This wine is still softening and reducing to its peak, but it's drinking well now. The deep fruit core has a nice weight on the palate. The aromas of blackberries and soil are starting to emerge. This is a wine for protein — and a lot of it. A big ol’ steak is on the menu here.

Great, everyday Cab. It smells like blackberries in fresh soil with a hint of vanilla. The palate is juicy and round with good acidity (there is def some Merlot in this wine). A great casual sipper to pair with a lean steak.

Sweet and fruity on the nose, smelling like cherry cola. The alcohol is high for a Pinot Noir, but it is well-balanced, and the heat doesn’t mess with the depth of fruit. This wine wants a selection of soft cheeses.

Smells like lean, ripe cherries with a savory, almost musky feel. The palate is full of balanced Pinot Noir. It has good natural acidity, and the earthiness pops out here. This is a great wine for a wine and cheese party or pizza night.

This wine smells like vanilla cherry cola. It has a nice, rich, and broad mouthfeel. The acidity lifts the wine enough to not mess with the subtle depth.

Smells meaty and savory, with a bunch of crushed cherries and a whiff of cinnamon. The palate has nice depth, with good natural acidity broadening the wine. This is a good wine and cheese party bottle.

This wine smells like cherries and beets, with a whiff of cinnamon. Calm on the palate with a nice, rich core of fruit balanced with active natural acidity. This is a great Pinot for all the things; pizza nights, parties, wine clubs, chilled down for wine lunches, etc.

Rich cherry and cinnamon feels on the nose. The palate is a little off with the vanilla oakiness being very separated from the juicy fruit. If they come together over a year in-bottle, then it will jive.

Intense, brooding, concentrated, complex.

This has a very attractive, stony edge, almost flinty, together with bright, fine red fruit in the plum and red-berry zone. There’s a gently floral edge, too. The freshness is impressive. The palate has a very succulent edge and a fine squeeze of tannin that carries a long, detailed and vibrant finish. Still very youthful. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This has a rich, red-plum, red-berry and pastry nose with some stony elements on offer, too. Offers perfume and an almost chalky edge and the spice is starting to build here. The palate has exceptional tautness and a lively, crunchy texture. Red and dark-berry flavors abound. Long finish. So smoothly resolved and powerful. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Their first grenache to be fermented in ceramic egg. This has such attractive, fresh dark-plum and berry aromas. So pure with very pristine fruit. The tannin texture is very different, quite fine and granular. The long, succulent finish carries dark-plum and blueberry flavors. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This is a tiny make (only two barrels) with quite a delicate, floral edge and lightly spicy elements sitting in redder-fruit aromas. The palate has a very plush, sleek and assertive feel. Taut with fresh crunchy red fruit. So fresh. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This has a distinctive, red-berry and confectionary nose with some ripe, intense, sweet and fleshy raspberry and red-plum flavors on the palate. Pastry-like layers to close. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This broad-shouldered red is structured with brooding raspberry and pomegranate flavors that draw in black tea and bay leaf flavors, building tension toward medium-grained tannins. Hands off for now. Drink now through 2028.

I’m a bit behind with this Yangarra Blanc 2020, but it’s still looking good. McLaren Vale white blend, in the mode of a Chateauneuf du Pape blanc. 62% Grenache Blanc this vintage, fermented in ceramic eggs and older barrel for 4 months. No sulphur until bottling. What a regime for a $27 wine!A nice, fresh and lively drink too. Soft and creamy at the edges but it’s a taut white underneath. I like this sort of frisky, yet not unripe, drink. It’s just a little bit phenolic and pithy to finish, but plenty of refreshment here.Yangarra Blanc 2020. Best drinking: nowish. Might even be better next year.

Pear and apple notes with s smooth texture and a touch of sweetness.

Crisp and lively acidity with tropical fruit and apple flavors with a dash of citrus.

Wine of the Weekend: ChardonnayFilled with sunshine from sandy Santa Barbara soils, Nielson Chardonnay leaps from the glass with vibrancy and juicy lushious layers. Slightly tropical, opening with notes of pineapple and guava, melding seamlessly with honeysuckle and and fresh citrus, leading to a palate of ripe pear, creamy lemon custard, and blanched almond. Highly affordable, this easy going wine is perfect for any day of the week.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistNaturally, the Murphy Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel 2015 and its super-friendly texture, with smoky cherry, blackberry cobbler flavors, was a fit for all four chocolates, but perhaps was best with the plain dark chocolate, as the fun-loving wine's ripe fruit flavors were all the action needed.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistCambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard Santa Maria Valley 2018 had a soft texture and tart strawberry, cherry, loamy earth and leather flavors. It was a natural for the Dark Chocolate with Tart Cherry and Cocoa Nibs.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistEach of the four featured Jackson Family Wines paired well with the Vine to Bar dark chocolate. Which was a bit of a surprise considering that the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2019 and its flavors of pineapple, green apple, cinnamon, creme brulee and a round almond note on the finish, and La Crema Rose Monterey 2019 with its snappy fruit, strawberry, melon and green herbal note, were part of the tasting.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistEach of the four featured Jackson Family Wines paired well with the Vine to Bar dark chocolate. Which was a bit of a surprise considering that the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2019 and its flavors of pineapple, green apple, cinnamon, creme brulee and a round almond note on the finish, and La Crema Rose Monterey 2019 with its snappy fruit, strawberry, melon and green herbal note, were part of the tasting.

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I have a soft spot for Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs. Now, one of my favorite Pinot producers has just released its first Chardonnay.Siduri, critically acclaimed for its elegant, cool-climate, single-vineyard Pinots, has only crafted a handful of white wines in its 27-year history. As a result, there’s no doubt that its 2019 Willamette Valley Chardonnay will automatically pique interest far and wide.It’s full of finesse, with the lovely fragrance of white flowers and orange blossom, plus heady notes of apple, lemon, nutmeg, and just a hint of vanilla.Cheers: If you’ve turned your back on Chardonnay of late, this one’s sure to win you back to the pleasures of this varietal.Winemaker Matt Revelette has previous experience making Chardonnay at Sonoma’s Sojourn Cellars, Sebastopol’s Kosta Browne, and Healdsburg’s Williams Selyem. The Siduri Chardonnay, of which I received a sample, is a blend of several vineyards that was divided up three ways to ferment in stainless steel tanks, concrete eggs, and 25 percent new French oak barrels. The resulting wine is the best of all worlds — velvety but without flabby richness, and bright with acidity but not overtly tangy.

Wine of the Week: Around the world with RieslingRiesling may not be the first grape variety you think of when you think of the Willamette Valley of Oregon, but the 2018 Penner-Ash Old Vine Hyland Riesling just may just change that. In the hands of founding winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash this wine is intoxicating. With aromas reminiscent of a classic Loire Valley Riesling, it features scents of citrus peel, roasted almonds, stony minerality and petrol (a good thing). On the palate, the wine sports a wonderful richness with flavors of ripe white peach, tart nectarine and a touch of green melon. The finish is expansive and lengthy, with just a hint of mineral-laden acidity to keep the wine in balance.