The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: Legendary small yields for the 2017 vintage produced intense, concentrated, and powerful wines with vibrant acidity, despite such a warm year. The aromas are dominated by ripe raspberry fruit and candied apples, followed by floral notes and nutmeg. The powerful nose gives way to an elegant balance of expressive fruit. The palate follows with tart cherry pie, red licorice, and sweet tobacco. A long finish shows hints of cedar and cypress. It will be extraordinary to experience this wine’s evolution in the cellar and it is expected to age gracefully.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: The 2018 Hartford Russian River Valley Zinfandel is showing aromas of ripe plum, blackberry, black cherry which are highlighted with hints of white pepper and allspice. Blueberry, red raspberry, nutmeg and mocha flavors lead into a long, bright finish with supple tannins.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: The key to this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is the diversity of its sources. This sounds odd, given that the wine comes entirely from within the Russian River Valley AVA, but this region is large and possesses a myriad of soils, exposures, and unique terroirs that together produce a superb representation of the whole of the Russian River Valley. This 2018 offering showcases this area in all its complexity while also making for a wine that is eminently drinkable upon release.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: Latro takes its name from the Latin word for “hunter,” a reference to Knights Valley’s history as a private hunting reserve before the development of vineyards in the area. Hard, inhospitable mountain soils restrict root development, which creates smaller berries and lower yields that bring distinctively mineral notes to this 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. The darkly handsome result is a charismatic and versatile wine with instant, irresistible appeal.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: The 2016 La Jota Merlot encompasses all that is Mountain Merlot with a structure to relish. Notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and toast follow ripe blackberry, minerality, and weight on the palate.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: Aromas of black plum, fresh raspberries, and forest floor are complemented by flavors of bing cherry and sassafras with hints of baking spice. On the palate, the 2017 vintage exudes rich concentration and integrated acidity.

The 65 Best Grilling Wines for End of SummerThere’s still plenty of time to keep your grilling game going, and we’ve compiled a list of the 65 best red wines to accompany any alfresco cooking experience.Any of the 65 wines are awesome, and you can read more about each of them – in the words of their respective winemaker.Winemaker’s Notes: A blend of fruit from the WillaKenzie and Jory Hills vineyards, this wine is a classic expression of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This effortless yet weighty wine glides across the palate with notes of red and black fruit.

Wow. This is complex and structured with dried strawberries and fresh flowers. Full body. Wonderful depth and intensity. The texture is so impressive. Give it time, but hard not to drink it. Screw cap.

There’s striking freshness of lemon and yellow grapefruit here with a chalky, stony, flinty edge. The fresh fruit carries subtly spicy oak nicely. There are grapefruit and fresh yellow-peach flavors in abundance. This carries energetic, acidity-fueled drive and delivers impressive balance, as well as length. So long and juicy. Drink or hold.

Attractive florals and crushed stones here with lemon and grapefruit pith, as well as white peaches and subtle hazelnuts. Some floral elements, too. The palate has superb elegance, coupled with intensity, concentration and focus. Sleek and fresh, lemon-drenched finish. Excellent chardonnay. Linear. Drink or hold.

Super fine aromas of limes and chamomile with hints of beeswax, apple pie crust, pears and white-almond paste. The palate has a very sleek, steely and resolute line of mouthwatering fruit, cast in the lime and white-peach zone. Super fine and long. Wow! Drink or hold. Screw cap.

There is purity and finesse to this young pinot with sliced-strawberry and lemon character. Tight and polished with beautiful finesse and length. Goes on for minutes. Love the brightness and focus. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This has impressive depth and fruit purity. Aromas of red cherries, roses, spiced earth, bracken and blueberries lead to a palate that has very energetic red and dark cherries with tannins that wrap and expand out the finish. Fresh acidity holds it long and vibrant. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Expressively complex with plenty of red-cherry, strawberry and pomegranate aromas, as well as oak spice and sappy notes. The palate has impressive density with focus. The spiced blueberry flavors are intense, fresh and long and there’s such vibrant acidity sustaining the long finish. Drink or hold.

This has soulful, complex style with a fresh blueberry and dark-cherry edge, some earthy, forest wood and stony elements. Subtle aromas. The palate opens nicely, peeling away in layers of powerful red cherries and delivering a rich, flavorful impression and layers of fine, compressed tannin. Long finish. Best from 2023.

An assemblage of racy Upper Yarra sites with some Gruyere and Tarrawarra material, fermented in ceramic egg and delivering a super pure rendition of jet-fresh Yarra chardonnay to the table. Aromas of white peaches, lemons, gun flint and grilled bread lead to a palate that has a brand of purity that is akin to Premier Cru Chablis. Stony, succulent chardonnay with fresh peach, lemon and quince flavors. Drink now.

A finely textured and delicious pinot with ripe-strawberry and floral aromas and flavors. Medium body. Fine tannins. Flavorful finish. Always a gem. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Love the aromas of tea, strawberries, cherries and freshly cut flowers, which follow through to a medium to full body. Tight and silky tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows focus and finesse with structure. Drink now or hold. Screw cap.

A very attractive, succulent style with intense and energetic white-peach and lemon aromas and flavors. The drive and depth on the palate really impress here. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Apples and honeydew melon with pie crust and poached pears in a fresh, attractive mode. The palate has a smooth, evenly paced and sleek feel. Polished texture and good depth of fresh white peaches and pears. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

This has a savory, crushed stone edge to the nose with fresh pastry, as well as white peaches, lemon pastry and hazelnuts with honeysuckle and citrus blossom. The palate has an alluring density that holds very long into the peach, lemon and pastry-flavored finish. A spark of zesty lemon to close. Drink or hold.

A very composed and attractively elegant chardonnay that has an impeccably smooth array of lemon and peach-sorbet aromas with very subtle, fresh-nutty notes. The palate has such smooth build. Really refined and elegant. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Bright red cherries and strawberries in a pure style of pinot that has a gently herbal edge and some light reductive, tarry notes, too. The palate is precise and refined in terms of tannin shape and fruit purity. Bright red cherries abound. Acidity sparks up the finish. Drink or hold.

Super pure white-peach and hazelnut aromas here with a freshly squeezed lemon edge. The palate is bright and mouthwatering and has plenty of lemon and white-peach flavors with a subtle wrap of savory hazelnut biscuit into the finish. Vibrant, pure chardonnay here. Drink over the next five years.

Bargain labels to close out the summerAnthony Gismondi offers up a selection of wines under $25ChardonnayBack in the day, we split Chardonnay into oaked and unoaked categories, but as they converge in style, there is only good and bad Chardonnay. Our favourites are balanced, energized, textural and almost always better with food. Our two picks to look for are Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve 2018, California...