Sonoma County

• Alexander Valley
• Bennett Valley
• Best of Sonoma
• Dry Creek Valley
• Fort Ross/Seaview
• Moon Mountain
• Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
• Russian River Valley
• Sonoma Coast
• Sonoma Mountain
• Sonoma Valley
• Knights Valley

This is a few steps up from the regular bottling (which is also a great value).  Pricing can vary greatly on these so it pays to shop around.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is gorgeous with cassis, leather, earthiness, smoke and dark chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis, black cherries, with intertwines earthiness and char.  Nice finish.  This is still young of course, but drinking beautifully.  Lush with depth and some complexity.  This is drinking great now, but should continue to drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  Wonderful

For those who dismiss California Pinots as bombastic, this is proof they don't have to be.  Sure, it is kissed with sunshine, but this has a lovely elegance in addition to its power.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, slight plums and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the black cherries and cherries come thru with a bit of earthiness underneath.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is in a great place but willl continue to mature for another  five to ten and be good for another ten to fifteen after that.  It will work well w

A delightful Sauvignon Blanc from this top Red Wine producer.  Green/gold in color.  A bit cloudy.  Great nose of grapefruits, spice and lemons.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, grapefruit with a slight minty note.  Good acidity.  Dry.  This drinks great young but will certainly age for five to seven years.  Great on its own.  A nice pairing with lighter salads and veggie dishes.  

Always a great value in Cal Cabs and very consistent over the years.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis and smoke.  On the palate, this is very smooth.  Nice cassis fruit.  Very solid.  Nice finish.  Drink this over the next five years.  It will work great with grilled foods.  

A nice showing for this Cab which is drinking well but may yet improve.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with nice cassis fruit and some baking spice.  On the palate, it presents as black cherry candy.  Delicious.  Medium tannins.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next ten to twelve years.  A nice wine with chili.  

A consistent good value Cab from Sonoma.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has sweet cassis fruit.  On the palate, this is drinking easy and well.  Tasty.  Juicy cassis.  Very clean.  Nice finish.  This should be drunk over the next few years.  It will go well with burgers off the grill.  

This one started slow but opened with some air.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, clay, a bit of tobacco and a slight floral note.  Full bodied.  Bright acidity.  Firm tannins.  Flavors of cassis with underlying tobacco.  Long finish.  This still needs a few more years to full come together and will likely merit a higher score at that time.  It is very good today, but considering the cost, a few more years of patience of a six hour decant is not a bad idea.  This drinks nicely on its own and would be great with prime rib.  

Great showing for this wine that has taken quite some time to finally open and come around.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis with slight baking spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is initially tight, but unwinds in the glass. Juicy cassis fruit.  It seems still youthful although approaching maturity.  There is depth and intensity and energy to this wine.  Nice finish.  Drinking great now but a little air helps.  It should drink well for ten to twelve more years.  Nice on its own, it would work well with a steak.   

This is a proprietary red Bordeaux blend from Sonoma.  David Ramey was the consulting winemaker.  At age 16, this is drinking beautifully.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose show cassis, cherries, slight black olives, chocolate and slight spice.  Medium to full bodied.  It is delicious.  Big ripe fruit but also some complexity.  Firm tannins.  Nice depth.  Mostly black cherry fruit but some cassis.  Long finish.  I tasted this with a bunch of Sonoma Cabs, so this may have benefited from being a bit different.  Still, is drinking at peak not but should be at this level for at lea

This is an outstanding value in Cabernet.