5 Wines to Drink this Fall

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Mi Sueño Winery 2014 Los Carneros Chardonnay ($42)
A family-owned winery in Napa, Mi Sueño Winery produces chardonnay from a vineyard located next to the San Pablo Bay in the Carneros winegrowing region. It has a delicate nose perfumed with candied lemon peel and creme brulee. On the palate, it has a mild oakiness (it spend 10 months being aged in 35% new French oak) and acid - it's very balanced. Easy to drink and even better paired with dungeness crab.

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2015 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay, Freestone Vineyards, Sonoma Coast ($55)
Joseph Phelps might be known for their big, bold Bordeaux blend, Insignia, but they make tasty chardonnay, too. This estate chardonnay has a fun nose: lemon curd, nectarine, and - wait for it - the scent of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The taste is a balance of in-season-now Meyer lemon and pineapple, with savory acid. Enjoy with spicy Nepalese food like tikka masala or saag paneer.

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Sonoma-Loeb 2015 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir ($40)
Sonoma-Loeb is the Burgundian-style wine brand owned by Napa's Chappellet family. Their '15 Dutton Ranch pinot comprises a blend of three of my favorite pinot noir clones: 115, 667, and 777. These three clones combine to make a bold wine with black cherry and baking spice on the nose and a silky palate, with the cherry continuing to show through helped by raspberry and clove. Pair it with your favorite tomato sauce-based pizza.

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Tessier Winery 2015 Saveria Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($45)
Made by Healdsburg's Kristie Tacey, a scientist turned winemaker, Tessier's pinot noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains is a rustic, Burgundian style wine that will entertain the palate of pinot enthusiasts seeking something other than big, fruit forward wines. The nose and mouth are diverse with flavors: you'll find raspberry, mint and rose water in the nose, the latter which continues over into the mouth, with hints of grassy herbs and sour cherry.

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2014 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard ($84)
Made with fruit from Gowan Creek Vineyard, which is about 2 miles north of Goldeneye's Anderson Valley tasting room, this wine will transport you to Burgundy upon first taste. It's a rich wine with notes of dark fruit and plum on the nose and floral and baking spice notes on the palate - just what you want out of an Anderson Valley pinot. Don't trust me? Robert Parker scored it at a whopping 95 points. Buy one to drink now, and one to age.