Cinnabar

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Cinnabar 2000 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands)

Price $25

A really good, complex Chard, at the forefront of this varietal’s development in California. Combines ripe flavors of sweet, spicy tropical fruits with cool-climate acidity and structure to produce an addictively drinkable, delicious wine. The oak is thickly applied, but perfectly in balance. A desert island wine: If you could bring only one with you... — S.H. (8/1/2003)

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Cinnabar 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Price $45

Good for Cinnabar for holding this Cab back a while, to let it develop in the bottle. Although it’s still pretty tannic, it has entered its drinkability window. Dry and full-bodied, it shows classic flavors of black currants and smoky cedar, with a long, impressive finish. — S.H. (7/1/2009)

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Cinnabar 2009 Luchsinger Vineyards Sémillon (Lake County)

Online Exclusive

Price $48

This late-harvest Sémillon is thick with honey and baked apple goodness, gorgeous cinnamon in color and deliciously balanced between sweetness and spice. Incredibly yummy and light, with 25% Sauvignon Blanc blended in. — V.B. (2/1/2012)

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Cinnabar 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Price $45

Cinnabar produced this wine and has held it back longer than most other wineries. As a result, the 100% Cabernet has achieved a velvety softness, making it immediately drinkable. It has pretty flavors of cherries, black raspberries, chocolate and smoky oak. — S.H. (6/1/2011)

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Cinnabar 1999 Watts-Borden Ranch Syrah (Lodi)

Price $17

Expect wonderful drinking from this ripely juicy, nectary wine, which starts with plummy, peppery aromas and turns richly fruity in the mouth. It’s serious red wine, thick and weighty, but somehow delicate and elegant. Dry, but the finish is sweet and spicy, and very long. — S.H. (11/15/2001)

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Cinnabar 2007 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands)

Price $36

Here’s a big, bold Pinot Noir that’s almost like a Grenache in its full-bodied juiciness. It’s very bright and ripe in black and red cherry, raspberry, milk chocolate and toffee flavors, with interesting spicy nuances of anise, cinnamon and pepper. Now through 2011. — S.H. (7/1/2009)

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Cinnabar 1999 Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains)

Price $25

Austere, lemony fruit, with a hefty mineral component, wrapped in considerable oak. The wood contributes expected buttered toast notes and a round, creamy mouthfeel, while the fruit is long and penetrating. The earthiness holds your attention. —S.H. — S.H. (9/1/2002)

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Cinnabar 2001 Mercury Rising Red

Editors' Choice

Price $18

This is a Bordeaux blend of great charm and elegance. It’s soft all through, like butter or velvet, with pure, restrained flavors of berries, dark stone fruits, cola, and earthier tones of sweet pipe tobacco and soy. Leaves behind a very satisfying mouthfeel and a sense of class. — S.H. (12/1/2004)

Most Reviewed Designations

Amber Knolls Vineyard Clautiere Vineyard Cruvée Lot III Estate Gary's Vineyard Indian Valley Vineyard Jake's Vineyard Mercury Rising Mercury Rising Blanc Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Sorcerer's Stone

Most Reviewed Varietals

Bordeaux-style Red Blend Cabernet Blend Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Malbec Merlot Petite Sirah Pinot Noir Red Blend Syrah Trebbiano

2011 Gauthier Los Chamizal Vineyard

Expensive, but aims for a Zinfandel touchdown and largely succeeds. With…

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