talent behind this wine and its mate below. In this blended bottling, he has added a little Sangiovese for its pert backbone into a mix of Bordelais varieties and come up with a wine that combines ripeness, richness and a fair bit of fleshiness to its texture. Its tannins are clearly intended to give the wine the potential for aging, and a wait of some three to five years would not be out of order. 1 B A $65.00

103

* it PURE CRU Napa Valley 200720% Cabernet Franc; 5% Merlot. With its higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than the Pure Cos above, this one is clearly in the varietal camp with its tilt towards currant fruit tones. It is, like its mate above, wine of high ripeness, but also, like that wine, it does not lose itself to overripeness, and here, although tannin is certainly evident, the wine is just enough less tannic that it will be drinkable sooner. 1 B I $38.00ir ROBERT YOUNG Scion Alexander Valley 20088% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot. This weighty, well-ripened wine does not lack for extract or substance and it exhibits plenty of Cabernet grip, but it is always a little vague and amorphous with respect to keen varietal fruit, and, in the end, it winds up a little too tough for its good. We cannot say for sure that time is on its side, but it deserves the benefit of a few years in the cellar. 1 B A $62.00

* it ROCKPILE Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Rockpile 2009By Mauritson. 10% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot; 1% Malbec. It is hard not to draw certain comparisons between this wine and Mauritson’s rich and extravagantly filled Zinfandels, for both are long on ripeness and come with a certain signature brashness. This deep, impressively extracted young wine is one that goes right to the brink, yet for all of it high ripeness, ample tannins, flashy oak and barely disguised heat, it is remarkably precise in its Cabernet Sauvignon focus. It will never be refined regardless of how long it is cellared, but it will also never be accused of being weak-willed and wimpy. O B A $47.00ir ROCK WALL Napa Valley 2009Slightly rounded aromas favoring ripe black cherries with a touch of red berries in the mix may fall just a bit short of typicity in their makeup but do, at least, invite a second glance. Fairly full on the palate and supple at the front before stiffening up somewhat at the end, the wine dries and toughens in the late going and gives back some of its early charm. 1 B I $48.00

** jm RODNEY STRONG Symmetery Meritage 2008Alexander Valley. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon; 25% Malbec; 7% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; 1% Cabernet Franc. Toasty oak notes and hints of blackberries inform the black cherry, mildly curranty fruit at the heart of this full-bodied, fleshy bottling. It is supple on the palate and full of flavor, and while we do not see the need for a decade of waiting, we do see a wine that will reward now and for some time to come. 1 B I $55.00** jm RODNEY STRONG Reserve Alexander Valley 2008Another fairly forward offering and one that, given its makeup, is pretty keenly focused on ripe black cherries, this full and fleshy effort combines juicy flavors with a mannerly dose of supportive

tannins. Like its mate above, it is not destined for extended time in the cellar yet certainly will support a bit of patience. Whether now or in a few years, its ripeness and richness will, like its mate, be central to its personality. 1 B I $45.00

* is RODNEY STRONG Sonoma County 2009A little lighter and brighter than its higher-priced siblings but just right for its price, this direct, clean and decently fruited offering finds a touch of richness in a veneer of roasted vanilla oakiness. Medium-full in body, balanced and just tannic enough to live up to its varietal heritage, this one will make a fine mate to grilled steaks and burgers today and, even though it can age for a bit, does not require that you lay it away before pulling the cork.GOOD VALUE 3 B I $17.00

io ROSENBLUM Vintner’s Cuvée California 2009While every so often an inexpensive Cabernet comes along that surprises in terms of definition and value, this bottling fails to do either, and it is at once both thin and cheap tasting as well as lacking a varietal voice. 3 B D $12.00

* is ROUND POND Rutherford Napa Valley 2009Round Pond’s Rutherford bottling is a better defined and more deeply filled wine than its companion below, and, even if fairly firm with enough tannin to dissuade early drinking, it captures plenty of solid, well-ripened curranty fruit. It gets a good boost in richness from its ample oak, and it has the potential to move up in rank with mid-term aging. 1 B A $50.00

ip ROUND POND Napa Valley 2009Smelling of something vaguely burnt and charry with notes of coffee and dried brush as least as apparent as any of fruit, this stiff, rather gangly young wine is hollow at its heart. It starts out fairly dry on the palate and ends up sere and empty, and it has nowhere good to go. 1 B I $30.00* is RUED Dry Creek Valley 2007Pungent oak and woodsy, forest-floor notes sit atop a dollop of ripe-cherry fruit in this nose of this one, but the wine turns to fruit with a little more certainty once in the mouth even as gruff and coarsening tannins join in the game. Polish is lacking, but varietal confidence is not, and the need for considerably more than a few years of aging is clear. 1 B A $45.00

* it RUSTRIDGE Chiles Valley Napa Valley 2006Unabashed ripeness is the ongoing theme here, yet the wine manages to muster a fair sense of curranty fruit with which to combat its hard-to-ignore heat. While arguably a bit over the top and far too tannic for enjoying any time soon, the wine is unde-niably rich and will, with six to ten years of age, find favor with those who relish big Cabernets. O B A $50.00

iq SARAPO Elena Napa Valley 2009Obvious ripeness is emphasized over any clearly delineated fruit here, yet the wine is clean and free of fault other than being a little too chalky and tough for its comparatively sparse measure of essential fruit. It is fairly abrupt and dry at the finish, and it will not grow any grander with age. O B A $30.00

* iu SCARLETT McGah Family Vineyards Rutherford 2008Napa Valley. Attractive and fairly complex, this medium-volume offering nicely combines its black cherry and lightly curranty fruit with background hints of cedar, mint and mild whiffs of herbs and milk chocolate. Full on the palate, supple, polished and slightly round in the manner of Merlot, the wine is moderately tannic at best and invites early drinking even as its astringency and depth promise a few years’ improvement. 1 B I $55.00

104

* iu SCHUG Heritage Reserve Sonoma Valley 200713% Merlot; 4% Cabernet Franc; 4% Malbec. The Schug style is not one that champions high extract and ripeness, but, as this nicely crafted wine attests, that does not mean that complexity and richness must be sacrificed. Redolent of ripe cherries and enriched by a trim bit of sweet oak, the wine is both supple and solid at once, and shows a very proper spine of tannin. It does not require a decade of age, but it is guaranteed to get better over the next half-dozen years. 1 B A $50.00iq SCHUG Sonoma Valley 20088% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc; 4% Syrah; 1% Malbec. This rather front-loaded wine puts a good first foot forward with a quick flourish of nicely defined, currant Cabernet fruit, but its bones start to show, and it is cramped by acid-pushed tannins as that fruit starts to fade. Service with food as well as time in the cellar should help, but it wants more extract and substance to really convince. 1 B A $28.00* is SEBASTIANI Secolo Sonoma County 200876% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Petit Verdot; 8% Merlot; 3% Malbec; 1% Syrah. In its latest incarnation, Secolo comes across as a sweet and obvious wine that arguably depends a little too much on its very considerable appointment of oak, but, if it is perhaps not as deep nor as complex as some of its noteworthy predecessors may have been, it is a supple, thoroughly tasty and wholly affable offering that will drink nicely over the next three or four years. 1 B I $35.00ip SEBASTIANI Sonoma County 200812% Merlot; 4% Syrah; 3% Petit Verdot; 2% Petite Sirah; 1% Malbec. While showing enough Cabernet character to not be pulled too far off the path by the addition of this and that grape in its mix, this peculiar effort nonetheless comes with confusing adjuncts of ashes and smoke and picks up a nervous edge of last-minute sharpness that leaves it wide of the mark and less than appealing. 3 B I $18.00

** jm SHAFER Hillside Select Stags Leap District 2007Napa Valley. As sure to bring disapproving scowls from the low-alcohol crowd as it is to enrapture fans of hedonistic, full-blown Cabernets, the latest Hillside Select is an enormous wine that holds nothing back in terms of ripeness, sweet oak and oh-so-deep fruit. It is no shrinking violet and is, if anything, a little more extravagant than is usual, but given the remarkable aging history of its predecessors, we are comfortable in predicting a decade or two of improvement. 1 B A $225.00* iu SIGNATERRA Three Blocks Sonoma Valley 2008By Benziger. Sharing many of its personality traits with Benziger’s lower-priced effort reviewed above, this wine is light-medium in volume and mixes scents of ripe cherries with those of currants and rich oakiness. Like that wine, this one is fairly full in body and has a certain soft, open spot at its center before getting a little

ragged towards the end. It can get better over time but will serve nicely now with savory steaks. 1 B I $49.00* it SILVERADO Solo Stags Leap District Napa Valley 2009This nicely polished offering makes a splashy start with involving aromas of caramel, cassis, blueberries and cocoa, and the sweet oak that figures so prominently in the nose is similarly salient in the wine’s mid-density flavors. Slightly supple to start and nicely rounded in feel with a lengthy, if slightly astringent finish, this one pulls back from high ripeness and extract and should begin to come into its own in a few years. 1 B A $90.00iq SILVERADO Napa Valley 200812% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot; 2% Cabernet Franc. Ripe, fairly frontal and hinting here and there at black cherries, this wine is sparing in interest and depth, and it runs from slight glyceriny fatness to dryness and heat without ever showing more than a tentative sense of Cabernet fruit. 3 B I $45.00* it SIMI Landslide Vineyard Alexander Valley 2007An early suggestion of cassis in the aromas puts this wine clearly onto the varietal path where it is joined by background notes of graphite, cola, roasted vanilla and a hint of pert cherries. Clearly beginning to round out in texture and taking its suppleness in the direction of slight softness, it comes with a moderate measure of supporting tannins and invites some three to five years of cellar time even if not requiring it. 1 B I $40.00

** jp SODARO Estate Blend Napa Valley 200881% Cabernet Sauvignon; 17% Petit Verdot; 2% Merlot. From blackcurrants and briar to loamy earth and new leather, there is plenty of Cabernet sweep and complexity to this deep and fully stuffed opus. There is also more than a delicate touch of sweet oak, and the wine joins with those that make no disavowals of ripeness. It is withal a big, fairly plush and very showy Cabernet, and it has the depth, definition and balance to age famously for a decade or more. O B A $75.00* it SODARO Felicity Napa Valley 200816% Petit Verdot; 7% Malbec; 2% Cabernet Franc. What starts out as woodsy becomes increasingly herbal and a little leathery, yet this wine is kept just on track by its ample, ripe-currant fruit. It tends to dryness, and an exaggerated tannic pucker truncates its finish, yet it never toughens to a worrisome degree. It should get an smoothing assist from four or five years of patience, but it is never as deep nor does it reach as far as the winery’s pricey, but preferable, Estate Blend. 1 B A $55.00

** jn SOJOURN Proprietary Cuvée Napa Valley 2009Here is a generous and carefully crafted working that gets it all right in terms of optimal ripeness, well-defined fruit and nicely placed oak, and it displays uncommon refinement and the kind of polish we would not expect in a Cabernet as young as it is. That is not to say that it should be opened and drunk in a hurry, for, while it is both involving and inviting even now, it is has the kind of careful structure and ample integral tannin to guarantee continuing improvement for a good five or six more years at the very least. O B A $95.00

xx105

** jm SOJOURN Spring Mountain District Napa Valley 2009As rich, well-filled and keenly focused as the winery’s delicious Proprietary Cuvée bottling, this riveting wine similarly shows a nice sense of overall polish that is, once again, surprising in a Cabernet that still has not reached its third birthday. It too is built with a fairly obvious spine of structural tannins, and, even if it offers a good deal to like now, we anticipate that it will also take an extended stay in the cellar before fully growing into its abso-lute best. O B A $59.00* it SOJOURN Home Ranch Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2009Although smelling of ripe cherries and a wee bit of chocolate, this one comes across as being a little reedy with less aromatic richness and depth than Sojourn’s best efforts, but it is fuller and more concentrated in the mouth and finds fine fruity focus to its flavors. Its fine-grained tannins provide the right bit of last-min-ute grip, and its persistent fruit ensures good potential for five years of growth. O B A $39.00ir SOJOURN Georges III Vineyard Rutherford 2009Napa Valley. This bottling from a prestigious site is a bit off the pace set by Sojurn’s other more successful Cabernets in 2009. It is ripe and a bit dry at one and the same time, and it struggles to find a sustained fruity voice. It is moderately tannic but never filled up, and it takes on a touch of dried brush and bark at the finish. Aging cannot fill all of its spaces, but it will nonetheless benefit from a few years of softening. O B A $95.00

** jn SPRING MOUNTAIN VINEYARD Napa Valley 200810% Cabernet Franc; 7% Petit Verdot; 5% Merlot. Insistently fruity and a little more mannerly than either of its two blended mates, this very solid and keenly varietal offering becomes our pick of the Spring Mountain bunch by dint of its depth and fine continuity. It is tannic enough to dissuade drinking right now, yet it is also showing a good deal of layering and a bit of early com-plexity, so while it might need another six to ten years to reach its very best form, it should provide plenty of enjoyment in half that time. 1 B A $75.00* iu SPRING MOUNTAIN VINEYARD Elivette 2008Napa Valley. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13% Cabernet Franc; 6% Merlot: 5% Petit Verdot; 1% Malbec. There is no question but that this sturdy, tannin-framed youngster is a bit of a bruiser and winds up a touch hard and puckery, but, from beginning to end, it is fairly generous and persistent in fruit. While its early plushness is lost along the way, its impressions of well-ripened, oak-sweetened currants and ripe cherries are not, and five years of patience will be duly rewarded. 1 B A $125.00* it SPRING MOUNTAIN VINEYARD Elivette 2007Napa Valley. 84% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Cabernet Franc; 4% Petit Verdot. Density and substance are emphasized over refinement here, and “fruitiness” is not one of the wine’s major traits. Woodsy elements and a certain earthy spice lead the way with hints of chocolate emerging here and there, and while the wine takes a turn to back-palate dryness, hushed notes of ripe

currants and berries still manage to fight through its finishing tannin. Elegance seems beyond its reach, but it will benefit from four or five years of age. 3 B A $125.00

* jl STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Fay 2008Napa Valley. Of the three 2008 Stag’s Leap offerings, the Fay impresses as the deepest and most complete, and, if never an especially brawny or extracted take on Cabernet, it conveys a nice sense of both substance and polish. Like its mates, it has a slight herbal twist to its ongoing themes of loam and cherries, and it similarly follows suit with the same in its supple and very approachable manner. 1 B I $95.00* iu STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS Cask 23 2008Napa Valley. We very much like the way this wine begins, and it may, in fact, turn out to be the winery’s brightest star once a few years have passed, but right now, it veers to dryness and bitter chocolate after leading with lots of ripe fruit and sweet, hardwood-like spice. It winds up a little austere and gritty, and, if its youthful tannins certainly share in the blame, they would be less influential if balanced by a more generous complement of essential fruit. 1 B A $195.00* it STAG’S LEAP WINE CELLARS SLV 2008Napa Valley. There is a distinctly herbal, dried-leaf aspect and an element of green olive to this somewhat soft-spoken effort, and, while not without certain black cherry leanings, the wine is less than boldly fruity. It is fairly supple in feel and underpinned by but modest tannins, and it strikes us as a Cabernet meant for drinking sooner rather than later. 1 B I $125.00ip STEELHEAD Red Sonoma County 200955% Cabernet Sauvignon; 45% Zinfandel. Mild and muted and never quite sure as to just what it is, this wine is a bit of a plain Jane at best, and its strained, vaguely cranberry-like fruitiness is blunted by drying, slightly chalky astringency even if there is not a particular high level of tannin. 1 B I $16.00* it STEPPING STONE Napa Valley 2009By Cornerstone. Cornerstone’s least pricey Cabernet is anything but a simple, entry-level effort, and its combination of rich oak and deep, well-ripened fruit marks it the equal of a good many far more expensive wines. It is nicely proportioned and no more tannic than serious, young Cabernet Sauvignon should be, and, even if slightly soft and hot at the margins, it has good potential for six to eight years of growth. 1 B A $35.00* it SUMMERS Checkmate Napa Valley 200786% Cabernet Sauvignon; 6% Merlot; 4% Petit Verdot; 2% Malbec; 2% Cabernet Franc. Pushy oak relentlessly competes for attention with cassis and cranberry-like fruit at most every stop here, and, while inarguably showy, the wine is at this point also a little at war with itself. Its tannins are pushed by acidity and there is enough heat to notice, but for all of its roughness, it does not let go of fruit. Time is a must, but elegance is not in the offing regardless of age. O B A $100.00* it SUMMERS Reserve Calistoga Napa Valley 2008Just a touch wanting for greater volume and depth, this nicely focused Cabernet features black cherry fruit at the very heart of its very likeable aromas and adds in a hint of red berries as part

106

a wine that will do better with age. Set it aside for at least two or three years with complete confidence that it will develop for several more. O B A $40.00ip WENTE Southern Hills Livermore Valley 2009With a very limited sense of Cabernet fruit and coming up fairly thin once its initial viscosity has passed, this modest effort may count cleanliness as an asset, but it washes out straightway on the palate and lacks the fruity substance to buffer its decidedly chalky astringency. 3 B I $12.00* is WILLIAM HARRISON Rutherford Napa Valley 2007Fairly rich from the first sip to its lasting aftertaste, this wine may be running a bit low on genuine fruit for higher marks but has more than enough for full commendation and to hold itself in fine fettle for the next five years. It is supple with mannerly tannins that do yeoman’s work in keeping it from being too soft at this point in its development yet allow the ripe and invitingly plush flavors to show easily. Mid-term aging would appear the better course with this one. 1 B I $50.00* jl WINSTON HILL Rutherford Napa Valley 2008By Frank Family. 89% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Merlot; 2% Petit Verdot. In 2008, Frank Family’s flagship effort is an impressively filled if still fairly nascent wine whose tantalizing themes of cassis, briar, loam and sweet oak are for the moment overtaken by abrupt and coarsening tannins. That said, it is no tougher than good, young, age-worthy Cabernet is wont to be, and it sports a long and insistent line of confident fruit that will hold it in good stead for the eight to ten years of cellaring that it requires. 1 B A $150.00

** jn WORLD’S END Good Times, Bad Times 2008Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Oakville Napa Valley. If still fairly tight and far from immediately effusive in the nose, this solid, well-structured youngster nonetheless conveys fine cassis-like Cabernet focus right from the start, and its slow-to-unfold aromas and following flavors gain in both complexity and fruity depth as it sits in the glass. It is held back by its youth, yet it is temperate in tannin, and it has the right pieces in just the right places and should make memorable drinking starting some half-dozen years hence. 1 B A $160.00** jm WORLD’S END Crossfire Oakville Napa Valley 2008Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard. There is no question but that this wine’s extravagant, very rich oak is presently a little too forward of everything else, but deep and defined Cabernet fruit is close behind and gradually takes the reins. Fully ripe and very well-balanced, the wine is weighty without being heavy, and, if a little gruff and grippy to finish, it is a sure bet to age into beauty five or six years hence. O B A $130.00* iu WORLD’S END If Six Was Nine Reserve 2009Napa Valley. 10% Merlot; 6% Cabernet Franc. Starting out with a fairly complex nose of ripe cherries, currants, blackberries and caramel, this solid young wine stays right on track with like-minded flavors of expressive, deeply constituted fruit. As should be expected, it is still on the gruff and rather unrefined side but does not empty or dry out as its ample tannins come into play. It shows plenty of room for growth and has the fruity drive to improve for six to ten years. 1 B A $45.00

of its flavor profile. It is medium-full in body and fairly supple in palatefeel with moderate tannins for a bit of late-arriving grip. It will hold in bottle for several years to come and should provide a bit of growth for that patience. 1 B I $59.00iq SUMMERS Calistoga Napa Valley 2009This wine impresses as being compact and somewhat tight in the nose but proves to be merely lighter and lesser in extract once in the mouth. It flirts here and there with fresh herbs and green tea while showing but a bit of reticent fruit. It is taut and fairly stiff in structure, yet it is not a wine that can claim great aging potential. 1 B I $25.00iq TAMARACK Firehouse Red Columbia Valley 200939% Cabernet Sauvignon; 23% Syrah; 11% Cabernet Franc; 12% Merlot; 6% Malbec; 5% Sangiovese; 4% other. It should come as no surprise that defined Cabernet character is not to be found here, and, instead, this wine is a slightly rustic, mid-sized red that hints variously at dark cherries, woodsy spice and a touch of tart berries. It is tannic enough to commend a few years of patience, but it will serve in the near term with hearty beef preparations. 1 B I $16.00

* iu TURNBULL Napa Valley 2008Rather ripe and richly oaked on the front end and fairly tough at the back, this bottling conveys a good sense of fruity extract and mass, but it is not one that will charm anytime soon. Its oh-so-sinewy style commends that it be set aside for a good many years, and, while we do like its richness, we wonder if polish will ever be part of its personality. 1 B A $40.00iq TWENTY ROWS Napa Valley 2009Wispy suggestions of raspberry preserve and an obvious overlay of caramelly oak in the nose momentarily tilt this wine toward sweetness, but the frontal, comparatively narrow flavors that follow are a bit woody and dry, and defined Cabernet fruit is but a fleeting presence. 1 B I $20.00iq VOLKER EISELE Napa Valley 200818% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc. Suggestions of black cherries, dried plums and black walnuts come together in a surprisingly diffuse, limited-fruit-energy set of aromas, and while the wine is tight and dry on the palate, it is also tough, chalky and slightly too astringent for its fruit. Time may soften its coarse edges, but this is not one we would bet on. 1 B I $45.00

* it WENTE Small Lot Livermore Valley 2008Leaning a little to the black-cherry end of the varietal spectrum and sweetened with a fair bit of oak, Wente’s Small Lot bottling is a juicy, fruit-forward rendition with lots of up-front appeal. It is firmed by a good dose of back-palate tannin, however, and it is

107

The question of vintage has not been a central concern for lovers of California Chardonnay. The grape is an early ripener living in an area that has a very long growing season. It is of little matter to Chardonnay that other varieties hang longer on the vine because they are slow by nature. Chardonnay gets it done early, uses the fermenters and then gets out of the way. Even in cold vintages like the 2009 to 2011 seasons, Chardonnay gets it done with relative ease so long as the rains do not get in the way or the heat spikes do not cook the grapes. But, since those three years have had all kinds of unusual events, Chardonnay is not behaving as predictably well as it has in the past. That, in part, accounts for a slight drop in scores in this Issue. And it also explains the somewhat greater variability in the ratings for wines that have heretofore known only greatness. Of course, none of this means that there will be no Chardonnay to drink. The grape grows from north to south and from the very coast to inland protected sites and everything in between. Rest assured, dear readers, there will be plenty of Chardonnay. Much of it will be lighter and higher in acidity, but that trend was already in vogue and these three vintages have made it easier for the transition to occur. Still, California is not Chablis and, for every winery that will make bristlingly acidic Chardonnays, there will be one that produces riper wines with more rounded profiles. And even those fuller, richer wines are seeing their acidity jump up a bit. That trend has been under way for a while now. But, the variability that these there vintages has produced is new to us who have become use to Chardonnay being as predictable as summer sunshine.

iq 2480 Napa Valley 2010By Hollywood and Vine. Fairly full-bodied and showing the weight and viscosity of an ambitious wine, this bottling is far smaller in scale as far as real fruit is concerned. It ultimately offers more feel than flavor, and while we like its finishing balance, it wants a little more stuffing and fruity point. 1 l D $40.00ir ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS 2010Alexander Valley. Among its positive assets, this wine counts clean and constant, green-apple fruit, good palatal weight and a bit of supportive sweet oak, and, even if far from complex, a little soft-leaning in structure and showing a scant touch of late-arriving bitterness, it is a likeable wine and its balance sheet is to the good. 3 l D $18.00* is ANTICA Napa Valley 2010Mid-density aromas of ripe apples with hints of pear and a layer of caramelly oak earn an interested second glance here, and the wine does not disappoint with similarly cast flavors that also show a certain cool-climate, minerally accent. Medium-full in body and somewhat rounded in feel, and thus suggesting a touch more by way of size than fruit depth, this one wants service with fleshier fish like salmon or sword. 3 l D $45.00ir BENZIGER Carneros 2010There is no pretense to drama, no show-stopping extract and no lavish, expensive-barrel extras to be found here, but there is more than a little very precise Chardonnay fruit, and the wine conveys a nice sense of crafting and balance. It will make useful drinking with a wide range of poultry and meaty fish fare, and its straight-ahead juiciness invites sipping on its own.GOOD VALUE 3 C D $16.00io BLACK STALLION Napa Valley 2010Although conveying a certain impression of youthful freshness at first, this soft and underfilled effort delivers little else, and, as clean and easy as it may be on the palate, it is so dilute in taste as to make almost no varietal statement before it soon tails off to slight finishing heat. 3 l D $19.00ir CASTLE ROCK Reserve Russian River Valley 2010Its rich and outgoing nose of sweet apples and toast promises good things to come here, yet this ample wine proves to more rich than fruity in flavor. It is fairly full and slightly oily with the right varietal feel, but it drifts to coarseness and tends to dry out as it goes, and it fails to find quite the right fruity spark to make it wholly complete. 1 l D $18.00iq CASTLE ROCK Barrel-Fermented Central Coast 2010Suggestions of pears and green apples with a hint of a candied

scent and a whiff of lemon zest starts this invitingly priced effort out on the right foot, and it follows on the palate with pleasant, somewhat light, lively and rounded flavors that echo its attractive aromatic beginnings. It is more suited to baked or broiled chicken or lighter white fishes than it is to bolder, deeper flavors but it is never going to disappoint with those types of dishes.GOOD VALUE 3 C D $11.00iq CHAPPELLET Napa Valley 2010Showing a touch of green apple here and a hint of toast there with an occasional note of something a bit floral in its mix, this slightly viscous, moderately full-bodied bottling never quite finds its varietal feet, and it tends to dryness and heat without ever having gone anywhere special. 1 l I $32.00

** jn CHASSEUR Sangiacomo Green Acres Hill 2009Sonoma Coast. Chasseur Chardonnays are rarely if ever wines of fragile grace, and, as the label predicts, this is very much a broad, fully filled working that is high in ripeness, long on rich oak and deep in sweet, juicy fruit. It smacks of baked pears and pie crust, of vanilla and fresh buttered toast, and, just when it threatens to be a little top heavy and too much of a good thing, it surprises with a counterpoint of brisk acid right when needed. It is, in fact, sufficiently well-balanced as to suggest a fair bit of aging potential, but it is so tasty now that waiting will not prove to be all that easy. O l D $48.00** jm CHASSEUR Durell Sonoma Coast 2009From its hazy, slightly golden appearance to its pulpy fruit smells and its plush, full-bodied feel, this is a big, fully ripe Chardonnay that goes for it all and is little concerned with nuance. It would be a little too much but for its good underlying acidity, but it is a sprawling, big-impact wine, and it needs to be saved for the very richest menus. O l D $55.00* iu CHASSEUR Lorenzo Russian River Valley 2009There is no question but that there is plenty of substance and depth to this intense and generously fruited wine, but it is made a little uneven by its very opposite pulls of unabashed ripeness and pert acidity. It starts out with plentiful sweet-pear qualities and gets a big boost from rich oak and slowly firms and picks up a citrusy edge at the finish. It will seem a little less nervous when drunk with richer foods now, but another year or two in the bottle will serve it best. O l I $55.00

108

* jl DAVIS BYNUM Russian River Valley 2010Without question the best Chardonnay to ever appear under this label, this one gets it right in terms of its keen fruity focus, its fine sense of balance and its oak and mineral extras, and all of its pieces are seamlessly fit. It is, withal, a complete package that manages to be both lively and fairly generous at the same time, and, while it should keep comfortably for several years, it is deli-cious right now. Its combination of quality and price are exem-plary and earn it an added measure of attention.GOOD VALUE 1 l D $25.00ir DEEP SEA Central Coast 2009Keyed on a mix of fresh apples and pears with a touch of quiet oak sweetness, this clean and uncomplicated Chardonnay hints at a little more richness in the nose than it ultimately shows on the palate. That said, it is tasty and fruity and very sure of what it is, and, but for a slight drop-off at the finish, it would merit full one-star rating. 3 l D $21.00in DOGWOOD McMinn Vineyards 2010Russian River Valley. This thin, vaguely candied and under-filled wine might be overlooked as simply being innocuous, but its challenging chemical streak and the extreme bitterness that floods through its finish provide it with far more character than we would like. O F D $30.00

ir EFFORT Edna Valley 2009Narrow and less-than-outgoing in the nose and focused on a bit of citrusy, not-quite-ripe fruit, this bottling is, in fact, fairly stiff at this point, and, despite its early roundness, it is a wine whose tighter construction makes it fit for the cellar. It has just enough fruit to suggest better with time, and a wait of one or two years seems in order. 1 l I $22.00* jl EL MOLINO Rutherford 2009Fairly classic in its display of very solid, optimally ripened appley fruit and enriched with rather pushy adjuncts of oak, this ample wine additionally shows a subtle, slightly minerally element that extends throughout its length. It is weighty and well-balanced, and, even if it shows a touch of finishing heat, its many pieces are so comfortably fit that it has fine potential for few years of further improvement. 1 l D $50.00* it ERIC KENT Sonoma Coast 2009Very much a wine of restraint but also one that shows a nice bit of confident Chardonnay fruit and does not try to pass itself off as “refined” when it is in reality simply “skinny”, this racy, mid-sized effort is redolent of fresh apples and blossoms and counts a spry step and a cleansing finish among its assets. It is not one that sprawls, but it will do fine service at the table when halibut or black cod is for dinner. O l D $40.00

* iu FORT ROSS Fort Ross Vineyard Sonoma Coast 2009Moderately ripe with a solid complement of pulpy, apple-like fruit running its length, this plump, yet well-balanced effort is a generous, fairly mouth-filling Chardonnay of real richness and depth. But for the fact that it runs into a bit of oaky astringency and a soupçon of heat at the finish, it would rank higher still, but it will improve with a brief rest in the bottle and come into its own with richer foods. 1 l I $32.00iq FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA The Director’s Cut 2010Russian River Valley. Light, slightly candied and hinting here and there at fresh pears and juicy apples, this frontal, medium-bodied offering is never more than straightforward and simple, but it does taste clearly of Chardonnay and it is as clean as the proverbial whistle. 1 C D $21.00

ip FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA Votre Santé California 2010Rather loosely defined, diminished in richness and a bit tenuous in its hold on distinctive fruit, this cleanly made, slightly dilute look at Chardonnay steers in the direction of green apples and citrus, and it finishes with a lingering, less-than-likeable edge of grapefruity bitterness. 3 l D $14.00

** jm FRANK FAMILY Reserve Lewis Vineyard 2010Carneros Napa Valley. Very much a “reserve” in terms of its overall richness and its lavish appointment of sweet spice, this bottling delivers on very deep Chardonnay fruit as well, and it becomes a complete package rather than one that counts only on its oak. It is full-bodied and supple with an ever-so-slightly oily tactile feel, and it finds fine back-end balance thanks to its inte-gral acidity. It is not, however, a tightly bound wine in need of waiting, and, while it will keep, it will make splendid drinking with flavorful fare now. 1 L D $57.50* iu FRANK FAMILY Napa Valley 2010Showing a nicely composed mix of keen, green-apple fruit and careful oak sweetness in both its youthfully bright nose and its juicy, well-defined flavors, this well-crafted and confident wine hits all the right Chardonnay marks. Its recipe is one that makes for good drinking now, and it will find a comfortable place at the table over the next couple of years with roasted chicken and a wide range of richer seafoods. 1 l D $32.50io GEYSER PEAK Sonoma County 2010Once past a momentary whiff of matchstick in the nose, this one proves to be both sanitary and soulless, and, what might have been a simple and innocuous wine becomes problematic as lin-gering citrus-pith bitterness and a vaguely chemical bite con-verge at the finish. 3 l D $13.00iq GLORIA FERRER Carneros 2008In spite being balanced and properly firm on the palate, this one is showing its lack of stuffing and is starting to fade. Its vestigial fruit sputters and gives way to dryness and a vague note of dried brush, and if the time for drinking has not fully passed, it does not want to be held any longer. 1 l D $18.00in GNARLY HEAD California 2010Finding specific Chardonnay fruit in this small, slick-feeling, fairly dilute effort is a real reach at the least, and, while it may count cleanliness as an asset, it in all ways behaves like the very cheap wine that it is. 3 C D $10.00ir HAVENS Oakville Napa Valley 2009Distinctly pear-like in its fruit and showing a trim of slight sugary sweetness from entry to finish, this rounded, glycerin-smoothed wine comes close to being confected and barely hangs on to its varietal soul. It is, however, nicely balanced and buoyed by lively acidity, and its tilt to candy is made a bit less apparent when it is drunk with a good chill. 1 C D $40.00* iu HIGHFLYER Sierra Madre Vineyard 2009Santa Maria Valley. Although clean and moderately oaky, this one is a little stingy with fruit on first sniff, and its aromas never quite fully unfold, but, once in the mouth, it proves to be better filled and much deeper than expected with solid, well-defined, ripe-apple-and-citrus Chardonnay flavors. A fair bit of lingering oak spice stays step for step with fruit in its lengthy finish, and a richer recipe of well-seasoned pan-grilled salmon should make a perfectly complementary foil. 1 l D $28.00

109

hq HILL Napa Valley 2010Smelling of old apples and half-rotten oranges with a touch of sour milk to the side, this harsh and very bitter wine smacks of spoilage and should be avoided. U $25.00

** jo J Russian River Valley 2010If the so-called “new paradigm” dictates acid instead of fruit and minerality instead of oak, this wine somehow manages to have feet in both camps and comes out very nicely made because it delivers at every level. Its early aromatic reserve leads to a second look that finds precise fruit sitting confidently in solid support of stony, spicy, chalky notes, and, on the palate, as the wine sits in your mouth, its full array of complex, deep and still nascent pieces become undeniably compelling. Despite its ability to charm now, it will grow for another year or two in bottle and will bring all of its parts into fuller view. Do lay a few bottles away.GOOD VALUE 3 l I $28.00* iu LAETITIA Reserve du Domaine 2010Arroyo Grande Valley. Brisk, brightly fruited and confidently keyed on pears and citrus, this very lively youngster is a wine of balanced fullness, and its very sensible oak plays a supporting role to its vital, fermenter-fresh fruit. It is a Chardonnay that can be enjoyed now or later, but we expect a bit of extra range to become apparent with age. 1 l D $30.00ir LAETITITA Estate Arroyo Grande Valley 2010It would be easy enough to dismiss this one as being small and sparse if judged on its nose alone, but, after a fairly tight-fisted beginning, it surprises with deeper, more substantial fruit flavors than billed. It shows a bit of youthful coarseness just now, but a brief stay in the bottle should allow it to both smooth and find a more convincing varietal voice. 1 l D $18.00in LULI Santa Lucia Highlands 2010There are simply too many murky, vaguely chemical distractions getting in the way of this wine’s fruity message to forgive, and, even if clean, the wine is undercut by enough souring acidity to be brittle and less than friendly. 1 l D $20.00io MANZANITA CREEK Foothill Vineyard 2010Sierra Foothills. Dusty and dry in the nose and suggesting a scant touch of cardboard as much as it does any real fruit, this dull and directionless effort is so softly balanced as to seem a bit sweet in taste, and it ends with lingering bitterness outlasting everything else. O C D $32.00* jl MARIMAR La Masía Don Miguel Vineyard 2009Russian River Valley. Marimar Chardonnays are often cast in a firm, fairly tight style, but this one is a bit rounder and slightly more direct in its fruit. It shows a scant citrusy snap beneath its themes of Gala apples and pears, and it gradually takes on a full dose of oak. Its lingering finish of toast and spice is punctuated by a bare touch of heat that is sure to diminish when paired up with the richer foods it requires. 1 l D $35.00ir MARIMAR Acero Don Miguel Vineyard 2010Russian River Valley. Fruit is given free play in this unoaked

bottling, and the wine comes with a little more varietal precision and depth than most of its ilk. It is medium-full-bodied, nicely rounded in feel and gets an enlivening lift from brisk, balancing acidity. It is direct and tasty and is not likely to be any more with age than it is now, but it has the vitality and brightness to keep well for a few years. 3 l D $29.00

** jl McINTYRE Estate Santa Lucia Highlands 2010Complexing elements of roasted grains and buttered toast are attention-getting adjuncts to lots of concentrated, youthfully pert, apple-like fruit in the nose, and the wine follows suit on the palate with very vital young flavors that, while tasty, are still slightly tight and filled with potential. Ripeness is met by fine, firming acids, and the wine is as bright as it is rich, and it has all the right parts in place to impress even more as its unfolds over the next several years. O l I $28.00* jl McINTYRE Estate Block K-1 2010Santa Lucia Highlands. High in ripeness but also high in rich fruit and sweet oak, this sizeable Chardonnay steers away from the leaner, more “minerally” model. It neither makes nor needs apologies for its broad, fully-filled style, for it is as well-balanced as it is rich with fine firming acids warding off so much as a hint of heaviness. It is tasty now, to be sure, but it has the structure to surprise with age. O l I $38.00* is NEWTON Napa County 2010Here is a clean, fairly well-balanced, medium-full-bodied effort that goes straight down the middle of the varietal road, and, if never one for great drama or depth, it earns recommendation by way of its balance, its focus and its honest Chardonnay fruit. It is finished with a wee bit of chalky coarseness just now, but a short rest and service with food will lessen what is otherwise a minor distraction at worst. 3 l D $25.00ir NOVY Rosella’s Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 2010Starting out with a softly oaked, slightly pineappley aroma that suggests aspects of both sweet and tart and following up with fairly direct, similarly minded flavors that show a fair acid tang beneath their sweeter fruit bias, this zesty young wine runs into coarseness and a bit of palpable heat that take it just off the pace for full recommendation. 1 l I $24.00io NOVY Keefer Ranch Vineyard 2010Russian River Valley. This sparsely fruited take on Chardonnay will never be accused of being over the top in ripeness or oak, but even those who decry anything that so much as hints at any excess will admit that minimalism goes too far here. Small, thin, slightly bitter and hinting at sour apples, the wine is oddly tangy and enervated at one and the same time, and it is not one upon whose future we would bet. 1 l D $19.00in PALI Charm Acres Sonoma Coast 2010In spite of its name, this diffuse and ill-defined working conveys little in the way of real charm, and its combination of chemical heat and candied sweetness reminds more of cheap jug wine than of competent Chardonnay. 1 C D $20.00io PARDUCCI Small Lot Blend Mendocino County 2010More reminiscent of limeade than Chardonnay in the nose and colored by the faintest hint of fresh peas, this firm and slightly chalky wine might have the freshness of youth on its side, but it

110

has little else and is empty in all the places that count from first sniff through to its finish. 3 F D $11.00

** jp PAHLMEYER Napa Valley 2010Wonderfully deep and amazingly well-concentrated Chardonnay aromas of ripe apples, tart pears, sweet citrus, rich and lush oak and just about everything else that can fit comfortably into the variety’s best aromas burst from the glass here in an unrestrained and incredibly involving rush. Yet, despite the obvious fullness, richness and range, the wine is quite well-balanced at every stop. Admittedly, some will find this wine too big, too stuffed for their preferences, but for those of us who look for wines of this type to accompany our richest white wine dishes, the search has no need to go any further. 1 L I $70.00** jn PAHLMEYER Sonoma Coast 2010No one is going to find this bottling to be a shrinking violet by any means, and its effusive aromas and coating feel on the palate match up fully with its Napa Valley mate, but if it scores a point or three less, it is only because the finesse of the other is quite amazing for a wine of its great drama. This is also a wine that is writ large, and we would have no hesitation putting it on the table alongside flavorful, very rich white wine dishes now and over the next several years. 1 L I $75.00iq ROBERT YOUNG Alexander Valley 2009The engaging freshness that marks this wine at the beginning is sadly lost along the way, and a bit of dulling dryness and heat gradually work their ways into the picture. Although the wine’s ripe-apple aspects keep it on the varietal path, this one is never overly generous and should not be counted on for appreciable improvement with age. 1 l D $42.00

** jo RODNEY STRONG Reserve Russian River Valley 2009Over the last several years, we have been favorably impressed with Rodney Strong’s Reserve Chardonnays, and this latest opus continues the winery’s string of successes. It leads with a deep, well-fruited nose of juicy apples, crème brulée and subtle notes of sweet blossoms, and it follows with like-minded flavors that show fine youthful vibrancy tied to optimal ripeness. Its firming acidity keeps it as fresh as it is rich, and there is little doubt but that it will age famously. 1 l I $35.00iq ROMBAUER Carneros 2010Rombauer has carved out a popular niche in the market with its very friendly, slightly sweet Chardonnays, and this is one fits the model to a “tee”. While it teases with touches of sweet butter and oak in the nose, it is all about juicy fruit in flavor, and, even if comfortably varietal and eminently quaffable, it strays a little too far into candied softness. 3 C D $32.00iq ROSENBLUM Vintner’s Cuvée California 2009Clean, well-defined, moderately fruity Chardonnay at $12.00 is not an easy find, but this nicely made wine is just that. It may be a little too “scrubbed” and simple and it does not impress with any broad-reaching complexity or keen sense of place, but it is a tasty and affable drink that gets the job done at the price.GOOD VALUE 3 l D $12.00

iq RUSTRIDGE Estate Bottled Chiles Valley 2008Napa Valley. This uneven wine seems to head off into many directions at once, and, if fairly fruity and obviously ripened, it is also oddly angular and edgy as well. Its frontal richness comes at the cost of a lot of back-palate coarseness, and its burning finish is hard to like. 1 l D $43.00iq SARAH’S VINEYARD Santa Cruz Mountains 2010Mildly peachy and hinting ever so slightly at a touch of tropical sweetness at first, this rounded, not-quite-concentrated wine proves to be a bit less in the mouth than it is in the nose. Still, it is clean and continuous, and service with simply broiled fish will temper its tangy finish. O l D $25.00iq SARAH’S VINEYARD Estate Santa Clara Valley 2010A slightly weightier, more fully fleshed wine than its mate from the Santa Cruz Mountains, the winery’s Estate Chardonnay is nonetheless a bit stinting in fruit and is governed as much by ripeness as it is by anything else. It flattens and dries en route to a coarse and lackluster finish, and, even if young, it is one that wants drinking soon. O l D $30.00iq SARAH’S VINEYARD Central Coast 2009Showing the same faint herbal accents that appear in its year-younger mate and similarly colored by a close-to-bitter note of citrusy tartness in the latter going, this bottling is buoyed by a scant bit more fruit and hints at pineapples and peaches. It is bothered by back-end coarseness just now, and it might benefit from another year of age. 1 l D $20.00ip SARAH’S VINEYARD Central Coast 2010Distant suggestions of oak and wispy notes of herbs and dried citrus peel sit lightly atop a bit of ripe, but unfocused fruit here, and the wine is slightly hollow and underfilled throughout its modest length with a trailing touch of citrus-zest bitterness to its finish. 1 l D $20.00im SARAH’S VINEYARD Santa Cruz Mountains 2009Dry and dried-out in the nose with nary a hint of evident fruit, this unwieldy working is viscous to start and stiffly acidic at the end with a gaping hole in its middle. It in all ways behaves like a wine that is much older than it is, and its time for drinking has already passed. O l D $25.00

** jm SCOTT FAMILY Dijon Clone Arroyo Seco 2010This exceptionally well-made wine exhibits keen Chardonnay focus with excellent balance and depth rarely seen at the price. It is at once both substantial and vital with tremendous staying power on the palate, and its layered flavors build and build as they go. Its generous measure of sweet oak never threatens to overtake its incisive, long-lasting fruit, and it ranks among the very best Chardonnay values in today’s marketplace.GOOD VALUE 1 l D $25.00ir SEBASTIANI Carneros 2009Sporting a subtle of suggestion of sweet, crème brulée oak but essentially focused on brisk and vital young Chardonnay fruit, this wine is not so much about substance and size as it is about proportion and balance. It could, in truth, do with a little more fruity extract as a counter to its touch of finishing bitterness, but its varietal bearings are never lost. 1 l D $25.00

111

ip SEBASTIANI Sonoma County 2010It is not so much that this very squeaky clean wine does anything wrong, it is just that it does too little right. Its pear-like fruit shows a slight edge of candied confection, and there is little evidence oak. It is nicely rounded, but it wants for vitality and length, and its varietal voice is a whisper. 3 C D $13.00* it SILVERADO Carneros 2009Silverado Chardonnays have typically impressed us a being fairly tight and at times heading to austere, but this vibrant, brightly balanced effort is fleshed out with lots of well-defined fruit and shows the clear difference between being lively and simply stiff and acidic. It is a sleek and snappy wine with careful highlights of spice and stones, and, while it will drink famously now with sundry broiled fish dishes, it has room to grow for a couple of more years. 3 l I $25.00in SILVERADO Napa Valley 2009Whatever fruity expression this very firm and coarsely textured wine might have is damped down by an insistent, slightly chalky, chemical streak that starts in its matchsticky nose and lasts all the way through its bitter finish. 1 L D $25.00ip STEELE Steele Cuvée California 2008This small and limited wine is fairly sparing in fruit, and, while its scattered suggestions of pears and citrus might pass for varietal character, its flirtations with something a bit acrid in the nose make for a less-than-appealing start, and it finishes with a slight bitter bite. 1 l D $18.00io SUMMERS La Nude Alexander Valley 2009Troubled right from the start by a distinct matchsticky note in the nose and similarly bothered by a slightly burning chemical edge to its narrow, somewhat stretched flavors, this tight and ungiving wine may or may not be helped by further age, but we are not betting on its chances. 1 l D $20.00* iu TESTAROSSA Dos Rubios Vineyard 2010Santa Lucia Highlands. Loaded with concentrated, ripe-apple fruit, accented with touches of roasted nuts and brimming with sweet oak, this full-bodied working shows an extra measure of toasty, roasted-grain richness at most every stop. Its somewhat unctuous style tags it is a wine to avoid with delicate fare, and it will want drinking with the richest lobster and sauced-salmon recipes in the mid-term. O l D $39.00* jl TESTAROSSA Santa Cruz Mountains 2010This rich and well-composed wine sports plenty of gregarious young fruit along with a nicely measured complement of sweet, slightly caramelly oak. Fleshy and full, always well-balanced and showing fine finishing length, it stops well short of being too much, and its mannered richness makes it one that will be easy to enjoy throughout a meal. O l D $32.00ir THE TERRACES Napa Valley 2010Fresh, lightly candied with intimations of lemon drops in its mild and somewhat reticent nose, this wine follows with very direct, vaguely tropical fruit flavors that are largely defined by a fair bit of frontal sweetness. It is a tasty and unchallenging wine that is easy to gulp in it youth, but it is as owing to sugar as much as to classic Chardonnay fruit. 1 C D $25.00* iu TALBOTT Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 2010Santa Lucia Highlands. Scents of fresh-picked Gala apples are

met by those of lemon blossoms, toast and vanilla in the light but very precise aromas of this engaging young wine, and what you smell is just what you get in its flavors. It is full-bodied, firm and finished with crisp, cleansing acidity that contributes both brightness and length, and, while it will make fine drinking now with simply grilled salmon or swordfish, it has clear potential for a few years of growth. 1 l I $40.00iq TALBOTT Kali Hart Monterey 2010Fairly dry on the nose with suggestions of burnt wood off to the side of its relatively restrained fruit, this bottling fares just a bit better once in the mouth and finds a little more fruity direction. It is, however, still on the narrow and skimpy side, and its last-minute bitterness does it no favors. 1 l D $19.00ip TALBOTT Logan Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 2010Santa Lucia Highlands. Vaguely citrusy and faintly appley, but, in the main, fairly nondescript, Talbott’s Logan comes up short on fruity definition and heart, but its combination of heat and hard-ness and its slightly bitter, citrus-pith finish earn it less-than-average marks. 1 l D $22.50* is VALLEY OF THE MOON Sonoma Coast 2010Straightforward fruit is the main theme of this nicely balanced middleweight, and, if never a Chardonnay of extravagance or head-turning depth, it is solidly on the varietal track. It exhibits elements of fresh apples, citrus and stones with a light overlay of sweet oak, and its finish is punctuated with a touch of lime. It will keep well for several years, but it is ready to go now.GOOD VALUE 3 l I $16.00

* is VENGE Maldonado Vineyard Dijon Clones 2010Napa Valley. Juicy, easy-to-like ripe-apple and pear fruitiness is the star player of this uncomplicated, but very easy to like wine, and its modest complements of sweet oak always stay quietly in the wings. A touch on the soft side and all the more accessible for it, this is one that needs little in the way of age and shows all that it is now, and it will make dandy drinking this Summer with chicken hot off the grill. O l D $39.00iq WENTE Riva Ranch Arroyo Seco Monterey 2010This wine’s good balance saves it from drifting into a soft, mushy effort, but there is no getting away from the fact that it is on the sweet side and that its green apple fruit and bright acidity comes face to face with a distinctly softer underbelly. Still, it is likely to work with dishes like twice-cooked pork if not highly spiced or carnitas if the salsa is not hot. 3 C D $20.00iq WILLIAMS SELYEM Drake Estate Vineyard 2009Russian River Valley. As much as we are impressed with the very fine Pinot Noirs from this producer, this weighty, yet oddly focused Chardonnay leaves us a little confused and wanting for more in the way of clear-cut fruit. It smacks of scorched citrus oil and is slightly dry at its heart, and, while not lacking in acid, it is not as vital as it could be. O l D $60.00ir WINDERLEA Willamette Valley 2009Fairly subdued in the nose but fresh and perfectly clean with a slight touch of toast to its muted themes of apples and pears, this wine emphasizes bright, faintly candied fruit in its frontal, easy-to-taste flavors with quiet accents of oak to the side. Its finish is colored ever so slightly by a bit of chalky bitterness, but service with appropriately mild dishes will do yeoman’s service in masking its minor distractions. 1 l D $32.00

Best Buys in the Market

Connoisseurs’ Series

112

** Benovia Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyards 2009, ** Peju Merlot Napa Valley 2008, ** Rock Wall Zinfandel Stagecoach Vineyard 2009

and ** Rock Wall Petite Sirah Gamble Ranch Rutherford 2009.

Created by the California Wine Club exclusively for Connoisseurs’

Guide readers, and featuring only our two-star and three-star

selections, the CONNOISSEURS’ SERIES wine-of-the month club

makes hard to get wines available for you. Featured this month are:

Sauvignon Blanc has traditionally been a category that offers up a fair share of good values as our recent tast-

ings have confirmed once again. At the top of this month’s list of Best Buys, the refined * 90-point QUIVIRA Fig Tee Vineyard Dry Creek Valley 2010 ($18.00) is a complex and deeply filled wine brimming with citrus,

sage, smoke. The * VOSS Napa Valley 2010 ($17.00) continues the winery’s winning ways with a well-bal-

anced mix of varietal herbaceousness and ample fruit, while the decidedly grassy * HILL Napa Valley 2010

($18.00) is briskly balanced and long on energy. Those favoring the grape’s grassy side should also check out

the zesty * GREENWOOD RIDGE Anderson Valley 2010 ($18.00), while the * HUSCH La Ribera Vineyards Mendocino 2010 ($14.00) gets good marks for its insistent, lightly lemony fruit and its fine sense of structure.

We are especially pleased with the rounded, well-filled * CHATEAU ST. JEAN Fumé Blanc Sonoma County 2009 ($13.00), and the blossomy, fruit-focused * ROCK WALL Lake County 2010 ($15.00) hits the mark for

real value as well. Finally, if not quite reaching full * recommendation, the very mannerly, lightly toasty

TANGENT Edna Valley 2010 ($13.00) does a nice job at the price, and the nervy and buoyant COVEY RUN Columbia Valley 2010 ($9.00) is

nothing short of an out and out steal.

Last month’s look at Syrah belied any idea that the variety is suffering from a serious dearth of quality exam-

ples in California, and, while we were impressed with many first-rate new releases, we were also pleased at

the outstanding value offered by some. While it may not be cheap, the ** JC CELLARS Fess Parker’s Vine-yard Santa Barbara County 2009 ($30.00) is a serious Syrah whose extraordinary richness is unmatched by

most any red wine at the price, and the powerful, intensely spicy ** LAETITIA Estate Arroyo Grande Valley 2009 ($25.00) hits all the right varietal marks. An additional noteworthy wine, the ripe, well-polished and

very complex, 90-point * JC CELLARS Smoke and Mirrors California 2009 ($25.00) reaffirms winemaker

Jeff Cohn’s place among the State’s outstanding Syrah producers, and the bold and brash * HIGHFLYER Centerline California 2008 ($20.00) is recommended to those who like Syrahs with plenty of strength. Last,

but far from least, the keenly defined and generously filled * VENTANA Arroyo Seco 2008 ($18.00) wins

especially enthusiastic endorsement for its ample fruit, its involving complexity and its very comfortable price.

Much as Syrah has been underappreciated of late, murmurs about the death of Merlot are without a great deal

of basis. Not only is Merlot alive and well and continues to be responsible for lots of plush and eminently

affable red wines, it often affords outstanding value when measured against its high-ticket Cabernet cousins.

As a case in point, the very supple, full-bodied * McINTYRE Kimberly Vineyard Arroyo Seco 2009 ($19.00)

is an utterly delicious wine rife with dark cherries and filled out with just the right bit of sweet oak, and the

similarly sensibly priced * SEBASTIANI Alexander Valley 2009 ($19.00) is sure to win favor from those who

fancy Merlots on the plush, slightly riper end of the varietal spectrum. Washington State’s COLUMBIA CREST WINERY checks in with a pair of particularly noteworthy values, and both the juicy, distinctly cherry-like H3 Horse Heaven Hills 2009 ($15.00) and the slightly lighter, very graceful Columbia Valley 2008 ($15.00)

deserve serious consideration from price-conscious fans of the grape, and, while finishing a scant step back

from * award, the eminently likeable NAPA CREEK Napa Valley 2007 ($13.00) is a lithe, well-fruited Merlot that outperforms at the price.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

MERLOT

SYRAH

Write to us at PO Box V, Alameda, CA 94501. Our phone is 510-865-3150. Fax: 510-865-4843. Email: cgcw@aol.com. Web: www.cgcw.com.

April 2012 Index

iq2480NapaValley 2010 irALEXANDERVALLEYVYDSAlexVly 2010* isANTICANapaValley 2010GV irBENZIGERCarneros 2010 ioBLACKSTALLIONNapaValley 2010 irCASTLEROCKReserveRussianRiver 2010GV iqCASTLEROCKBarrel-FermCentralCst 2010 iqCHAPPELLETNapaValley 2010** jnCHASSEURSangiacomoGreenAcres 2009** jmCHASSEURDurellSonomaCoast 2009* iuCHASSEURLorenzoRussianRiver 2009*GVjlDAVISBYNUMRussianRiverValley 2010 irDEEPSEACentralCoast 2009 inDOGWOODMcMinnVineyards 2010 irEFFORTEdnaValley 2009* jlELMOLINORutherford 2009* itERICKENTSonomaCoast 2009* iuFORTROSSFortRossVineyard 2009 iqFRANCISCOPPOLATheDirector’sCut 2010 ipFRANCISCOPPOLAVotreSanté 2010** jmFRANKFAMILYReserveLewisVineyard 2010* iuFRANKFAMILYNapaValley 2010 ioGEYSERPEAKSonomaCounty 2010 iqGLORIAFERRERCarneros 2008 inGNARLYHEADCalifornia 2010

irHAVENSOakvilleNapaValley 2009* iuHIGHFLYERSierraMadreVineyard 2009 hqHILLNapaValley 2010** joJRussianRiverValley 2010* iuLAETITIAReserveduDomaine 2010 irLAETITITAEstateArroyoGrandeValley 2010 inLULISantaLuciaHighlands 2010 ioMANZANITACREEKFoothillVineyard 2010* jlMARIMARLaMasíaDonMiguelVyd 2009 irMARIMARAceroDonMiguelVineyard 2010** jmMcINTYREEstateSantaLuciaHighlands 2010* jlMcINTYREEstateBlockK-1 2010* isNEWTONNapaCounty 2010 irNOVYRosella’sVineyard 2010 ioNOVYKeeferRanchVineyard 2010 inPALICharmAcresSonomaCoast 2010 ioPARDUCCISmallLotBlendMendocino 2010** jpPAHLMEYERNapaValley 2010** jnPAHLMEYERSonomaCoast 2010 iqROBERTYOUNGAlexanderValley 2009** joRODNEYSTRONGReserveRussianRiver 2009 iqROMBAUERCarneros 2010GV iqROSENBLUMVintner’sCuvéeCalifornia 2009 iqRUSTRIDGEEstateBottledChilesValley 2008 iqSARAH’SVINEYARDSantaCruzMtns 2010

iqSARAH’SVINEYARDEstateSantaClara 2010 iqSARAH’SVINEYARDCentralCoast 2009 ipSARAH’SVINEYARDCentralCoast 2010 imSARAH’SVINEYARDSantaCruzMtns 2009** jmSCOTTFAMILYDijonCloneArroyoSeco 2010 irSEBASTIANICarneros 2009 ipSEBASTIANISonomaCounty 2010* itSILVERADOCarneros 2009 inSILVERADONapaValley 2009 ipSTEELESteeleCuvéeCalifornia 2008 ioSUMMERSLaNudeAlexanderValley 2009* iuTALBOTTSleepyHollowVineyard 2010 iqTALBOTTKaliHartMonterey 2010 ipTALBOTTLoganSleepyHollow 2010* iuTESTAROSSADosRubiosVineyard 2010* jlTESTAROSSASantaCruzMountains 2010 irTHETERRACESNapaValley 2010*GVisVALLEYOFTHEMOONSonomaCoast 2010* isVENGEMaldonadoVydDijonClones 2010 iqWENTERivaRanchArroyoSeco 2010 iqWILLIAMSSELYEMDrakeEstate 2009 irWINDERLEAWillametteValley 2009

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

CHARDONNAY

113

** jn2480NapaValley 2008* isADELAIDAChelleMountainVineyard 2008 iqALEXANDRIANICOLEAlderdale 2009** jmALPHAOMEGAEraNapaValley 2008 ipAMIZETTATerracedHillsideEstate 2009 iqANCIENTPEAKSOysterRidge 2008* isATLASPEAKNapaValley 2008 ipATLASPEAKMountVeeder 2006** jpAURIELLENapaValley 2008*GVitBENZIGERSonomaCounty 2008 inBISHOP’SPEAKPasoRobles 2008 iqBLACKSTALLIONNapaValley 2009* itCALLUNAEstateRedWineChalkHill 2009* itCALLUNAEstateRedWineChalkHill 2008 irCALLUNATheColonel’sVineyard 2009** jnCAYMUSNapaValley 2009** jmCAYMUSSpecialSelectionNapaValley 2009 iqCHAIXRutherfordNapaValley 2009* isCHAPPELLETMountainCuvée 2009GV irCH.STE.MICHELLEColumbiaValley 2009 irCH.STE.MICHELLECanoeRidge 2009 iqCH.STE.MICHELLEEthosReserve 2008 iqCLOSDUVALStagsLeapDistrict 2007 iqCLOSDUVALNapaValley 2009** jmCLOSPEGASENapaValley 2008** joCORNERSTONETheCornerstone 2009* iuCORNERSTONEHowellMountain 2009* isCORNERSTONENapaValley 2009* iuCREOClajeuxVineyardChalkHill 2007* iuDOGWOODMeritageMendocino 2007* itDOGWOODMendocino 2007 iqFAZELIKhayyamCalifornia 2008 ipFOREFRONT92%NapaCounty 2009*GVisF.F.COPPOLADirector’s 2009 iqF.F.COPPOLAClaretDiamondSeries 2009 ipGEYSERPEAKAlexanderValley 2008 irGIRARDNapaCounty 2009* jlGRGICHHILLSEstateNapaValley 2008 iqHANNAHNICOLESonomaValley 2009* iuHEDGESRedMountain 2008

* itHESSCOLLECTION19BlockCuvee 2008 irHIDDENRIDGE55%SlopeSonoma 2007 iqHILLNapaValley 2009** jmIMAGERYEstateSonomaValley 2008* itJARVISReserveNapaValley 2006 iqJARVISNapaValley 2006* itJASON-STEPHENSMontebelloRoad 2007 irJASON-STEPHENSMontebelloRoad 2006 irJASON-STEPHENSTheBlend 2007 irJASON-STEPHENSSantaClaraEstate 2009 ioJASON-STEPHENSEstateMeritage 2007 iqKENWOODSonomaCounty 2009* isKORBINKAMERONSonomaMountain2006 irKORBINKAMERONCuvéeKristin 2007 ipLAVACAPElDorado 2009 iqL’ECOLENo.41ColumbiaValley 2008* isLYETHChronologyGrandReserve 2009 ipMILBRANDTTraditionsColumbiaValley 2009 irPEJUNapaValley 2008* iuPINERIDGENapaValley 2009* iuPINERIDGEOakvilleNapaValley 2009* it PINERIDGEWINERYStagsLeapDistrict 2009 irPINERIDGERutherfordNapaValley 2009* jlPRIESTRANCHNapaValley 2009* itPRIMEMidoriyaHillsVineyard 2008 irPRIMEDistrict4NapaValley 2008* itPURECOZNapaValley 2007* itPURECRUNapaValley 2007 irROBERTYOUNGScionAlexanderValley 2008* itROCKPILERockpileRidgeVineyard 2009 ir ROCKWALLNapaValley 2009** jmRODNEYSTRONGSymmeteryMeritage 2008** jmRODNEYSTRONGReserve 2008* isRODNEYSTRONGSonomaCounty 2009 ioROSENBLUMVintner’sCuvée 2009* isROUNDPONDRutherfordNapaValley 2009 ipROUNDPONDNapaValley 2009* isRUEDDryCreekValley 2007* itRUSTRIDGEChilesValleyNapaValley 2006 iqSARAPOElenaNapaValley 2009

* iuSCARLETTMcGahFamilyVineyards 2008* iuSCHUGHeritageReserve 2007 iqSCHUGSonomaValley 2008* isSEBASTIANISecoloSonomaCounty 2008 ipSEBASTIANISonomaCounty 2008** jmSHAFERHillsideSelectStagsLeap 2007* iuSIGNATERRAThreeBlocks 2008* itSILVERADOSoloStagsLeapDistrict 2009 iqSILVERADONapaValley 2008* itSIMILandslideVineyardAlexander 2007** jpSODAROEstateBlendNapaValley 2008* itSODAROFelicityNapaValley 2008** jnSOJOURNProprietaryCuvée 2009** jmSOJOURNSpringMountainDistrict 2009* itSOJOURNHomeRanchVineyard 2009 irSOJOURNGeorgesIIIVineyard 2009** jnSPRINGMOUNTAINVYDNapaValley 2008* iuSPRINGMOUNTAINVYDElivette 2008* itSPRINGMOUNTAINVYDElivette 2007* jlSTAG’SLEAPWINECELLARSFay 2008* iuSTAG’SLEAPWINECELLARSCask23 2008* itSTAG’SLEAPWINECELLARSSLV 2008 ipSTEELHEADRedSonomaCounty 2009* itSTEPPINGSTONENapaValley 2009* itSUMMERSCheckmateNapaValley 2007* itSUMMERSReserveCalistoga 2008 iqSUMMERSCalistogaNapaValley 2009 iqTAMARACKFirehouseRed 2009* iuTURNBULLNapaValley 2008 iqTWENTYROWSNapaValley 2009 iqVOLKEREISELENapaValley 2008* itWENTESmallLotLivermoreValley 2008 ipWENTESouthernHillsLivermoreValley 2009* isWILLIAMHARRISONRutherford 2007* jlWINSTONHILLRutherfordNapaValley 2008** jnWORLD’SENDGoodTimes,BadTimes 2008** jmWORLD’SENDCrossfireOakville 2008* iuWORLD’SENDIfSixWasNineReserve 2009