The 2021 Opus One is brilliant and I think one of the finest wines made from this estate. Deep ruby/purple-hued, with a gorgeous perfume of cassis, darker raspberries, spicy oak, and obvious minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, lots of ripe tannins, and a great finish. It shines on all accounts and is complex, nuanced, textured, and beautifully balanced. It will have 30 years of prime drinking. Drink 2023‑2053. Rated 97. ‑ Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com December, 2023

Some years back, back before the pandemic, during a spirited lunch at our favorite French watering hole, Chez Nous, Darcie Jane wryly observed that there was a dearth of women working here at the shop. She then suggested that she personally help staunch that inequality. She's been here pretty much since. Nowadays, you can barely find a boy in the building. The girls rule the roost. But we're talking about a wine here. A wine that just happens to be called The Girls In The Vineyard. The girls are, in this case, and endearingly, the vines. In fact, though, and to be sure, vitis vinifera are hermaphroditic, but let's not let that get in the way of a good yarn. According to owners Rob & Kat McDonald, it's probably an Aussie thing (his) or an American south thing (hers) to refer to the vines in this way, but now firmly transplanted to California. Produce of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, mostly from Red Hills, Lake County with a scoche from Oakville, Napa Valley. Deep dark ruby in color; quite Cabernet in aroma with notes of graphite, cool minty plum and dusty vineyard floor (Rob & Kat note more typical Cabernet Sauvignon descriptors like cassis, currant and the deepest darkest cherry; our wine buyer noted that special sense of petrichor that comes when rainfall hits the warm/parched vineyard floor; Brian noted bramble and berry; Henry noted tobacco leaf); cool and sophisticated onto the tongue, even if we know it to be ever so budget‑friendly this comes off as of a higher pedigree; and with air the wine demonstrates a more velvety rich texture, with fine gently chewy tannins that give lift and freshness, carrying sappy fruit flavors that last long and fresh on the finish. Were it a French wine, the marketing would be a cinch —  cherchez les femmes! As it is, this is a California girl. But, then, given the current administration's tariffs, we might well wish they all could be California girls.

Scot Bilbro has taken over for his late father and his brothers and is now running the show at Marietta Cellars. Seventy‑five is now the counting of the lots. The wine is tweaked ever so slightly drier than in the past, perhaps now ever the more appealing to both west coast and European wine tastes. Produced mainly from Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, with a touch of Grenache and Barbera for freshness/brightness, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for savoriness; alluring deep ruby/purple in color, with Zinfandel‑influenced aromas suggesting dark ripe juicy berries and grape pomace with hints of the parched dusty northern California vineyard floor; at once fresh and vibrant, smooth and sapid on the tongue with just an inkling of fine‑grained tannins that keep it all on the up and over.

Produce of 99% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Semillon fruit from Napa County and Lake County harvested during cooler nighttime and early morning temperatures to preserve the inherently fresh aromas and flavors of this French transplant to California. Pristine platinum/yellow in color with aromas suggestive of honeysuckle, stone fruits and perhaps a hint of fennel (Honig themselves note orange blossom, jasmine, white peach and citrus); slips effortlessly onto the tongue, ever so gently tactile and perfectly rounded on the mid‑palate, followed by fresh citrusy acidity with notable intensity of flavor; finishing both ample and fresh and cajoling another delicious pull.

The Whole Shebang is a wine made entirely by the crew at Bedrock Wine Co., intended to offer "authentic Californian deliciousness" at a most reasonable price. The fruit comes from old vineyards that Bedrock are rehabilitating along with younger vine parcels and barrels of Bedrock wines that do not make the cut for their spiffier/spendier bottlings. Produce of an inspired mingling of Zinfandel, Carignan, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mataro, and other compatible varieties, this Seventeenth Cuvée of The Whole Shebang is a limpid ruby in color to just garnet at the edges with aromas suggesting berries, spice and the parched northern California vineyard floor (Henry noted one could smell the very California sunshine in the glass); medium to medium full in body, nicely rounded in texture the discreetly grapey and gently grippy on the tongue, warm and impactful, long and flavorful, too; this is a real red wine that will appeal to folks who prefer honesty in wine production over marketing puffery and frippery. And at its very modest price, it will give a boost to the old wine budget as well.

According to Gundlach-Bundschu and, although there are no mountains in Bordeaux (there certainly are in Sonoma), this is a « Bordeaux‑obsessed blend » of 60% Merlot, 26% Malbec and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon; forward Sonoma County claret aromas of fleshy ripe dusty berries, baking spices, a hint of sagebrush, graphite and the parched vineyard floor; smooth and polished onto the tongue with effusive flavor and energy to spare (Biz riffed blueberry pie on the palate); then gently gripping with finely resolved tannins that keep the flavor coming; put this one in your batch of weeknight California red wine values; it delivers far more than its humble price would suggest.

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Affinity is a terrific entry-level offering from Robert Craig. Floral overtones and vibrant acids lend lovely polish to match the Affinity's mid-weight personality. This is so well balanced. Most of this fruit is from young vines on Howell Mountain. Drink 2025‑2032. Rated 92. ‑ Antonio Galloni, vinous.com December, 2024

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain District) is unusually deep and quite potent, yet it also retains a measure of silkiness that is palpable. Dark red/purplish fruit, blood orange, mocha, espresso and dried flowers all race cross the palate. This virile Spring Mountain Cabernet delivers the goods. Drink 2025‑2033. Rated 95. ‑ Antonio Galloni, vinous.com December, 2023

The Martinelli family have been farming their estate vineyards since the 1880s and are today 6th generation winegrowers. Their reputation as such in Sonoma County has been and remains solid. Their Bella Vigna Pinot Noir is a selection from the Martinelli estate vineyards in the Sonoma Coast appellation meant to offer a wine that reflects the characteristics of these vineyards and also the Martinelli style. It has become go‑to Sonoma Coast stuff for us over the last few vintages. Medium translucent ruby in color with glints of fuchsia in color; alluring highly‑perfumed Pinot Noir aromas suggestive of grape confiture, black cherry, Italian blue plum, dried fig, candied orange peel and baking spices; silken‑textured on the tongue, just medium in body, both supple and gently rich, with a burst of ripe berry flavors and excellent nerve giving voice to the jittery intensity of flavors that carry on long on the warming mouthwatering finish.

The 2022 Román Zinfandel is a blend of 93% Zinfandel, 4% Barbera, 3% Petite Sirah. It has pure, layered scents of apricot, graham cracker, raspberry jam, mossy bark and spice. The palate is light-bodied, soft and juicy with a core of nuanced berry fruit and a mouthwatering, perfumed finish. This is ideal for spicy food! 2,000 cases produced. Drink 2024‑2034. Rated 92. ‑ Erin Brooks, www.robertparker.com October, 2024

Perched in the remote Gavilan Mountain Range, about 1,800 feet above the Salinas Valley, the Chalone Vineyard sits at the base of an extinct volcano bordering the Pinnacles National Park in Monterey County. Chalone Vineyard is one of the few wineries in the United States growing grapevines on limestone‑based soils, the same type of soils as found in Burgundy. The spare, well‑drained ground, limited rainfall and low crop levels attracted a fellow named Dick Graff, who wanted to make top-flight Burgundian-styled Chardonnay all the way back in the 1960s. Graff released his first vintage under the Chalone Vineyard label in 1966, producing what would become a benchmark for California Chardonnay. Nowadays, Chalone Vineyard is owned by Foley Family Wines who have placed renewed emphasis on the inherent quality possible given this climate and these soils. Vivid platinum/yellow in color with aromas suggestive of green/gold Chardonnay berries hanging in the cool of a late California summer's morning, wine‑moistened limestone, flesh of green apple and lemon preserves on toasted baguette; rounded on entry, smooth in texture, ample with an enveloping richness, full in body without excessive weight, then mineral and fresh long on the finish. Among California's best answers to white Burgundy? You bet it is — bravo!

Limpid ruby in color with alluring suggestion of concentrated cherry and baking spice and a hint of toast atop notes of dusty stony earth; seductive, silken smooth in texture on the tongue, with gentle structure from powdery crushed stone‑like tannins and delicate but penetrating flavor lingering long and fresh on the finish; this is a brilliant California Pinot Noir and a brilliant value in an otherwise all too often too expensive category.

Family owned and organically farmed, Donnachadh (um, let's get this out of the way quickly, it's pronounced DON-nuh-kuh) Vineyard is located in the Santa Rita Hills viticultural area of Santa Barbara County. The vineyard was planted in 2013, the culmination of a dream for erstwhile Austinite owners Drew Duncan and his wife, Laurie. The property is 285 acres with approximately 40 acres under vine. The climate here is dominated by the Pacific Ocean, which lies about 7 miles from the vineyard. Morning fog cools the grapes and consistent afternoon ocean breezes keep heat from building up over the course of the day. Quite pure Chardonnay aromas suggest the salt sea, orange zest, mirabelle plum and green/golden berries hanging in the cool of the maritime morning; quite tactile on the palate, caressing in texture with a gentle minerality and flourish of flavor on the finish that suggest a judicious use of toasty oak and those same now delicious green/golden berries along with a fully mouthwatering hint of salinity.

The Pinot Noir vines (California heritage clones Swan, Calera and Pommard) are planted mid‑slope on a north‑facing hillside where fog and strong winds provide cooling and prolong the growing season. Well‑drained soils derived from marine shale provide a lean nutrient diet and just the right amount of moisture. The fruit was hand harvested at ripeness levels to retain bright acidity and intense flavors. At the winery, the fruit was destemmed and crushed while still cool, then fermented with its own native yeasts. Translucent medium ruby in color with aromas that are at once sappy, savory and brambley, with notions of Asian five spice, candied orange peel, a hint of wood smoke and, with some air, ripe bing cherry; at once, both supple and nervy on the tongue, with just an inkling of fine‑grained grape skin and stem tannins, a touch of salinity and a gentle mouthwatering acidity on the laid back west coast sunset of a flavorful finish.

Santa Rita Hills is becoming, for us, an area of extreme interest for California Chardonnay (and Pinot Noir)  — there is clearly something going on here — and there clearly exists the possibility for both ripeness and signature of place, together with minerality and intensity of flavor. Gainey Vineyard Chardonnay excites not only for fulfilling against all of this promise, but also for its value. Pale platinum/yellow in color with nostril‑titillating aromas suggestive of saline seaside air, mineral, mirabelle plum, flesh of golden apple and lemon curd on toasted and liberally buttered baguette; at once soft and creamy textured and yet intensely mineral, vivid palate feel and flavors that reverberate long and excitedly on the finish.

Produce of 100% Pinot Noir fruit harvested from vineyards at the western edge of the Santa Ynez Valley. Lovely medium translucent ruby in color with upfront aromas redolent of sappy bramble and berry, ripe cherry, cola and a hint of toasted baguette (Gainey themselves suggest pomegranate and a whiff of rose hips as well); at once supple and energetic on the tongue, nervy, tense, with splendid equilibrium and flavor that builds joyfully on the tongue and then melts away only ever so slowly, contemplatively into a most pleasant organoleptic memory, tantalizing and fresh long on the finish.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is another wine that has turned out very well. In this vintage, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Rubicon aren't that materially different. Red fruit, cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, menthol and licorice all develop in the glass. Here, too, I am quite impressed with the wine's freshness. Drink 2020‑2042. Rated 95. - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com January, 2020

This is absolutely delicious. Powerful, intense and concentrated with seductive black cherry and raspberry leaf aromatics. It slowly and steadily pulls you in and compares to the very greatest Cabernets in its excitement, structure and grip. As the liquorice, chocolate and cassis notes stretch out, it comes to a mouthwateringly slow conclusion. This keeps the savoury edge of Cabernet and the tannins give focus and poise. Opulent and concentrated, and very good. 100% new oak. Drink 2022‑2050. Rated 98. - Jane Anson, decanter.com August, 2020

As the story goes, back in 1954, the village council of Châteauneuf-du-Pape was quite perturbed and apprehensive that flying saucers or 'flying cigars' might do damage to their vineyards were they to land therein. So, right-thinking men all, they passed an ordinance prohibiting the landing of flying saucers or flying cigars in their vineyards. The ordinance further states that any flying saucers or flying cigars that did land were to be taken immediately to the pound. Well, Le Cigare Volant may be a flight of fancy in the mind of winemaker/poet and among the first of the Rhône Rangers, Randall Grahm, but it is also one heck of an original all-American take on France's very first Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, namely, Châteauneuf‑du‑Pape. Produce of 69% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 14% Cinsault, 2% Petite Sirah fruit from California's Central Coast; medium‑ruby in color with come hither aromas of a mixture of berries from red to blue to black, a touch of cracked white peppercorn, petrichor (Bonny Doon themselves note wild strawberry, rhubarb with black pepper and tobacco); silken in texture on entry, with building spine of fine-grained tannins lending structure and carrying/extending gently bursting California berry flavors right on target and onto the spacious landing-pad of a finish.