FELIPE STAITI HONOR 2015 / $98.00
This is a powerful and rich wine with lots of ripe fruit, yet it's intense and powerful with toasted oak, dried leaf and dark berries. Full-bodied and really tight and focused. Foursquare and talking. Felipe, a revered rocker, says it's like a Steely Dan song. With him on that. He makes the wine with prized winemaker Marcelo Pelleriti. Drink or hold. Score - 98. (James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, Dec. 9, 2019)
PERRACHON & FILS, LES VIGNES CENTENAIRES, JULIÉNAS 2016 / $34.00
This small parcel, under two acres, is still planted with low-yielding, century-old vines. Its density and richness are impressive. This is enhanced by the wood aging that adds spice as well as hints of toast to the ripe black fruits. With this concentration, the wine needs time and shouldn't be drunk before 2020. Editors' Choice. Score - 93. (Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, March 1, 2019)
CHANIN LOS ALAMOS VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2016 / $59.00
Wines sourced from Los Alamos Valley must be labelled 'Santa Barbara County' due its current lack of an official AVA. Chanin Wine Company's 2016 Los Alamos Vineyard Chardonnay is an absolutely head-turning wine. Aromas of coconut flakes, orange zest and yellow apples. The palate has a crystalline focus, weaving through flavors of honeycomb, red apples, oyster brine and coarse sea salt. The finish is magnetic and expansive, and this will continue to be a stunner for at least a decade. Drink date: 2019-2032. Score - 95. (Matthew Luczy, decanter.com, Sept. 23, 2019)