Hello, and welcome to my periodic dig through the samples pile. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently.

This week included a number of high quality “usual suspects.”

Let’s start with some current releases from Dutton Goldfield in Sonoma County. Dutton Goldfield is one of the wine labels that benefits from the massive vineyard holdings at the Dutton Ranch, Sonoma County’s largest single farmer of wine grapes. A collaboration between Steve Dutton and winemaker Dan Goldfield, their wines are always restrained and reliably high quality.

Their Chardonnays are generally excellent, as the two I tasted this week show — first their standard issue Russian River bottling, and then the single vineyard Walker Hill. Both have little trace of new wood, and lots of redeeming features.

Likewise, the two Pinots from Dutton Goldfield this week are two of my favorites from this producer. The Fox Den Pinot is usually fruit driven with bright berry fruit, while the Emerald Ridge bottling tends to incorporate earthier tones.

Finally, there’s a Zinfandel to look at, too, and one that is surprisingly light on its feet, not to mention low alcohol.

Moving on to another reliable producer, I received some samples recently of some of the last few excellent vintages produced at Renaissance Vineyard & Winery up in Yuba county. Both the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Premiere Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon are in perfect shape and are wonderfully humble, honest expressions of the unique granite terroir of that site.

Finally, I’ve got a couple of other random wines in there this week, from a restrained Napa Merlot with lots of charm, to a couple of wines from Santa Barbara that are worth checking out.

All these and more below.

2016 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd and grapefruit pith. In the mouth, lemon curd and lemon juice flavors have a smooth, crispness to them. Decent acidity and length. Thankfully, little trace of oak mars this wine’s pretty citrus character. 13.5% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $35. click to buy.

2015 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Walker Hill Vineyard” Chardonnay, Green Valley, Sonoma, California
Pale yellow-gold in color, this wine smells of wet stone and lemon pith. In the mouth, wonderfully bright flavors of lemon pith, grapefruit rind, and a touch of kumquat have a brisk zip to them thanks to excellent acidity. Good length. 14% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $62. click to buy.

2015 Dutton Goldfield “Fox Den Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Green Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and cranberry. In the mouth, raspberry and cranberry flavors have a nice zippy quality thanks to excellent acidity, as well as a muscular bent, thanks to powdery tannins that support the core of fruit. There’s also some very nice minerality that lingers through the berry-scented finish. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $62. click to buy.

2015 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Emerald Ridge Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Green Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cherry and earth and green herbs. In the mouth, cherry, raspberry and green herb flavors are shot through with a nice forest floor earthiness, which lingers for a while in the finish with a hint of sawdust. Bright acidity keeps the wine fresh. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $55. click to buy.

2017 F2 Wines “Europeo” Rosé of Syrah, Los Olivos District, Santa Barbara, California
Palest copper-ruby in color, this wine smells of berries and wet stone. In the mouth, citrus pith and berries have a tart rosehip twang, with decent acidity. A hint of bitterness lingers in the finish. 14% alcohol. 100 cases made. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $25.

2006 Renaissance Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, North Yuba, Sierra Foothills, California
Medium cloudy ruby in the glass, this wine smells of sweet apple skin and cedar. In the mouth, sour cherry and dried herbs are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Gorgeously textured and bright, with delicious fruit still retaining some of its sweetness even as pulverized rock and cedar begin to emerge in secondary aromas. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $50. click to buy.

2005 Renaissance Vineyard & Winery “Premiere Cuvee” Cabernet Sauvignon, North Yuba, Sierra Foothills, California
Cloudy medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of dried cherries, graphite and red apple skin. In the mouth, gorgeously bright flavors of sour cherry, leather, cedar, and dried herbs are backed by muscular, fine grained tannins. The acidity here is angular, with perhaps some traces of volatile acidity, but nonetheless, pleasing. 14.5% alcohol. Score: around 9. Cost: $75. click to buy.

2015 Trefethen Family Vineyards Merlot, Oak Knoll District, Napa, California
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth and cherry and a touch of graphite. In the mouth, earthy flavors of cherry and graphite have a nice subdued quality to them. Powdery, muscular tannins provide structure. Excellent acidity. 14.1% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $30. click to buy.

2014 F2 Wines “Il Falconieri – Great Oaks Vineyard” Cabernet Franc, Los Olivos District, Santa Barbara, California
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of cherry jam, black olives, and a touch of green herbs. In the mouth, cherry, green herbs and olive flavors have a nice zip thanks to excellent acidity and a bit of grip thanks to tacky tannins. A bitter greenish note lingers in the finish. 13.5% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $45.

2015 Dutton Goldfield “Dutton Ranch – Morelli Lane Vineyard” Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry and black pepper. In the mouth, juicy blackberry and boysenberry flavors have a nice zip to them thanks to excellent acidity, and the medium-bodied character of this wine is quite delightful, as notes of bramble and berries linger without the weight or heat of a higher alcohol rendition of Zinfandel. On the other hand, this wine doesn’t have the complexity to make it as compelling as it could be. But what’s wrong with easy drinking? 14.1% alcohol. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $50. click to buy.