The 2016 Les Cadrans de Lassegue is a blend of 90% Merlot with the remainder of Cabernet Franc. It shows deep color in the glass, nearly opaque. Aromas of dark cherry, espresso, hint of spice and violets leap out of the glass. On the palate the flavor is exuberant showing rich chocolate, velvety, textured and is polished. The tannins are finely integrated and finishes with fresh acidity. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc harmonizebeautifully in this wonderfully crafted second label from Chateau Lassegue from St Emilion.

The Giant Steps Tasmanian pinot project has evolved well, with the 2019 Giant Steps Fatal Shore Pinot Noir delivering a convincingly generous and drinkable style that will improve and develop further over the next five or six years. There’s already good early complexity on the nose with rose-like florals, cherry and blueberry fruits, and earthy characters. Rich fleshy texture is pinned in place with bright acid structure.

The 2019 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir is similarly nuanced but built on a more tannin-driven structure. While it has youthful complexity to offer, this is the wine that will really develop over the next five or more years in bottle. The fruits are more in the blueberry and dried cherry zone, with foresty, earthy hints and intense cherry fruit flavour delivered in layers of fine, long tannin.

The 2019 Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir is complex, with strawberry, cherry and pomegranate aromas leading to a palate with concentration, length and a sleek acid-driven structure.

Stepping into the single vineyard realm, the 2019 Giant Steps Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir is an explosively flavoursome pinot that offers a brightness of cherry and strawberry fruit on the nose and palate that is instantly appealing. This is precise, crunchy with plenty of flavour.

The 2019 Giant Steps Yarra Valley Pinot Noir is a staple of rich cherry fruit, spice and succulent, mouth-filling flavour. It also represents outstanding value.

K-J is so much more than its huge-production wines. Here’s an example: an exceptional, mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon (900 – 2,400 feet elevation) that is a bit more accessible to drink now than the Monte Rosso, yet has plenty of structure for a decade-plus in the cellar. Or drink it now for a full-bodied boldness, vibrant blackberry and boysenberry fruit, and subtle shadings of cedar and oak spice.

Here’s another “big” Pinot Noir, with mouth-filling, ripe dark berry, and cherry aromas and flavors. Hints of truffle, oak spice, and black tea add to the complexity of this wine, which is slightly softer and rounder than the Merry Edwards, yet still packs a muscular punch. It will shine brightest at the holiday table – yours or someone else’s.

A near-perfect Russian River Pinot, it delivers crowd-pleasing, vibrant black cherry, blueberry and boysenberry fruit. It’s hugely aromatic – violet and rose petal – supple and succulent with a generous, brisk finish.

The Petaluma Gap’s cool temperatures and wind help produce fruit with crunchy natural acidity. That comes into play with this vibrant and polished wine, where the acidity plumps up the blackberry and blueberry fruit character. Asian spice, sarsaparilla, and a hint of dark chocolate are also present, upping the complexity level.

The wine smells like a field of wild strawberries, with Queen Anne cherry and pink grapefruit joining the palate mix. It has a lovely balance of richness and freshness, and despite its light body, floods the mouth with flavor.

This wine is easy to find, easy to drink, and easy on the pocketbook, as it’s typically sold at discounted prices. It offers a little bit of everything: sweet, ripe pineapple, white peach, apple and Meyer lemon fruit, caramel spice, and a clean, mouthwatering finish. Value.

Winemaker Jeff Stewart makes several Chardonnays, but this one is outstanding: A blend of freshness, mouthwatering acidity, gentle oak spice, unripe pair, and tangy citrus. It smells of peach blossoms, and lemongrass with a core of spiced apples, and poached pears. The palate delivers layer upon layer of savory, citrus, and stone fruit flavors, long and spicy.

The Grapevine: Selecting Wine for the Thanksgiving TableThe 2018 Copain pinot noir rosé from Mendocino County presents a wine well-suited to the Thanksgiving table. This pale salmon-colored wine starts with aromas of crisp strawberry, sweet cherry, white peach, pink grapefruit and rose petals. On the palate, you will find notes of melon, apple blossom, fresh cherries, lychee and anise, laced with vibrant acidity.

Party FavoritesThe best wines for every Thanksgiving, from bargain bottles to magnificent magnumsThe 2016 Bordeaux vintage is excellent; this balanced red shows you don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy it. Think aromas of plum and blackberry with soft, palate-coating tannins.

Translucent pink hue. Aromas of cherry blossom, ginger tea and young blueberries. The palate shows sweet stone fruit, nectarine and blue plum. The texture is a pleasingly chalky, a light to medium-bodied rosé, with crunchy acidity and a refreshing, dry finish.

This medium-bodied blend is a snappy potpourri of flavors, with blackberry, briary cherry and smoked pepper elements. Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2024.

The Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a very European style blend of mostly cabernet sauvignon, but with a supporting cast of cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot, that adds complexity and balance to the raw fruit power of the cabernet.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Chardonnay 3D is a stunning wine with intense layers and mega intense perfume! It leaps from the glass with elderflower, quince, white peaches and baklava plus loads of honeyed nuances. The palate is medium-bodied and satiny with full, broad, perfectly ripe fruit character opposed by gently tangy acidity, and it finishes very long and very layered.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Pinot Noir Machado has a medium ruby color and deep, layered aromas of pure violet, garrigue, laurel, aniseed and forest floor, seamlessly accenting a core of black and red berries. The palate is medium-bodied with loads of lift and silkiness, elegantly fruited and with a long, ethereal finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 Vintage"We made this from 1997-2000," says winemaker Greg Brewer. "In 2001 we went purely Sta. Rita Hills and stopped making this. Now, with the acquisition by Jackson Family Wines, we have been able to revisit some cuvées." The 2018 Pinot Noir Julia's has a medium ruby color and savory charcuterie, aniseed, smoked blackberries, laurel and potpourri on the nose. The medium-bodied palate has a dichotomy of earthy bass tones and bright, juicy, crunchy fruits in a finely grained frame, and it finishes long and nuanced. This small cuvée of 96 cases has a touch more power and oomph than the rest of the lineup this vintage and is immediately accessible, although it will continue to age well in bottle.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe medium ruby colored 2018 Pinot Noir Hapgood, made with 100% whole clusters, features scents of crushed rhubarb and blueberries with notes of licorice, violet, blood orange and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied with perfumed flavor layers, finely grained and seamlessly fresh with a long, floral finish. This offers a bit more oomph and power than the other wines in the lineup this year and is immediately accessible, although it will age well in bottle.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Chardonnay Machado opens with bright, high-toned notions of saline, iodine and crushed shell, accenting a core of tangerine, quince and chamomile. The medium-bodied palate has broad fruits in a satiny texture, and it zeroes in with bright freshness on the long, mineral-laced finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageMade by Greg Brewer, the 2018 Syrah from Ex Post Facto was entirely whole-cluster fermented and aged in very old barrels. It has a medium to deep ruby-purple color and pure scents of cassis, cedar, graphite and bay leaves with touches of milk chocolate and violets. The palate is medium to full-bodied with Goldilocks ripeness and gently savory undertones, finely grained and fresh with a long finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Pinot Noir 459 has a medium ruby color and a nose of crushed red and black berry fruits with notes of blueberry, violet and Earl Grey tea leaves plus an undercurrent of angostura bitters. Medium-bodied, it's silky with slowly expanding, super spicy fruits cutting through with juicy freshness, and it finishes long and nuanced.