Aromas of toasted oak, baked cherry and rose water. Medium-bodied with soft, fine tannins. Nice concentration of fruit is carried by citrus acidity. Ground spice. Drink now.

A steal for the price, this is zin in a rich and round mode, with a scent of warm, bursting berries in the sun and briar in the background. The flavors are generous and plenty grippy, just as you'd want them for barbecued ribs.

Aromas of ripe strawberry, raspberry and a hint of sage. Medium-bodied with earthy and mineral undertones. Red-fruited and lightly savory. Drink now.

Bordeaux is not cheap but you’re wise to try a bottle or two of the better-than-entry-level stuff to really see what it can do. This one is outstanding and fun to taste over several hours as it evolves in the glass.

With a sense of place, highlighting the unique soils of Santa Barbara County that was once underwater, Diatom from Greg Brewer/Brewer Clifton, is named for the diatomaceous earth, a plankton fossil, found in the area. Clean, lean, and focused, Diatom Chardonnay showcases the story of terroir Brewer is trying to achieve by letting the land shine through the wines, focusing on refinement. Wines are produced with as little intervention in the winery. Very focused and precise, the wine opens with lively lemon zest, orange blossom, and lime leaf, followed by citrus and melon flavors on the palate with a note of salinity carrying through from the start to the finish. Pair this beauty with oysters or steamed clams, summer salads, and fresh pasta with pesto and herbs.

15 best dry white wines perfect for chilled sipping on a sunny day
From sauvignon blanc’s to a crisp chardonnay, pour a glass of some of the world’s finest
Best: For a light fish dish
Any wine that contains grapes picked from somewhere called Wombat Creek deserves recognition or respect. Actually, in this case, it deserves both since this Yarra Valley wine, which is made with minimal intervention from hand-picked grapes, is an example of just how fruity and fulfilling an Australian chardonnay can be. The whole bunch pressed into 500l French barrels and then fermented with wild yeasts, it boasts stone fruit flavours, layered with nectarine and citrus notes plus a creamy hint of oak. Enjoy it with fish tacos, grilled aubergine or a simple salad.

Lokoya's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain is a bit floral and herbal, with lovely bay leaf and sage nuances vaguely reminiscent of some Margaret River Cabernets. Ripe cassis and cherries round out the full-bodied palate in a seamless combination of velvet and silk, finishing long and slinky, again marked by fine-grained, soft tannins. Fruit from two vineyards—Yverdon and Wurtele—goes into this wine, which aged in Sylvain barriques for their subtlety.

Sourced from two blocks of the Keyes Vineyard at La Jota, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain shows more caramel, barrel toast and mocha notes, derived from the choice of Demptos as the cooper. Cassis and blueberry flesh out the flavor profile of this full-bodied, rich, velvety effort. Mouth-filling and plush, it's broad and expansive in the mouth, finishing long and intricately textured.

Produced from the same block of vines since 2001, and matured in a combination of Taransaud and Seguin-Moreau barriques, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder features pretty but restrained floral and herbal notes, cassis and then a wave of exotic spice notes from the wood. Full-bodied and quite tannic on the long, velvety finish, this wine needs more time than the other Lokoya bottlings. It may not be as complete now, but it shows immense promise and length.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain is a blend of two parcels: Wallis and Rhyolite Ridge, with mainly volcanic soils. Scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings, cassis and cherries lead the way, while the palate is full-bodied but not overly ripe or broad, just finely honed, polished, silky and long, with a dusting of fine-grained tannins on the finish.

Part of this year's library release, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards shows ample cedary, cigar box notes on the nose, but it still offers plenty of cassis on the palate. It's a rich, full-bodied, velvety wine, probably drinking at its peak, with a long, mouthwatering, finish. It can hold a number of years still, but will it get any better?

The 2019 Cardinale is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot, with the Merlot from a particular block on Howell Mountain. Overall, it's about 80% mountain fruit and 20% valley-floor fruit, according to winemaker Chris Carpenter. Cherries and cassis dominate the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich and velvety, with a long, mouthwatering finish that adds barrel-derived notes of vanilla, powdered sugar and cedar.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards comes from a site (across from Staglin on Bella Oaks) that is still owned by one of the winery's original partners. Delicate California garrigue notes of mountain scrub and bay leaf frame dark cassis fruit, joined by vibrant raspberries as well. Matured in 65% new French oak, this full-bodied, complex and sturdy blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot finishes dusty and tannic, yet it also has a juicy and mouthwatering finish, with hints of dark chocolate and espresso. In contrast to Bosché, this vineyard is more gravelly, producing smaller berries with more tannin. It receives more afternoon shade, so it's picked approximately two weeks later as well.

From one of two old blocks of Merlot on the property (the other goes into Cardinale), the 2019 W.S. Keyes Merlot is bright and lively, with scents of raspberries and cherries on the nose. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and structured, with a creamy-velvety mouthfeel and a long, mocha-tinged finish. Blessed with layers of softly dusty tannins, this is a fine and elegant Napa Merlot (there is 19% Cabernet Sauvignon) worthy of considerable consumer interest.

Bottled separately as a single-vineyard wine since 1971, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard features a hint of mint upbfront, followed by mixed currants (red and black). There's a gentle herbal undercurrent to this blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, which lends it an extra note of complexity. Full-bodied, suave and streamlined, this is rich and velvety without being overly broad or expansive, finishing long and elegant.

Caladan's 2019 Red Blend is 67% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc, with the last 1% a combination of Malbec and Petit Verdot. More approachable and more hedonistic than the varietal Cab Franc, it's loaded with mouthwatering notes of ripe cherries and redcurrants on the nose, then delivers waves of full-bodied pleasure in the mouth, a richly textured mid-palate and a long and softly dusty finish.

Impressive, rich and fleshy, with blackberry, blueberry and huckleberry notes at the core, but shows tremendous depth, concentration and polish. Features accents of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, salted caramel and rosemary, with velvety tannins on the finish, with the flavors gaining extra torque and momentum. Drink now through 2038.

Appealingly briary yet refined in structure, this Zinfandel slowly unfurls handsome cherry and blueberry flavors, which take on roasted sage, green peppercorn and licorice notes toward zesty tannins. Drink now through 2031.

The only one of the Mt Brave wines that isn't 100% varietal, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder includes 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Offering hints of sage and lavender entwined among waves of cassis, this full-bodied wine may not be as broad or expansive in the mouth as the La Jota, but it also might be a touch juicier and longer on the finish.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, with small proportions of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It's ripe and rich, with plenty of cassis, hints of cinnamon and cedar and nuances of bay leaf on the nose. Full-bodied and velvety, it's remarkably easy to drink, finishing mouthwatering and long.

Blended from portions of Sycamore, Bosché and another vineyard, Freemark Abbey's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford features scents of cassis, plum and hints of dark chocolate on the nose. A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, matured in 55% new French oak, it's full-bodied, dusty and firmly built. There's even more structure here than in the Oakville bottling, yet the wine remains elegant on the lengthy finish.

A distinctive wine that's loaded with personality, opening with an array of black cherry, dusky spice, licorice and stony mineral aromas and flavors. This builds depth and tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032.

Precisely built yet has an appealingly rustic edge that frames the expressive blackberry, raspberry, toasty sage and licorice flavors, which build tension and structure toward medium-weight tannins. Drink now through 2032.

Sourced primarily from the Yverdon Vineyard on Spring Mountain, the 2019 Cabernet Franc features stunning floral aromas of rose petals and violets, plus sage and raspberry scents. Blended with 21% Merlot, this medium to full-bodied wine is taut and focused, silky textured yet mouthwatering, long and imbued with plenty of dusty tannins on the finish. Give it a few years in the cellar, then maybe my initial rating will begin to look stingy.

Mt Brave's 2019 Merlot Mt. Veeder offers up subtle cedar and vanilla shadings set against a backdrop of ripe cherries and raspberries. This medium to full-bodied effort is bright, fresh and juicy on the palate, finishing long, mouthwatering and crisp. It shows considerable structure for a Napa Valley Merlot, with copious silky tannins and refreshing acids.