The 2017 Journey is a blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged 20 months in 52% new French oak. Medium to deep ruby in color, it has pure aromas of Morello cherries, blueberries, mint chocolate, cured meats and fried thyme. The full-bodied palate explodes with intense, fragrant flavor layers, and it boasts a silky texture, seamless acidity and a long, layered finish. 251 cases produced.

The 2016 Journey is a blend of 68% Merlot and 32% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 46% new French oak. It has a medium to deep ruby color and a spicy nose with pure aromas of cumin, coriander seed and cardamom over Morello cherries, bay leaf, milk chocolate, blueberries and violet. It's medium to full-bodied, slowly opening its flavor layers like a new blossom, framed by firm, ripe, pleasantly chewy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and spicy. This will benefit from a bit more time in bottle. 300 cases were made. Winemaker Marcia Torres Forno says, "We're bringing the blend back to a higher percentage of Merlot, because that's what Matanzas is—a Merlot house, known for its classic, more rustic style."

Made up of 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Journey is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and gives intense scents of crème de cassis, baked plums and blackberry preserves with touches of cedar chest , violets and mocha. Medium to full-bodied with a firm, chewy frame and lovely red and black fruit preserves in the mouth, it finishes earthy with a bit of grip. 340 cases produced.

The 2011 Journey Proprietary Red is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot. Like the Chardonnay, the fruit for this cuvee comes from a high elevation mountain vineyard block of the Alexander Valley estate. An elegant example of a Bordeaux-styled red wine, it exhibits notes of lead pencil shavings, red and black currants, loamy soil, damp earth and gravel. Medium-bodied with good depth and richness, this excellent red should drink well for 10-15 years. Matanzas Creek enjoyed great success in the early and mid-nineties, but then appeared to rest on their laurels, and was ultimately sold to the late Jess Jackson and his small boutique portfolio. It has taken the Jackson family a number of years to get this estate back on track, but I think that it can be safely said that with the currant and upcoming releases, Matanzas Creek has been resurrected impressively. The winery now produces four Sauvignon Blancs. The flagship wines of Matanzas Creek are bottled under a separate label called Journey. The wines are obviously made by the same winemaker, Marcia Monahan. Tel. (707) 528-6464

The finest red wine produced at Matanzas Creek in more than a decade is the 2008 Journey Proprietary Red. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue along with notes of black currants, black cherries, tobacco leaf, underbrush, toast and earth. Medium to full-bodied with moderate tannin and a youthful, unevolved personality, it will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age and should age effortlessly for 15-20. Quality is slowly rising at Matanzas Creek since it was acquired by Jess Jackson a number of years ago. He has done an excellent job bringing in winemaker Marcia Monehan and returning this estate to its glory days of the early nineties. Tel. (800) 590-6464; Fax (707) 571-0156