Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “A serious looking barrel sample, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard reveals a dense purple color to go with rocking notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, damp earth, and chocolate. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has great tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and the class to evolve for 20 years or more..”

FMW 96 Points: “The 2021 La Sirena Chardonnay, Russian River offers up  flinty and bright fruit aromatics.  This lush, full-bodied wine showcases an elegant body loaded withs pure fruit,  lime zest, green apple,  umami richness, and a whiff of minearlity.  The wine offers both power and elegance.   Bright, freshly styled crushed white flowers, more apple fruit and a touch of toasty vanilla are a nice crescendo for this great youngster’s long finish.

Vinous 96 Points: “The 2020 Presqu’ile Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict is outrageously beautiful. Rich, creamy, and textured, the S&B captures all of the pedigree of this site. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol, licorice and pine build in a sumptuous Pinot that hits all the right notes. “

Robert Parker 100 Points: “The terrific 2021 Proprietary Red Sugarloaf Mountain is a 60-40 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from this vineyard in southern Napa. Vaguely floral and leafy, loaded with purple raspberries and cherries, this is really complex, with lovely fruit. Full-bodied, supple, silky and seamless, it finishes long and elegant.”

Robert Parker 99 Points: “A blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Estate Cuvée is another outstanding wine from L’Aventure in the challenging 2020 vintage, offering singular concentration and elegance. Deep ruby-purple, it has a pure core of cassis and slowly unfolding accents of licorice, cured meats, tobacco leaves, cedar and truffle. Full-bodied, juicy and alluring, it floods the mouth with layers of blue fruit, floral perfume and spice. It is supported by powdery tannins and boasts a tremendously long, detailed finish.”

Vinous 100 Points: : “The 2018 Cariad is breathtaking right out of the gate. What a wine! Bright acids and beams of underlying structure give the Cariad tons of energy that really drives its feel. Effusive and vibrant in the glass, with tons of pedigree, Cariad is drop-dead gorgeous in 2018. Winemaker Allison Tauziet opted not to use Petit Verdot in this vintage, choosing instead to use a bit more Franc. I can’t really say the wine is missing the Petit Verdot, while the Franc seems to give added aromatic explosiveness. Then again, all of this fruit is sourced from David Abreu’s Madrona Ranch, a stellar site with a stunning array of clones, including some pretty magical Franc.”

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points: “Another release from Oakville, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard is almost all Cabernet (there’s 1% Petit Verdot) and comes from a single, rocky parcel in the vineyard. It has incredible purity in its cassis, spring flower, spicy oak, graphite, and subtle iron aromas and flavors. A singular wine in the lineup with its pure, focused, balanced, almost old school style, this medium to full-bodied, incredibly impressive 2019 has solid mid-palate density, ripe, velvety tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It’s the purity of fruit, balance, and quality of the tannins that set this beauty apart. Hide bottles for 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. “

Robert Parker 99 Points: “The 2019 Cabernet Franc feels like a finished wine, although it is still maturing in barrel. The nose offers super pure violet, green pepper, exotic spices and blackberries, and the palate is fresh with youthfully gregarious fruits, finishing with great length. This was made entirely from free-run juice and will be aged for about 30 months in new French oak.”

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “A very attractive and floral perfume cascades from the glass of the 2021 Chardonnay The North Slope Vineyard. Displaying a bright yellow-golden color, it leads with notes of honeycomb, melon, incense, and lemon rind, and although it’s full-bodied, it reveals a more linear and elegant profile on the palate, with a silky texture and a mineral accent of wet asphalt. It’s a very pretty style of white with a graceful and savory finish. Drink 2024-2030.”

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points: “A blockbuster of a Sauvignon Blanc, Bevan’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Dry Stack Vineyard comes from an Italian clone planted in gravelly soil in the Bennett Valley and is raised, I believe, in the barrel. Bottled unfiltered so it has a touch of haziness in its gold hue, it offers a heavenly bouquet of caramelized lemon zest, mint, orange blossom, honeyed flowers, and brioche. Rich, full-bodied, and opulent, it has incredible concentration, a layered, pure mouthfeel, good freshness, and a finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s not for those craving lightweight aromas and flavors and has the weight and richness of a great Chardonnay. Drink this beauty over the coming 2-3 years.”

Vinous 98 Points: “The 2020 El Alma de Jonata’s Cabernet Franc-based wine, is ridiculously great. The Franc is way up in 2020, and that results in a heady, explosive red that takes command of all that senses as it demands full attention. An exotic melange of dark red fruit, wildflowers, mocha, spice, and new leather build as the 2020 gains volume and resonance with air, with plenty of supporting structure to wrap it all together. It’s one of the greatest Bordeaux wines I have tasted in Santa Barabar. Wow!!”

96 Points Jeb Dunnuck: Coming from Red Mountain and 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc brought up in 80% new French oak, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Curiositas offers more red and black fruits to go with classic Red Mountain minerality, notes of graphite and tobacco, full-bodied richness, and building, firm, yet ripe tannins. It’s going to need 3-5 years of bottle age, but it’s a classic expression of this terroir.

Robert Parker 95 Points: “Disgorged with two grams per liter dosage, Billecart-Salmon’s 2009 Extra Brut Vintage is more giving and demonstrative than its 2008 counterpart, offering up inviting aromas of crisp stone fruit, yellow apple, brioche, honeycomb, and warm pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a pillowy mousse and a generous core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it’s seamless and complete. Indeed, such is its charm and persistence that I tend to prefer it, at least for now, to the 2008.”