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.

Impressive for its detailed structure and rich polish, this shows expressive raspberry, black tea, sweet anise and forest floor accents that with finish with silky, medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.

Dynamic and multilayered, with tiers of wild red berry, sandalwood and mineral laced with a hint of eucalyptus. Builds richness and tension on the way to refined tannins. Drink now through 2029.

Supple and polished, with pretty raspberry and orange peel aromas that open to elegant dark berry, garrigue and crushed stone tones that persist toward fine-grained tannins. Best from 2022 through 2029.

Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Giving aromas of boysenberry, blackberry, cardamom spice, tilled earth, flower blossom and a touch of toasty oak. Mid-weight and forward-drinking in style, with flavors of black cherry, black plum and blackberry with a riff of oak in the background. Silky in texture, with quenching acidity and a modest but satisfying finish.

A gutsy little red with medium-bodied blackberry, licorice, bitter mocha and cracked pepper flavors. Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2023.

A gutsy little red with medium-bodied blackberry, licorice, bitter mocha and cracked pepper flavors. Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2023.

Pineapple and peach aromas; apple, butterscotch, spice and minerals on the creamy palate. Good balance of oak and acidity. Good plus overall.

Hickinbotham's flagship 2018 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz checks in as a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Shiraz. Aged in 50% to 60% new French oak, the Shiraz component is drawn from the "drippings"—not the free-run that comes off the skins immediately, but not pressings, either. The two varieties complement each other, with the Shiraz adding richness of texture—a certain lushness and velvety feel that the pure-Cabernet Trueman is missing. Cassis and raspberry notes combine with hints of cedar and vanilla, mint and dried spices. Medium to full-bodied, this is velvety, rich, long and complete, just a joy to drink.

The 2018 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal, aged in 75% new French oak. Dark, minty and mysterious, it boasts brooding cassis alongside hints of red berries and singed cedar. Full-bodied without being overly rich or textured, this is streamlined Cabernet, pure and smooth from start to finish. Supple tannins and hints of pencil shavings mark the long, softly dusty, finish. While nearly approachable now, it should easily go another 15 years or so, gradually developing complex hints of cigar box along the way.

Cedar and vanilla notes—the wine aged in 50% to 60% new French oak—mark the nose of Hickinbotham's 2018 The Revivalist Merlot. It's round and plush, with black cherries and cola wrapped in a velvety blanket of dried spices, mint and mocha on the full-bodied palate. Rich and creamy in style, it's a lovely example of Merlot from an unexpected source.

Hickinbotham's 2018 The Nest Cabernet Franc—only the second vintage bottled—aged in 50% new French oak. Winemaker Chris Carpenter says that proportion will be reduced going forward to preserve the wine's cherry blossom and violet characters. This wine is a bit toasty and cedary, then adds floral notes, black cherry fruit and hints of tobacco. More obvious notes of vanilla and mint mark the streamlined, medium to full-bodied palate, which glides into a silky, focused and lengthy finish. Nicely structured, more than rich or voluptuous, this should drink well for a decade or more.

The emphasis at Hickinbotham is on Bordeaux varieties, but the Shiraz is a sleeper—and well-priced for the quality. The 2018 Brooks Road Shiraz includes 10% whole clusters and was matured in 30% new French oak. There was one new foudre, while the rest of the wine aged in 300-liter hogsheads. The nose is marked by scents of raspberries and vanilla, with some floral, herbal notes and hints of barrel char. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied and mouthwatering, with a long, silky textured finish. A completely satisfying drink, it's rich without being at all over the top.

For three decades Cambria Estate Winery has helped define the Santa Maria Valley. This Chardonnay offers a bevy of subtlety; lemon-lime, guava, honeysuckle, granny Smith apple and white peach. Nothing here is over the top. Four different clones were used on their estate property. “I sourced mainly older vines planted in 1971,” says winemaker Jill Russell. To that she added fruit from “younger blocks planted in 2012.” The 2019 strikes a deft balance between the use of oak aging (nine months), stainless steel, barrel and malolactic fermentations. This allows for enough acidity to make it fresh and lively, while still having a smooth and seamless feel. Though this is a ubiquitous Chardonnay, the 2019 shows the quality of the fruit and land.

This red offers ripe dark cherry and plum compote flavors, with loamy richness. There is pomegranate and dried strawberry midpalate, with forest floor notes on the savory finish. Drink now through 2024.

Open-textured, with fine-grained flavors of red currant, plum and cherry. Offers light spiciness in the midpalate, with a finish that has hints of dried green herbs. Drink now through 2024.

Yes, You Should Drink White Wine in the WinterHere's what the experts recommend.La Crema recommended.

Yes, You Should Drink White Wine in the WinterHere’s what the experts recommend.Similar to Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc is a grape that’s a clone or mutation of Pinot Noir and is also found in the Alsace region of France. It also happens to be grown in California. Kendall-Jackson winemaster Randy Ullom points to Pinot Blanc as a perfect choice for a cold winter evening. “It should not be enjoyed very cold and should be served just below normal room temperature. Between 58 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit is just fine,” he notes. “Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay tend to be richer and heartwarming, making them both perfect choices for a cold winter evening.”

Yarra Valley via the Rhone Valley. Sexton and Tarraford have the plantings of the forbidden varieties.Lush, slurpy red, all dark berries, cola, pepper and sage herbal character. Good perfume, good flavours, good texture which is sandy and swishes with sexy, silty tannins. Long too. The wine feels medium weight, come hither and easy appeal, but dials in some complexity alongside its drinkability. It’s charming from the get go. Very polished and prim in a way too. A very nice expression, all up, and ready to roll.