Using sustainably farmed estate grapes, Russell creates lively and fresh wines. The single-vineyard 2018 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay ($27) hits the sweet spot for California chardonnay. I love the moderate oak influence on this. It has a creamy mouthfeel, with flavours of apricot, peach, flint and popcorn. This would be fantastic with crab or lobster.

Deep purple colour, concentrated aromas of blackcurrants and sweet baking spices. Rich, smooth texture, a hedonistic treat of wild cherries, plums, tamarillo and dried herbs. Colossal tannins, full-bodied and a finish that lingers.

Purple colour with an inky black core, notes of incense and brambles. Full-bodied, fleshy, round mouth-feel with powerful notes of blackcurrants, fruitcake, cigar leaves and fenugreek. Ample, svelte tannins offers extra dimension, long persistence.

This full and rich Chardonnay from the Katherine's Vineyard has a fragrant floral bouquet full of fresh fruit and a slight citrus breeze. The flavors are apple and peach, with a little lemon zest, and a mild buttery presence which finishes with a vibrant crescendo.

A California wine shop staple, this Pinot Noir hits all the Pinot varietal buttons from its bright red fruits, mouth-filling, earthy, cran-cherry, and soft tannins. Fresh, mouth-watering acidity balances the ripe fruit before ending in a savoury, smooth finish. Ready to drink.

4 fantastic wines for women’s dayThis Pinot has lots of dried sage and tarragon over bright black cherry.

This pale white gold colored Sauvignon Blanc opens with a ripe honeydew melon and gentle grapefruit bouquet with hints of pineapple and wet stone. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, well-balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty white grapefruit and ginger blend with notes saline and gentle lime. We also detected some hints of chalky minerality throughout. It closes with a dry, refreshing and lingering finish. The Panel would pair this Sauvignon Blanc with raw oysters, shrimp scampi, or grilled mahi-mahi.

Slightly golden in color with a mild nice apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with nice apple and pear along with some oaking notes like vanilla. This is not a super oaked wine, but more of a subtle gently oaked wine. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice soft acidity, nice and dry, beyond what the g/l would imply. We paired it with grilled scallops and it was perfect. I would give it an -88. Not bad at all.

Colour: bright, light gold.Nose: aromas of pineapple chunks, peach, citrus and vanilla with hints of musky, woody spice.Palate: juicy notes of white peach, pineapple and baked apple with vanilla custard, soft spice, slightly smoky, toasty oak and a touch of grilled grapefruit on the lingering finish.Food match: versatile with a variety of food, including chicken stroganoff, grilled chicken, scallops, vegetarian risottos and pasta dishes.

On the nose, there was buttery shortbread, lemon zest, white blossom, vanilla, crisp apple and a faint trace of nutmeg. On the palate, I found peaches, pears, lemon, Newtown Pippins apples (reminiscent of my childhood as our garden had 49 apple trees, mainly that variety), wonderful butteriness from malolactic fermentation, melon, pear, sweet almonds, vanilla and a distinctive minerality. This wine was perfectly balanced between fruit and acidity. It was also long on the palate.

Top 6 in the 6ix: Wines of the Week - Netflix Wine PairingsA delicious full bodied and easy going cabernet Sauvignon ideal with saturday night date night, lamb rack and season two of The Crown – a wine and series that is both serious and exciting!

This is all about restrained richness. It’s a Chardonnay with some richer elements: some meal, toast and spice, together with pear, peach and pineapple, but also some finesse and some lean citrus and green apple notes. Shows purity and concentration, with a bit of crystalline citrus fruit. There’s a lot of latent potential here: while currently it’s a bit constrained and turned in on itself, with a primary sort of character, I think it could develop really well.

This midnight purple colored Tuscan blend opens with a pleasant black cherry and mild leather bouquet with hints of earthy blackberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with slightly elevated acidity. It also has a nice round mouthfeel. The flavor profile is a juicy black cherry and fine-grained graphite blend with notes of cedar and strawberry licorice. We also detected some hints of walnut, black plum and traces of bay leaf mixed in. The finish is quite dry and its moderate tannins stick around for quite a while. We would decant this Merlot based wine for about an hour and then pair it with a five-star recipe of sweet Italian sausage with peppers and onions.

This well-integrated, complex and structured wine from the mountain appellation is substantial in red fruit, toasted oak and powerful concentration. Cassis, black cherry and sage perk up a broadly rich, lively palate of bright, lasting acidity and savory dried herb and earthiness. This will do well in the cellar; enjoy best from 2027–2032.

Stainless-steel and concrete-egg fermented, this is a tight-grained, textured white, with nuanced complexity and elegance. Stony mineral elements boost a body of green apple, melon and Meyer lemon that make for a lovely, balanced expression of the grape.

Done in the Méthode Traditionnelle, this vintage-dated brut is the first Oregon sparkler from La Crema. It opens crisp and clean, showing little impact from four years en tirage. There is green-apple fruit and sharp acidity but little complexity. Give it ample aeration (open the bottle, re-seal it, and let it sit for some hours) and it shows much better, with touches of straw, toast, citrus and good length and texture. Drink 2024–2035.

This has aromas of underbrush, truffle, blue flowers and French oak. Reflecting the nose, the tightly wound, full-bodied palate features coconut, vanilla and licorice that accent a black cherry core. Close-grained tannins provide the tight framework and leave an assertive, drying close. Drink 2023–2029.

Thick, earthy and red-fruited, this approachable red offers tremendous value and quality. It is solid and well integrated in its hearty texture and fresh notes of pomegranate and plum. Characteristics of nutmeg, vanilla and oak rise on the finish.

Baked plum, red-cherry jam and berry aromas meet with a touch of caramel on the pleasant nose of this always reliable bottling. Cranberry and fennel-frond flavors meet with dried herbs on the palate.

As the producers are proud to point out, the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County is one of California's coolest spots with a very long growing season. It's a paradise for Pinot, and this wine provided one judge with "an 'ooh' moment. It looks great, smells great and tastes great." Another judge elaborated: "There are black fruits and smoke on the nose, accented by lilac and pepper notes. The palate is quite full and round with a nice, silky mouthfeel."

A "standout" in the flight of Pinot Noir for more than one judge, this single-vineyard red is the work of three female members of Californian winemaking royalty the Jackson Family: Barbara Banke and her daughters, Katie and Julia Jackson. "Raspberries, dark oaky finish, firm but pleasant morello cherries in the mouth...a lovely balanced wine and representative of the style and region," the judges said. "Excellent value for money."

Recommended wine and food pairing.

Checking off all the boxes for your chianti needs with tight cherry fruits, plum and wild strawberries to boot and a palate full of fine-grained tannins that accentuate the acids and bring the whole thing right into balance. It can cellar a bit if desired, but most importantly, it's a good bottle to have on hand if a marinara or Bolognese sauce is in the works for dinnertime...

A merlot based blend without a drop of sangiovese, this super Tuscan is more like a meritage style blend, but done oh-so-well and still wonderfully Italian. Plum, cedar, cocoa, and cherries dominate the palate, but it's the perfect acids that make this really hum. Would be dynamite with beefy dishes or those with rich tomato sauces. Stunning.

Sleek and agile, yet well-structured, with graceful raspberry, mineral and spiced tea flavors that build richness and tension on the way to refined tannins. Drink now through 2028. From Oregon.