This wine is succulent on the palate and approachable in its medium-bodied ripeness and acidity. Apple, pear and lemon all figure into the layers of flavor, the oak well contained.

Golden apple and pear lead to a creamy midpalate of rich banana before showing a touch of French oak and baking spice on a moderate finish.

This approachable white offers a sweetness of stone fruit, apple and melon, lightbodied in approach, with both neutral oak and stainless-steel aging.

A straw-pink color, apple cider aromas and almost-sweet apple and honey flavors make this medium-bodied wine richer than many of its Pinot Grigio cousins.

A good-quality red with great flavour, colour and naturally high acidity. Try with duck, mushrooms and aubergines.

Everything about this is a classic choice: Chardonnay is a natural accompaniment for a turkey dinner with all the fixings, and this example is the signature wine from one of Sonoma Valley’s biggest producers. Even if you’re an anything-but-Chardonnay wine drinker, you may like this one. Fermented in small barrels, it goes easy on the oak and lets just a hint of warm vanilla linger with the sweet pineapple and papaya flavours that a great Chard allows to shine.

If you are looking for a wine splurge for the holidays, California cabernet sauvignon is a great place to start. The following recommendations are the best California cabs I tasted this year.2018 Cardinale. Cardinale’s mission is to produce cabernet sauvignon that expresses the essence of Napa Valley. Grapes are sourced from esteemed vineyards throughout the valley. The 2018 melds seven appellations, with Spring Mountain and Howell Mountain forming the core. Intensity, age-worthy tannins, rich character and layered complexity are the hallmarks of this masterpiece.

The 2018 Chardonnay Silene has a very tightly wound nose that opens with aeration, developing light orchard fruit, honeysuckle and jasmine aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and harmonious, with a creamy-textured opening, a fine bead of acidity and touches of wild peach and orange pith on the finish. Very fine.

Refined and well-structured, with vibrant acidity to the juicy red fruit and spice flavors that show a minerally verve. Ends with light herbal and savory accents on the lithe finish. Drink now through 2025.

The 2016 Fijnbosch Chardonnay has a well-defined nose, displaying more extract than the Silene or the regular cuvée, and more undergrowth scents mixed with fern and broom. The palate is well balanced, taut and fresh with a fine bead of acidity. Touches of white pepper furnish the finish, which shows just a touch of heaviness. Otherwise, this is perfectly fine.

The 2017 Chardonnay has a light bouquet of Golden Delicious apple, freshly sliced pear and light marine scents. The palate is well balanced with a creamy texture, but for me, the oak is a little heavy compared to other cuvées, even if it does lend this Chardonnay a seductive mouthfeel. What is missing is tension and nerve on the finish. That said, I can imagine this having wide appeal.

Soft and easygoing, featuring pear and tropical fruit flavors that linger on a juicy finish. Drink now.

This deep ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Kendall Jackson opens with a black cherry and wintermint bouquet with a hint of milk chocolate and toasted coconut flakes. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. The mouthfeel is soft, balanced, and juicy. The flavor profile a black plum and red currant blend with notes of blackberry, stony minerality and cedar plank. I also detected hints of dried oregano and just a touch of mint in the aftertaste. The finish is rather dry, and its dusty tannins stick around for a long time. I would decant this wine to tame the tannins in the near term. Then I would serve this very good value wine with Firefly’s St. Louis ribs with Memphis sauce.

Zinfandel may have its detractors among those who regard it as an old workhorse grape, but when taken seriously, as does Hartford, it is a full-blown expression of a long history of California winemaking. The name Highwire derives from the vineyard’s trellising systems by which half of the parcel is head-trained and half is trained on a high wire trellis strung between each vine, permitting greater sun exposure and promoting even ripening. It’s a blockbuster at 16.1% alcohol, so you have to want to drink a wine of that density, with all its characteristic licorice spices, so it makes a capital choice for sweet flavors often found in holiday food.

This is a straightforward Saint-Émilion (Lassègue always is) with all of the richness that you expect from a grand cru, made by Pierre Seillan and his son, Nicolas. It is a blend of 62% Merlot, with 35% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon for tannin, and its price is an added value for a wine of this distinctive character, which goes very well with roast goose or prime rib. It can certainly age for two or more years.

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Located on the Côte de Saint Émilion, the seventh-generation run 18th-century chateau founded in 1738 is especially proud of the 2018 special vintage, made up of 62% merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. With a deep and intense color, the nose gives way to hints of violet and cassis. On the palate, lovely tones of red and black fruit with perfect roundness.

2020 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot NoirGiant Steps is one of the Yarra Valley’s best-performing wineries. Steve Flamsteed created this wine from fruit grown in the cool Upper Yarra at Giant Steps’ own Applejack Vineyard.

Black cherries, plums and herbs on the nose. Full-bodied with well-crafted acidity that lifts the dark fruit up. A bit of raspberry comes through. Silky tannins with a floral and chocolate finish. Drink now.

Rounded notes of lemon curd, baked green apple and sage on the nose. Medium-bodied with white tea and nutmeg on the palate. Vanilla cream. Slightly smoky finish. Tasty. Drink now.

Red fruit, red licorice and redcurrant on the nose. Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins, carrying sweet red fruit and berries. Fairly concentrated with a floral finish. Sustainable. Drink now.

Red cherries, strawberries and dried herbs on the nose. Medium-bodied with good intensity and presence. Well-integrated tannins. Juicy with pleasant wet-stone character. Drink now.

Aromas of plums, black cherries and dried herbs. Full-bodied with well-integrated tannins. Good intensity and depth. A savory, herbal finish. Drink now.

Another delight for any wine collector is the 2018 Le Désir. Also from the North coast of California – Sonoma County, Le Désir is dark and moody in appearance with a hint of violet, this Cabernet-Franc based blend is a complex signature made up of more than 50 micro-crus with deep red fruits, sage, mint and cinnamon bark on the nose, followed by sweet spice, a hint of blackberry and vanilla and a lingering finish. Bold, oaky and acidic, it’s a keeper which will age well.

La Muse uses a variety of more than 50 micro-crus to produce its complex signature in the Sonoma County of California. 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, this incredible blend has been able for 16 months in French oak (95% new). A mild spring in 2018 followed by a cool growing season and slow, even ripening has produced a beautiful balance with matured tannins and a gorgeous ruby-violet colour. With ripe red and black plum, spices and hints of toast and roasted nut, there are rich red fruits on the nose and notes of chocolate and tobacco giving way to a long finish.