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.

This straw-colored Chardonnay is very impressive. It opens with an inviting pineapple and lemon zest bouquet with a hint of green apple. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, well-balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a gentle mineral and mild oak influenced pineapple. I also detected hints of green apple and butter mixed in. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This Chard would pair well with a chicken and wild mushroom ravioli in a light butter cream sauce.

La Crema gathers chardonnay grown in vineyards across Monterey, Calif., to produce this fresh and nicely layered chardonnay. Warmer vineyards in the south offer more tropical fruit flavours, while cooler northern vineyards provide pure peach and citrus notes. Those fruit flavours take centre stage here and are nicely rounded out with some subtle creamy and spicy notes from aging in oak barrels. Drink now to 2023.

Top 6 in the 6ix – Rosé All Day!California knows how to party and their fabulous Rosé wines are no different! La Crema Pinot offers a beautiful bouquet of strawberries and cream alongside pink floral notes with a wonderful finish.

All the four single vineyards combined their powers here. Fermented in clay eggs here. “Something in the vessels seem to fill the palate with texture, additional glycerol or sense of tannin or something”. The higher acidity fruit suits all this too.Convincing, outstanding wine of strength and sublime texture. Slightly wild, a super saline minerally core, green apple, faintest fino notes, plenty of detail and complexity here with striking drinkability in tow. Impressive length, clean lines, great character. A katana thrust. Chardonnay done fancy, but cool.

Sour cherry, tart pomegranate characters, lots of red fruitines and a light dusting of spice and minty herbal notes, Crisp texture, lighter feel but multi-dimensional in its layers of flavour and detail. Tannins wash over the wine and build gently to a tightening chew. Quite a floral wine here. Very appealing.

“Possibly the most delicate of all the 2020 pinots”, Steve Flamsteed tells us, “needs time to relax too”.So fine boned, tiny needle work points of acidity and sour cherry, the smallest pinch of alpine herbs and white peper. A mouthful of glass shards and sour cherry-kissed mineral water of the finest pedigree. A little smudge of walnut paste in finish? Barely. Anyways, beautiful, fragile, refreshing, edgy, pure feeling. Wonderful expression on the edge.

Lean but flavoursome, if that is possible. Textural and intense but rapier-like through the finish. Needs time but has it going on. Citrus and stone fruit, steel and cedar. The most subtle of lactose notes. This will shine in time.

The Tasmanian excursion for Giant Steps. Coal River Valley site. Whole bunch portion for one clone of the two used here. Taut and tense, dry and edgy. Sour cherry, tart cranberry drink characters, a bit of game meat, clove, meat drippings, paprika too with graphite notes in the mix. The tannin of paprika powder here too. Brooding but also kind of light too. Grippy and with this pleasing sour-bitter note through it all. Strict pinot, done well.

Supple, soft, spicy pinot noir, an almost gamay-freshness and light, lithe feel here. Cherry juice, dried cranbery, clove, cumin piquant notes and smoky notes. Bouquet and palate match well. Feathery tannins tickle the palate but with judicious grip and pucker in tow. A bit dust and overly drying to finish, slightly breathy, but pleasing is the main message.

“It was a cold, wet vintage, from spring all the way through summer and into the growing season. We were scratching our heads saying ‘are we going to make wine here?’ January turned things around somewhat, though there was botrytis to deal with. Fruit set was low, yields were low. A tiny bit of wine, but what’s there is precious. Beyond this, all the wines seem to amplify their personality of their place”, says Steve Flamsteed.Has some generosity, depth, glide and zest. A plucky, perky chardonnay full of tension in fresh-feeling and getting-ripe stone fruit characters, light mealy notes, licks of talc and faint pumice-like texture. Light on its feet but not without depth, layers of fruit, cinnamon spice, faint yeasty-sourdough savouriness. Feels pretty darn good.

The personality of Sexton with volume turned up from the wet, cool 2020 year. Lemon-ginger tea scents and flavours, yuzu fruit, cumquat sweet-sour tang. Exotic citrus, hey? Flinty notes, some sizzling saline acidity in the core, slick, liquid spice cinnamon-clove oaky layering. A leaner style but not without flavour and vitality. Long and dart shaped then starburst of citrus tang to close. Good gear here.

Whiffs of plain yoghurt, decaying flower, dried apple, wet stone, cheesy notes, salt marsh aromas too. An exotic array to bouquet. Palate is quite taut, quite gingery in spice flavours, sizzled butter-corn notes in there, slightly mulchy character, cabbage leaf and the like, a bit of gummy-citrus oil too. It’s an OK drink.

A marginal vineyard in a marginal year. Sparkling wine chardonnay clones. All went through malolactic fermentation here. “The cool years will always challenge these sites”, offers Steve Flamsteed.Has some ripe stone fruit, chicken soup characters, slightly buttery, a touch of truffle and mushroom in there too. Good texture, plush and round, concentrated, a core of very saline, delicious, minerally acidity through the core, finishes salty saline but with puppy fat and gummy texture around that sizzle and tang. Missing some composure, but the minerally, saline feel is great.

The aroma of this gorgeous, lighter-weight red wine leans heavily on distinctive Central Coast black cherry and herb elements. The entry is seductive, with soft and generous fruit flavors and a handsome and structured mid-palate in which the tannins play a very minor role. If this wine had come from a more prestigious area of California, its price point would be approximately twice as much. As it is, some discounters are carrying it for less than $20. A startling value.

The Murphy-Goode Zinfandel paired with the Chardonnay Smoked Salt & Cocoa chocolate. The briary, rich ripe fruit notes of the wine and the smokiness of the chocolate were in balance and the chocolate increased the length of the wine’s finish.

The Cambria Estate Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley paired with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa chocolate. The wine with tart cherry, cranberry, red fruit, and baking spice notes was in perfect harmony with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa. Together the cherry flavors exploded in the mouth.

The Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay paired with Almonds with Pink Himalayan Salt. The wine has notes of tropical fruit, baking spices, and vanilla. I loved the nuttiness of the chocolate to match the richness of the wine and the saltiness of the chocolate to cut through the richness and highlight the acidity.

The La Crema Rosé of Pinot Noir from Monterey paired with the Dark Chocolate. The wine has wild strawberry, watermelon, and citrus aromas, bright crisp flavors, and fresh acidity that paired beautifully with the smooth dark chocolate. But, the Rosé was also enjoyed with the Tart Cherry & Cocoa chocolate as the fruit notes of the wine and chocolate were in harmony.

The best deal of the summer. Simply sit poolside and sip this amazing bargain. Look for a future column on a wine loaded with interesting spice, earth, and black cherry on the nose. The tobacco and spice rack flavors play off the loamy earth notes. Black cherry and sweet raspberry swoop in on the finish.