(98 - 100 points) This note is written before the final blend of the 2021 Continuum. Deep purple-black in color, it hits the ground running with an intense nose of red and black currant preserves, lilacs, baker's...

The 2014 IX Estate is deep garnet-black in color. Scents of creme de cassis, plum preserves, and blackberry pie jump from the glass, followed by suggestions of incense, iron ore, and camphor with a waft of dark chocolate...

Lail's 2021 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon blends lots from several high-end vineyards, including Heimark (Calistoga), Vine Hill Ranch (Oakville) and Steltzner (Stags Leap), plus Lail's own Mole Hill on Howell...

The 2018 Red Wine Estate might just be the best edition ever of this incredible high-elevation bottling. It's nothing short of a blending masterpiece by Chris Figgins and his winemaking team. This thing is massive monster...

I know the reds get all of the attention here, but the whites are absolutely at the same level, and I don't know anyone doing white blends like this at the same level. A blend of 32% Roussanne, 26% Viognier, 25%...

A blend of 36% Viognier, 32% Marsanne and 32% Roussanne, the 2016 Blancaneaux delivers subtle notions of Bosc pears, Golden Delicious apples and honeysuckle with touches of coriander seed and white pepper. The palate is...

I’ve always loved the Two Acres cuvée from Officer, and his 2017 Two Acres doesn’t disappoint, although I think it’s a small step back from the 2016. Mostly Mourvèdre from deep loam and clay soils, it offers tons of...

This pink sparkling wine is 81% Pinot Noir, 19% Chardonnay and 100% satisfying. The show begins with energetic bubbles delivering aromas of raspberry sorbet and fresh peach slices served on a stroopwafel. The flavors are...

(94-96+ points) Based on 62% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot, brought up in 20% new French oak, the deep purple 2018 El Alma de Jonata boasts a rocking Cabernet Franc nose of smoked black...

The Annia 2022 combines 41% Ribolla Gialla, 33% Tocai Friulano, and 26% Chardonnay from Napa and Sonoma. It offers an intriguing aromatic panoply of celery root, lavender, jasmine, and lilies of the valley, along with...

Syrah makes up just over three quarters of this wine, with the rest Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Counoise. It's an aromatic tour de force, with notes of flower, fresh blackberry, black raspberry, gravel and spice...

98+ The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (containing a splash of Cabernet Franc) is a brand-new wine, representing a collaboration between Dalla Valle in Napa Valley and Ornellaia Estate in Tuscany (hence DVO). Deep garnet-purple...

The 2021 EE Red Wine is ripe and powerful, with smoky red and black fruits as well as lots of background oak, graphite, espresso, and dark chocolate-like aromas and flavors that develop beautifully with time in the glass...

(97-99 points) Not yet bottled but already incredibly impressive, the 2021 G2 will be Grenache-dominated but includes smaller amounts of Syrah and Graciano. It’s loaded with red and black raspberry-like fruits as well as...

The 2016 Alessio Proprietary Red is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot that was brought up all in new oak. It’s another ripe, incredibly sexy red that has loads of blackberry and currant...

A step up over the Rocket Block and one of the finest 2020s out there, the 2020 Hexe is 51% Grenache, 17% Petite Sirah, and the rest Graciano and Mourvèdre, all from a single parcel of old vines in the James Berry...

The 2021 Paderewski checks in as 48% Syrah, 19% Mataro, 17% Zinfandel, and the rest Graciano. It’s a brilliant bottle of wine, offering loads of ripe purple fruit, flowers, Jolly Rancher candy, and pepper. It’s...

Blueberries, blackberries and crushed stones. Pure fruit. Full-bodied with round tannins that have powdery character. Creamy and round mouth-feel. Very unique. Great finish. 90% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% malbec...

A very beautiful, succulent red, showing lavender, sage, conifer and rosemary with black and blue fruit. Full-bodied with firm, lightly chewy tannins and a sturdy, very elegant finish. 80% cabernet franc, 17% merlot and...

The 2019 Le Désir is just as stunning as the first time I tasted it from bottle. It's pure and layered, with alluring scents of Morello cherries, dried mushrooms, cigars, sage and aniseed wafting from the glass. The...