Lots of density; bold terroir and heavy tannin.

Big red fruit and some spice; vanilla edge.

Brisk acidity, floral, boldly peachy and apricot dusted.

More complex, bright red and dark black fruit in balance; intense but fruity, remarkably dense.

Iconic Oregon pinot noir, lightly herbal, graphite, well-balanced.

Lots of florals, honeysuckle, quite perfumed.

10 California Pinot Noirs to Drink Right NowPinot noirs from California have adopted a more refined and elegant style over the past several years. These are the ones to seek out now.Part of the Jackson Family portfolio of wines, this small-production stunner delivers marvelous richness with cola spices, dark red cherry fruit, clove and burnt orange peel aroma, and sour cherry on the palate with cinnamon, brown spices, burnt caramel and flinty minerality. There’s a forest-like earthiness that underscores the silken fruit texture and spices, bolstered by juicy acidity and fine cedar tannins.

Lustrous ruby. A little sour and reductive on the nose. Ripe supple palate, if not hugely expressive. A little simple for the category.

La Crema is an artisanal winery that focuses exclusively on cool-climate appellations. That means grapes spend more time on the vine allowing for a deeper, more dramatic spectrum of flavours and aromas to develop. And that creates decidedly rich and layered wines like this one. Presenting multi-layered flavours of red, blue and black berry fruit, the finish is smooth, warm and accented with exotic spice. Will appeal to most pinot lovers but is generally seen as a good starting point for many.

Sourced from four distinct cooler climate coastal vineyard sites, including Monterey County (50%), Santa Barbara County (33%), Mendocino County (16%) and Sonoma County (1%), Kendall-Jackson’s signature chardonnay boasts tropical flavours of pineapple, mango and cantaloupe that mix with citrus notes that burst on the palate. There’s some toasty oak and slick butter rounding out the finish – which will be widely appealing, no doubt. Fits right into a price-point that’s hard to ignore.

10 Fresh California Rosé Wines to Drink Right NowHands-down a top bottle across my group of tasters, this bottle was also a pleasant surprise, for none of us would have guessed it was made from sangiovese grapes. You don't see a ton of rosé of sangiovese; even in Italy, it's not the preferred grape for pink wines. They tend to be darker in color, even slightly coppery, but this bottling from Sonoma's Alexander Valley is more akin to a Provence-style rosé: very pale, almost transparent. Light and elegant, it's expertly balanced with a slight sherbert aroma and notes of strawberry shortcake, wild cherry, and citrus. An ideal cheese wine, this rosé is the full package, and as one friend eloquently put it, "it has a beginning, middle, and end."Benovia 2019 Rosé of Pinot NoirSophisticated, lush, and creamy with plenty of depth, this rosé is so much more than her pretty pink hue. Sourced from the cool, Russian River Valley, Benovia's rosé awakened happy memories of my mother's fruit trifle on the Fourth of July, a medley of peach, nectarine, and strawberry with a dollop of cool whip on top. Stow this bottle away for a romantic, al-fresco dinner on a balmy summer evening. Grilled salmon would be a perfect pairing. // $32 at benoviawinery.comRAEN winery on Instagram: “Today is the official day we celebrate Mother Earth || ?? ?? ?? || I like to think we celebrate her everyday in our actions, beliefs and…”Raen 2019 The Monarch Challenge Rosé of Pinot NoirThere are a lot of wine brands out there doing good with sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming practices, but this small Sonoma Coast winery takes its commitment to Mother Earth up a notch. Raen founded an initiative called The Monarch Challenge, which uses proceeds from this wine to spread awareness about the need for clean, chemical-free farming practices. As for the wine itself, juicy is the first word that came to mind. This rosé has what my friend dubbed "the gusher effect," because each sip literally bursts with mouthwatering, white peach flavor. // $28 (releases April 29); for more information, go to themonarchchallenge.org.Gretchen Brakesman on Instagram: “It’s here! Really, it’s here. Our 2019 Red Thread Wine Howell Rose is in the house. If you can’t make it here, we can ship to you.…”Red Thread Wines 2019 Howell Mountain RoséDon't let the color of this rosé of zinfandel fool you; it's not your mother's sickly-sweet white zin. In fact, this is a serious rosé for red wine lovers. Made on Napa Valley's Howell Mountain, it's dry yet still mouthwatering, and has significant structure and tannin, making it a great choice to pair with food. Only 38 cases of this wine were produced, so you'll want to jump on it quickly. // $26 (releases in May); redthreadwines.comJustPink! 2019 Rosé from CaliforniaWhen I heard winemaker Julien Fayard was releasing a new rosé, I had to try it, for his Azur rosé has been a go-to for years. His latest, JustPink!, makes your mouth water like you've been wandering through a desert for 40 days. It's a "serious" rosé, especially for the price—the kind that winemakers go crazy for—and is the only true blend on this list, made from syrah, grenache, and pinot noir. Fresh and bright, it has a strong presence of ruby grapefruit with a lingering, jolly rancher finish. // $25 (releases May 1); justpinkwine.comClif Family on Instagram: “If you're like us, then you can never have enough Rosé in your glass or stocked up in your cellar, which is why we are eager to welcome our…”Clif Family 2019 Rosé of GrenacheI'm pretty much a fan of everything Napa Valley's Clif Family does (yes, it's owned by the same people that founded Clif Bar), and this rosé is no exception. Rosé of grenache is starting to have a bit of a moment in California, and it's one of the more popular grapes used in rosés of Provence. This rosé, sourced from cool and foggy Mendocino, has a beautiful, rose petal color with a floral nose to match, a burst of sour watermelon candy on the palate, and a zesty finish. Chill this one good and pair it with a Mexican or Indian meal. // $26 at cliffamily.comGamling & McDuck 2018 Feral Rosé of Cab FrancYou might as well just skip ahead to the link because this baby is currently on sale for half-off its usual price and is a now steal at $12 (or $72 for a six-pack). My initial excitement for this wine came from the cute cats they have printed on the bottle, which promote Gamling & McDuck's fundraiser project for cats. Secondly, I was intrigued because it's a rosé of cabernet franc, a grape you rarely find in pink form. It's always a bummer when the hype of the label doesn't translate in the glass, but the good vibes stuck around in this one thanks to its silky mouthfeel, bright aromatics—you even get a hint of the savory notes cab franc is known for—rich strawberry compote flavor, and a lasting finish. As a bonus, they're currently sending out custom quarantine dominos to play with your cat during SIP. // $12/bottle or $72/6-pack at gamlingandmcduckstore.comMarch Wines 2019 Rosé of St. LaurentIf you've never heard of St. Laurent grapes, don't feel bad. Most widely produced in the Czech Republic and Austria, you won't find much of it stateside. Just how rare is the varietal? According to March Wines, there are only three acres of it in all of California, planted on a Sonoma vineyard. St. Laurent is often described as a "beefier pinot noir," which could explain the added texture and weight to this rosé. Its obscurity is reason enough to give this bottle a go, but as a bonus, it's also quite tasty, bright, and smooth with stone fruit flavors. // $25 at marchwines.comSilver Trident Winery on Instagram: “Quarantine will be over soon, so don’t get caught running out of Rosé! The Tasting home is open daily for curbside pick up 11 am to 4 pm.…”Silver Trident, 2018 Apollo's Folly RoséThis bottle will make you feel fancy AF, even in your SIP uniform. Packaged in an elegant and minimalist bowling pin–shaped bottle—reminiscent of the Miraval rosé from Branjelinas Provence chateau—it's one of those wines you'll want to keep on display to impress future guests (whenever we can have guests again). But, alas, this rosé of pinot noir is simply too good to sit on a shelf as a trophy. It completely blankets your tongue with great acidity and fruity notes of grapefruit, white peach, nectarines, and apricot. // $32 at silvertridentwinery.comEnRoute 2019 Rosé Facile à BoireI've dubbed this rosé my new "old reliable." A label produced by Napa Valley's famed Far Niente, EnRoute's Russian River rosé of pinot noir is perfectly balanced with notes of white peach and strawberry dominating the glass. Facile à Boire literally translates to "easy drink," and this is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Save this one for when you're finally able to host a barbecue for all your friends. // $32 at enroutewinery.comRELATED ARTICLES FROM YOUR SITECalifornia Rosés to Sip While the Weather's Warm - 7x7 Bay Area ›RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEBThe 15 Best Rosé Wines from Around the World, According to ... › capture wines benovia winery raen winery red thread wines justpink wine julien fayard azur wine clif family winery gamling & mcduck march wines silver trident winery enroute winery far nienteDon't miss a Bay Area beat.Sign up for 7x7's biweekly newsletter and get the latest events, restaurant openings, neighborhood guides, NorCal escapes + more right in your inbox.EmailBy submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: 7x7 Bay Area, 6114 La Salle Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94611, US, http://7x7.com. 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You don't see a ton of rosé of sangiovese; even in Italy, it's not the preferred grape for pink wines. They tend to be darker in color, even slightly coppery, but this bottling from Sonoma's Alexander Valley is more akin to a Provence-style rosé: very pale, almost transparent. Light and elegant, it's expertly balanced with a slight sherbert aroma and notes of strawberry shortcake, wild cherry, and citrus. An ideal cheese wine, this rosé is the full package, and as one friend eloquently put it, "it has a beginning, middle, and end."

Katherine’s Vineyard 2018 Chardonnay from Cambria Estate Winery is quite a price performer! If you like Chardonnay, and who doesn’t, then consider this one. I think I can safely say use that adage because it is so widely planted in many nations.For example, in the mid-20th Century Chardonnay was 75% of Chile’s white grapes, and in the early 17th-Century it made up 93% of all of South Africa’s grapevines. Today Chardonnay comprises the most acreage of any wine grape in the world! However, Chardonnay’s ubiquitousness may be the very reason it isn’t easy to find the wine you like. Just too many choices to consider, and how many are well made? So, when an attractive Chardonnay presents itself, take action. I can safely say that the 2018 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay is worth a go!The Cambria Estate Winery, sustainably farmed and family owned by the Jackson family, is located on California’s Central Coast where the foothills swell from the floor of the valley just off the Foxen Trail on the Santa Maria Bench, in Santa Barbara County a bit south of the city of Santa Maria. The winery’s address in point of fact is on Chardonnay Lane, perfect for this review.Jackson Family Wines established Cambria Winery in 1986 and Jess Jackson’s daughters, Katie and Julia, were raised near Cambria’s vines. Along with Barbara Banke, they are the proprietors, hence the designation Katherine’s Vineyard.The estate’s wines come from four dissimilar vineyards, each conveying its unique characteristics to the wines. The Chardonnay sources from Katherine’s Vineyard, consisting of 34 blocks of various clones on soils of shallow sand, granite, shale, limestone, and fossilized seashells.Winemaking consisted of whole cluster pressing, after which 75% of the juice went to barrel fermentation, with 25% to stainless. To finish, the young wine was placed in oak casks, 20% of which were new, to age sur lie for eight months. The alcohol level reached 14.1%.This straw colored, golden-hued, 100% Chardonnay opens with subtle aromas of Asian pear and citrus blossom, which are followed by Golden apple, quince, and a trace of butterscotch especially on the rear palate. Cambria has achieved a very user-friendly wine showcasing ripe fruit, a really pleasing roundness with smooth palate-feel, and good balance including the level of acidity. Finishes well.

Review: light and juicy wines to buy for springExtremely easy to drink, this. Texturally quite light, it has a little oak on the nose and a creamy, buttery texture, finishing with a succulent red-fruit finish. Enjoy a glass before supper and take it with you into the meal.

Serenely pale lemon in color, richly seductive in aroma and beautifully flavorful on the palate, Matanzas Creek’s 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is wondrous indeed. Its cornucopia of elegantly balanced fruit flavors includes peach, citrus and pineapple plus a thread of stony minerality, while delicate acidity is the quiet but all-important thread stitching everything together. This blend of 89% Sauvignon Blanc, 7.3% Semillon and 3.7% Sauvignon Musque offers pure pleasure.

So inviting on the nose, with dark plums, black cherries, cassis, with earth, leather, sage, menthol and mint complexities. Gorgeous texture on the palate with structured tannins and bright acidity, balanced, vibrant, pure. Black currants, plums, deep, suave fruit, laced with beautiful notes of violets, clove, mineral, graphite, earth, sage. Such a nuanced, fresh style, but this will age beautifully. Aged 19 months in 73% new French oak. For the price, this wine has such an elegant, complex, “real” feel.

The crisp light/pale gold no oak Diatom Bar-M Chardonnay by Greg Brewer is beautifully detailed and is a totally unique expression with fresh and vivid white peach and mixed citrus fruits leading the way along with delicate spring blossoms, clove spice, quince paste, wet chalk and sea shore elements. Brewer continues his obsession in Chardonnay purity with his Diatom label, a very singular journey or vision quest, more like a Jules Verne novel and Captain Nemo rather than Herman Melville’s Captain Ahab! There is a zen like quiet to these wines, as all the outside world is hushed, again like being on the Nautilus where all the madness of the world and noise are silenced and the wine reveals itself in the grapes truest form and nature. Brewer, founding winemaker at the legendary Brewer-Clifton and known for Burgundy style Pinot Noir and Chardonnays from cru sites in the Sta. Rita Hills, is one of Santa Barbara’s most respected and influential winemakers, he also crafted the acclaimed wines at Melville and over the years has produced some fabulous stuff. These Diatom wines are no compromise and ultra precise Chardonnays, they are intellectually challenging that try to dig down to the core essence of the varietal and the individual vineyard site, but they are also wines of quality and a pleasure to experience, in particular with raw foods and highly focused ingredients, like hyper fresh sushi and masterfully executed, they deserve that perfection to show themselves at their best. People want to compare these wines to terroir particular wines like Chablis, which I can understand, but you can’t explain them that way, they wines that unto themselves. Each year brings a new revelation and understanding of terroir and of Chardonnay self with these Diatom wines, they are fun and thrilling examples of what is possible.

The Tenuta di Arceno is located near Castelnuovo Bererdegna at the southern end of the Chianti Classico district. The Castelnuovo area is noted for its fuller flavored wines. The 2017 Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico is a lovely example of the beauty of Sangiovese. The nose shows pure red cherry and plum tones with hints of roses, herbs, mushrooms and subtle baking spices. The red cherry and plum fruits dominate the palate and are enhanced by elements of black cherry, earth, raisins and spice. This is exciting Chianti, with the brightness and purity that defines the best of the appellation. The vivid cherry fruit carries through the long finish. With 15% Merlot blended with the core of Sangiovese, this will be a fine match for most anything off the grill.

Pale lemon color. Airy, breezy aromatics with lemon pith, green apples, topped in sea spray, baby’s breath and nettle, some mint. On the palate, this has lovely textural depth but a bright, sprightly appeal. Lemon, green apple, kiwi, fun and fruity but complexities abound: chalk, minerals, crushed stones, pure mountain stream. Notes of mint, honeysuckle and sliced cucumber round out the finish. Pure, lively, racy, fun, this is a killer Napa SB for the price. Fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel, concrete eggs and old oak.

Pure bliss. There's not much more to say really. Only last week I reviewed a Grenache and I suggested the variety was currently a purple patch. And then this beauty waltzes through the door. Brilliant and then some.Planted in 1946, the certified biodynamic and organic vines sit adjacent to the famed High Sands block. De-stemmed, crushed and tipped into 675L ceramic eggs, after fermentation it remained on skins for 158 days. No oak seen here. No pressing either - just the purity of Grenache singing from the rooftops.Pristine red berry fruit, fine spices and cut herbs, but that colour! The almost translucent cerise hue is hypnotic. There's an acid crunch but then I shift focus to the soft berry fruit lingering some more. Another wave of spice strolls to the kerb asking for a ride. And it rides long. Then comes the earthiness and herbal touch once more. Stunning. Grenache to embrace.

I hope this wine is an homage to the legendary Holden vehicle rather than parklands named for aristocracy. Biodynamic farmed vines, some whole bunch in the natural ferment, fine winemaking.Slippery, sleek and succulent shiraz of bouncy boysenberry fruit character, an undercurrent of sweet spice, some floral notes, very fine tannins and brisk acidity to cool it all down and finish it fresh. Very even, very medium weight, very flavoursome, indeed, quite remarkable intensity with all that freshness on hand. The fruit shines here – it’s the hero and it’s obvious. It makes you think about how grapes can achieve such multi-dimensional flavour, and that, there, is the art and delight of great wine for me.

Deep red/purple, glass-staining, with a shy but deep bouquet, which is latent and full of promise. Underlying spices, a core of sweet ripe cherry fruit, the tannins soft and full on the finish, adding structure and length. Spices and graphite. A superb wine with a big future. Needs time for the full payoff.

Deep, bright red/purple colour. Fresh and clean on the nose, with berries, cherries and spices to sniff. Really lovely aromas and flavours, understated and still evolving. The palate is fine and long with supple tannins and great harmony. A superb glass of shiraz.

Sunset sips drenched in rose gold beauty. A fabulous Rosé. Winemaker Peter Fraser has nailed it again.Made from eleven year old bush vine Grenache, hand picked, wild yeast fermented, it sees a little time in old French oak. Gorgeous florals lead to pomegranate, dried cranberries and a finely textured mouthfeel. A red apple crunch adds to a delicious acidty. That texture and length just purr. Wow. Fabulous buying for the asking price.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageMedium ruby-purple in the glass, the 2016 Pinot Noir Slope gives up blueberry coulis, crushed blackberries, black cherries and cranberry sauce with touches of pomegranate, loamy earth, tar and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied with very intense flavor layers, expertly framed and fresh, finishing very long and flavorful. This will benefit from another year in bottle.

USA, Oregon: Searching for Hidden Gems from Willamette Valley's 2017 VintageMedium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir The Sum is scented of Earl Grey tea, tar, loamy earth, lavender and garrigue with black currants and black cherries at the core and hints of smoked meats and peppercorn. Medium-bodied and silky, it offers an intense dark fruit core with grainy tannins and seamless freshness on the very long, savory finish.