For over 50 years Chalk Hill Winery has been at the forefront of Sonoma wines. Their Windy Ridge Sauvignon Blanc is a testament to the Chalk Hill AVA. Harvested from a single block and using clone 378, this offers soft passion fruit, lemon-lime citrus, light resin, honeydew melon, apricot and quince. It also offers a solid minerality throughout the wine. Shying away from the more grassy iterations, this feels like an “adult” Sauvignon Blanc, more restrained and complementary to a diversity of foods.

Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  On the nose black cherries, dust, some cherries and tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  Silky texture.  Black cherry fruit with some underlying forest floor.  Tight and tannic.  This seems riper than other vintages but also seems very closed.  Eventually it opened up after a couple of hours in the glass.  Maybe hold for a couple years and drink for ten after that.  It will work better with food.  Maybe Potato Tortelli would be a nice match young.  

Ruby/purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is earthy/sweaty socks along with cherries and slight anise.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Lovely texture.  On the palate, cherries and tea leaves.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  There is a nice depth as well.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  It would work well with Braised meat and pasta.

Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a "dusty attic" quality to it along with cherries.  Light bodied.  On the palate, light tannins.  Cherries turning a bit candied on the finish.  Good acidity.  This is a bit lighter in style but still true to its Chianti roots.  Better with food than on its own.  This would be nice with a creamy Tuscan Chicken dish.  

Ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is earthy with cherries, sandalwood and smoke.  Good acidity.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cherries with some char.  Nice finish.  This wine will work better with food.  A great choice with a plate of pasta.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is a Chardonnay from Umbria..  While I have its big brother, this was my first time trying this bottling.  Hay/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with gun powder, lemons, slight grapefruits and butterscotch.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, lemon cream and toast.  Good finish.   Certainly some oak here, but not as much as its big brother.  This drinks easy and is a good value for people who like a slightly oaky Chardonnay.  Drink over the next few years.  

A very nice way to start an evening especially with a crowd.  Silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  A nice mousse with medium bubbles.  On the nose, an effervescent lemon/lime quality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is dry with minerality and lime notes.  A bit of lemon hard candy on the finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with most foods.  Drink now.  

This is one of the best values in wine.  It is basically a blend of the better barrels that didn't make it into the varietal or vineyard designated wines.  In fact, the Sineann Red Table Wine (also a great value) gets the wine that didn't make it into the Abondante.

Stood the bottle up for a couple of weeks.  Decanted for sediment and immediately served.  Purple/black in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with chocolate covered raisins, slight raspberries and a hint of gravel.  Full bodied.  Lightly sweet.  Complex and deep.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Chocolate, raspberries and slight cherries.  Some heat on the long finish.  This is great on its own or would be nice with a chocolate dessert.  Drink over the next decade or so.  

2017 was a challenging vintage between the heat, the rain and the fires, yet, many wineries were able to dodge those and make excellent wines especially in Sonoma.  This is one of the good ones.  It is also a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 18% Syrah added which appears to make a bit more accessible but also give it some depth.  Inky purple in color, thing ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black raspberries, clay, spice and slight cedar notes.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is a high energy wine with a lot going on.  Cassis, chocolate and slight underlyi