The opaque purple-colored 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge comes from elevations ranging from 500 to 2,400 feet. It offers up aromas of stones, sweet red and black currants, and a big rich attack followed by a touch of herbaceousness. The latter component kept my score from going higher. Composed of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, it was aged 18 months in one-third new French oak. An excellent Cabernet with moderately high tannins, it will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring, and should drink well over the following decade. Stonestreet’s wines continue to go from strength to strength under the direction of South African winemaker Graham Weerts. The Chardonnays are spectacular, and the estate has added cuvees of Sauvignon and Semillon as well as a Riesling that are also noteworthy. The red wines are meant for those with cold storage facilities since they tend to be huge, tannic behemoths that need time in the bottle, even in a precocious, difficult vintage such as 2011. All five Chardonnays are brilliant, 100% Chardonnays fermented with indigenous yeasts in the barrel and aged ten months in anywhere from 45% to 100% new French oak. The results are stunning. The wines are all more similar than dissimilar, but I will try to articulate their minor differences. Tel. (800) 355-8008

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument is gorgeous and totally juicy. Blackberry jam, blueberries, savory herbs, tar, pencil shavings and sweet spices all burst from the glass in this deeply resonant, expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. Hints of mocha, espresso and vanilla linger on the finish. The 2010 includes a splash of Petit Verdot and Malbec to round out the Cabernet. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Stonestreet is arguably the greatest undiscovered gem in the Kendall-Jackson portfolio. The wines are always distinctive and full of personality. Best of all, they remain exceptionally fairly priced. I hope readers will take the time to check out these fabulous new releases. The Sauvignon-based whites and Chardonnays are especially strong this year. I find less excitement in the 2010 Cabernets, which come across as lacking a bit of depth, most likely owing to rain during the harvest. Tel. (800) 355-8008

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument is a beautiful wine. Dark cherries, mocha, plums, spices, mint, minerals and graphite are woven together in this effortless, totally captivating wine. The 2009 impresses for its nuance, clarity and precision. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. Winemaker Graham Weerts has fashioned a stunning set of wines at Stonestreet. The Chardonnays are all fermented with native yeasts and are aged in French oak barrels, typically 50% new except where noted. The Cabernets are all 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Mountain Estate. Weerts gives the Cabernets 18 months in French oak barrels, 40-90% new. Tel. (800) 355-8008

The biggest production cuvee, the inky/purple-tinged 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge is fabulous. Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc aged 16 months in 76% new French oak casks, it reveals abundant aromas of creme de cassis, graphite, ink, licorice, and fruitcake in a full-bodied, Pauillac-like style with plenty of sweet tannin. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted. Kudos to proprietor Jess Jackson and winemakers Graham Weerts and Marcia Monahan for exploiting this high elevation terroir. This has been a work-in-progress for Jackson, and he has finally hit paydirt with the following wines. Readers need to pay close attention as there are some amazing Chardonnays as well as red wines emerging from Stonestreet. There are seven distinctive cuvees of Chardonnay, ranging in production from 185 cases of Red Point, to 660 cases of Lower Rim. All of these super-impressive efforts come from elevations of 900 to 1,800 feet. I tasted one Merlot and seven Cabernet Sauvignons, and as readers can tell, these are also impressive wines. Production ranges from approximately 250 cases of the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons (the only exception being the 5,000-case cuvee of Cabernet Sauvignon Monument Ridge). Tel. (800) 355-8008; Fax (707) 433-9469

3 A dramatic wine, authoritative in tannins, bone dry and noble. Withholds its best under a cloak of astringency, but already shows its mountain terroir in the complexity of its structure and deep, intense blackberry, currant, blueberry and dried herb flavors. Should develop bottle complexities for at least a decade and probably longer. ——S.H.(5/1/2011)—— 96