California

96 Points! Lush and fruit-driven aromas of blood plums, black currants, mocha, blueberry compote, licorice, potpourri and spices. The palate is textural and rounded, with fine tannins, bright acidity and a fruit-driven and complex finish. This is Vine Hill Ranch’s second label. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Baker & Hamilton is fabulous. Medium in body and beautifully layered, the 2023 graces the palate with lovely red/purplish-toned fruit lifted by soaring floral aromatics. Time in the glass releases hints of lavender, cinnamon and new leather. Fine-grained tannins round things out in style. This supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon is irresistibly sexy. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

98 Points! This minerally, earthy wine is highly impressive, with aromas of black and red currants, wet stones, bay laurel, bitter chocolate, dried flowers and walnuts. The palate is seamlessly balanced, showing depth of fruit, melting tannins and a silken, rounded mouthfeel that has no hard edges. Firm, mouthwatering finish. This is drinking very well now, but can age for decades. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Dunn's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is the first vintage in a while that didn't get 100% new French oak—it's just 84%. Subtle, cedary oak frames bold cherry and blueberry fruit on the nose of this medium- to full-bodied wine. It's bigger-feeling than the Napa bottling, despite being lower in alcohol (13.9%). Round but structured, firm but silky, with undertones of crushed stone and pencil shavings on the lingering finish, it's a particularly strong effort. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! This has a lovely core of fruit with aromas of nectarines, grilled lemons and flint. The midweight, textural palate shows balanced acidity, finishing with a slight phenolic grip. Moving out of the cooler 2023 bottling, this is far more generous and open. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! For fans of Chardonnay without malolactic fermentation, Shafer's 2024 Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch remains a standard-bearer. Ripe pineapple, pear and honeysuckle mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is loaded with opulent mango fruit that's expansive and lush but brought back into focus on the crisp citrus-and-green-apple finish. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95+ Points! A bright straw yellow hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel has a pretty and expressive nose of ripe pear, flinty lift, candied green apples, and lime. Savory and inviting, the palate offers medium to full body but has great persistence on its long finish. This wine provided a remarkable to start to my tasting of these wines from DuMOL. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

99 Points! A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2005 Dominus is deep garnet in color, with a touch of brick. It needs a lot of shaking to release notes of baked blackcurrants, fruitcake, and blueberry compote, plus hints of baking chocolate, licorice, dried mint, and pencil lead, plus a waft of wood smoke. The concentrated, hedonically styled, full-bodied palate is jam-packed with layers of black and blue fruit preserves, framed by wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins and well-integrated acidity, finishing very long, profound, and shimmery. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

98 Points! This blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot (note that rarely is any Merlot utilized at the historic Napanook Estate in Yountville). The alcohol, by California standards, is a relatively modest 14.1%. Blending the best of French savoir faire with the brilliant fruit purity and ripeness of Napa Valley, Moueix has turned in another tour de force that seems far superior today than it did when it was first released. This is one of the vintage’s greatest wines. Dense purple and youthful, with a glorious nose of earth, blackcurrants, sweet black cherries and incense, the oak is pushed way in the background, as it is in all of the Moueix wines, and the result is a wine of terroir, of great originality and authenticity. This full-bodied classic from Dominus can be drunk now, but really won’t hit its prime for another 4-5 years and last at least another two decades or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94 Points! Dark and inky in the glass, this estate bottling shows intense cassis and lavish violet aromas on the ripe, creamy nose. The palate is thick in texture but still shows compelling edges, offering roasted purple fruit, caramel cream and subtle vanilla flavors, making for a powerful expression. - Wine Enthusiast

92 Points! This wine has an inky purple hue in the glass and concentrated aromas of blackberry, bramble, boysenberry, dark plums, cinnamon, and violets. The palate mirrors the nose, with dark fruit intensity complemented by notes of tobacco leaf and cracked black pepper. Chalky tannins balance the wine, enabling it to pair beautifully with peppered steak or glazed pork tenderloin. - Decanter Magazine

99 Points! So delicious and drinkable from the first whiff to the lingering finish. An uber-chardonnay that packs in all the richness of fruit and smooth spiciness of oak fermentation, with vibrant acidity and a silky texture. Well balanced in a cool, ideal vintage and a great candidate for aging longer term. Drinkable now and best from 2030. - JamesSuckling.com

98 Points! The 2023 Syrah Sonoma Hillsides is one of the greatest wines I have tasted from Pax Mahle. The Hillsides is a blend of the best sites in the range, fermented in cement with whole clusters and also aged in cement. The long growing season resulted in a rich, heady wine with intense fruit and perfectly ripe tannins. Magnificent. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

97 Points! The 2023 Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides is a blend from the best parts of their vineyard sites, fermented and aged in concrete, with the only oak it sees coming from portions of the barrels of the vineyard designates. In the glass, it pours a deep purple color, revealing aromas of lavender oils, blackberry preserve, and sweet sage. At this tasting, the focus is more on its fruit than its savory tones, but these will undoubtedly emerge as it matures. It has a rich and noble structure, with full body, ripe tannins, and a long-lasting finish. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

98 Points! Aged in 100% new oak, the 2022 Monte Bello blends 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, selected from 18 of 21 lots by blind tasting. After assemblage, the wine spent 21 more months in barrel. The vineyard starts at 1,600 feet and goes up to 2,700 feet at top, and is spread out across 4 different ranches, Klein, Rousten, Torre and Perrone, the wines getting more tightknit and ageable as the vines move up the mountain. By the end of harvest, Monte Bello is split into 55 different blocks, which are then picked and fermented separately. Year after year, this is a “wow” wine, herbal, lightly spiced in oak, with a lovely creamy, velvety texture and a backbone of well-resolved tannin supporting a medium-bodied, balanced spirit of mountain garrigue. These wines typically age 20-25 years or more. - Jeb Dunnuck

97 Points! The limestone soils, and the short distance to the Pacific Ocean as well as the seriously high elevation, (ranging from 1600-2700ft) means that the Santa Cruz Mountains, produce a very different Cabernet than much of California. The 2022, drought vintage, a third straight year, meant tannic, tiny fruit on the Montebello estate. The wine was fully destemmed and only pumped over half as often as a typical vintage for Montebello. Its a tightly wound iteration in its youth with 100% new American oak for 20 months. Expressive on the nose, with taut black fruits, fresh pine needles and mineral notes of wet clay and roasted herbs. The palate is fresh and medium weight, (13.8%abv) with so much lively freshness in its youthful exuberance. Salty ocean notes open the palate chasing taut early season blackberries and plum skins. The palate opens overtime revealing dried mint, and alpine meadow herbs that buoy the fruit expression and carry this masterfully made wine toward its zenith, but… don’t touch it for another 10 years for the best result. - Decanter Magazine

98 Points! This shows really beautiful purity of fruit with polish and sophistication. The currant and cassis aromas are so enticing and really reflect the name of the wine. Medium to full body. Extremely fine tannins. Shows a level of freshness and agility that caresses the palate. Delicate and beautiful. Mostly Howell Mountain. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is brilliant, with a ripe, powerful style that’s going to age gracefully. Deep blackcurrants, dark chocolate, scorched earth, and graphite notes all emerge from this concentrated, powerful Cabernet that has ripe tannins, a big, rich mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for upwards of two decades with no issues. - Jeb Dunnuck

93-95 Points! The 2023 Zinfandel Judge Bell Vineyard is laced with red cherry fruit, spice, cedar, tobacco, incense and mint. A wine of complexity and nuance, the Judge Bell has a lot going. Dried herbs, mint, incense and pine linger on the bright, focused finish. This is such a classy wine. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch has bright aromas of poached pears, apricot, panna cotta, oystershell and well-integrated spice from its 17-month maturation in 29% new French oak. The full-bodied palate has a silky texture and pure, concentrated stone fruit flavors. It’s balanced by bright, refreshing acidity and has a long, elegant finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

98 Points! Intense, Bold, Citrus Fruit, Lime, White Blossoms, Chalky, Medium to Full bodied, Refreshing Acidity, Subtle Oak, Satiny Texture, Ready to Drink. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

96 Points! From the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros and brought up 16 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Goldberg Variations No. 6 Hyde Vineyard offers pure tropical fruits, white flowers, minty herbs, and some spicy nuances. Medium to full-bodied, it has a soft, supple, layered mouthfeel, integrated acidity, remarkable purity, and a great finish. It's certainly a slightly softer expression compared to the Central Coast releases, but shines for its incredible purity and finesse. - Jeb Dunnuck

94 Points! Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Cavatina features expressive notes of stewed plums and baked blackberries, giving way to hints of Chinese five spice, tobacco, and bay leaves. The medium- to full-bodied palate is lightly chewy with a lively line cutting through the stewed black fruit flavors, finishing savory. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, MW

94 Points! Rich, deep and effusive, the 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountain Estates is a fabulous introduction to the Clos de la Tech wines. Black cherry, mocha, chocolate, licorice, leather and sweet spice are all dialed up. Readers can expect an opulent, full-throttle Pinot that is all about exuberance. This is an exceptional vintage for the Santa Cruz Mountains bottling. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous

94+ Points! The brilliant 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyard (another Rutherford site on Bella Oaks Lane) is a blend of 85.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot aged 28 months in barrel. It boasts an opaque purple color, terrific notes of licorice, creme de cassis, charcoal, forest floor, baking spices and earth, as well as a full-bodied mouthfeel with great fruit intensity and purity. This savory, mouthfilling beauty is best drunk over the next 20-25 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94 Points! An engaging red, with sleekly layered cherry and raspberry flavors highlighted by roasted sage, fresh violet and pepper flavors that end with refined tannins. - Wine Spectator

94 Points! Coming from a vineyard in the Yountville region near the Kapcsandy estate, this wine is a beauty. A vivid expression of black-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon with terrific purity, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, an opaque purple color and full-bodied power, the tannins are sweet and the wine large-scaled, rich, pure and well-balanced. Give it another 3-4 years of bottle age and drink it over the following two decades. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

$79.98 at checkout, made by Thomas Rivers-Brown!

98 Points, Dunnuck's #1 Cabernet Value of 2019! A blend put together by Bevan from the single vineyards, the Ontogeny cuvée is year-in, year-out one of the greatest values in Cabernet Sauvignon. His 2019 Ontogeny is no exception, revealing a dense purple hue as well as rock star notes of crème de cassis, violets, tobacco leaf, and chocolate. It’s a big, classic Bevan wine and has remarkable purity, silky, polished tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. Don’t miss it! - Jeb Dunnuck