There’s a rich nose to this bottling, starting with aromas of pecan, hazelnut and baked apple. The palate conveys a viscous texture in line with that nutty nose, but then a Meyer lemon flavor provides acidity as a peach tone slides into the finish.

Perfumed nose showing summer fruits, crushed violets and a bit of vanilla. Lively acidity supported by ripe concentration.

Lovely floral aromas, black cherry and strawberry, mushroom and earth. A rich and powerful style with seamless tannins.

The wine pours a deep gold with lemon and vanilla cream on the nose; it is light, just pushing medium in body with flavors of green apple, lemon meringue, light cream and vanilla; some mineral notes and a little oak in the finish. Really well balanced and presented nicely.

Moderate in body weight and structure, this wine is richly concentrated in tropical fruit and butterscotch, with an undercurrent of toasted oak. The texture is lush and plush, with impressive length.

Dried lemon-peel, mango and persimmon aromas emerge on the nose of this bottling. There’s a tart Meyer lemon edge to the palate, where cantaloupe and lychee flavors arise.

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.