This pale ruby colored Pinot Noir from the "Edmeades Vineyard" in the Anderson Valley is quite inviting. It opens with faint blueberry and red raspberry bouquet with a hint of vanilla cola. On the palate, this wine is light to medium bodied, nicely balanced, soft, smooth and delicate. The flavor profile is very tasty mild red raspberry and red plum blend with hints of red cherry, cola and allspice. The finish is dry and its flavors drift away nicely. This Pinot would pair nicely with a pecan encrusted red snapper.

Opens with a wealth of baking spices and pastry, as well as baked blueberry and rose hip. Red fruit rises up in the mix with air. The palate delivers a smooth line of poached-raspberry flavor. Pure and ripe. Drink now.

This sits in a fragrant and ethereal style with aromas of wild red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and fresh-picked herbs. The palate is bright and smooth with a supple, fleshy core. Very drinkable now.

Dakél is an ambitious new Chardonnay from Jackson Wine Estates, made with consultant Andrés Sánchez. Textured and creamy, it uses three different clones for complexity (4, 76 and 96) and completes malolactic fermentation. The second use wood is well integrated, the stone fruit flavours sweet and engaging, the acidity refreshing.

Andrés Sanchez and Randy Ullom make this ambitious Itata Valley Pinot Noir, sourced from two sites in the Itata Valley with clones 667 and 777. It's quite a ripe style, with 14.5% alcohol, but it has plenty of texture, flavour and weight, with floral top notes, sweet oak and mulberry and wild strawberry fruit flavours.

Tenuta di Arceno: chasing perfectionStrada al Sasso is the top cru of the estate. It lies at 400 metres above sea level, the ideal elevation to grow Sangiovese here. The 2018 vintage was more fleshy than structured in Castelnuovo Berardenga. This Gran Selezione is purplish, vinous on the nose due to its extreme youthfulness, showing a great definition of elegant cherry fruit completed by liquorice and graphite in depth. Floral notes of fresh violets enhance the flavour. Full, a bit warming with its 15% of alcohol but well balanced by brilliant acidity, this is a rich Chianti Classico with firm yet ripe tannins.

This wine isn't shy; its dark plum scents and turfy, black-cherry flavors are bright and generous. But there's a vibrancy and foresty savor that keeps the wine lifted despite its richness. It could stand up to something big, like a pasta with roast chicken and mushrooms.

This grows at the Jackson family's estate vineyard in Annapolis, a far-coast site one ridge inland from the Pacific. That cold ocean influence lends tartness to the fruit in flavors of sour cherries and scents of foresty herbs. Oak adds richness in nutty scents and dark tones that meld with the forest floor notes. The fruit's fresh refinement will play well with a fatty cut of roast pork.

The Jackson Family added Saralee's Vineyard to their portfolio in 2013; it's a site that has been farmed for grapes since the 19th century, replanted by Saralee and Richard Kunde in 1989, now 200 acres of vines. Those vines produced a classical Russian River Valley pinot noir in 2017, rich and plush with red cherry and black currant flavors. It's full bodied with lively intensity, a wine to enjoy on its own or with a rare roast beef.

Bright raspberry red in the glass, this is lively with candied red fruits, grounded by a hint of cocoa. The flavors are broad and expansive, drawn out by an oak richness, the fruit vibrant and flavorful.

This deep purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Stonestreet opens with a black cherry and gentle oak bouquet with hints of stewed plum. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied, well-balanced and super smooth. The flavor profile is gentle blend of black currant and black raspberry, fine minerals and oak. We also detected hints of vanilla and loam mixed in. The finish is dry and its fine-grained tannins stick around for quite some time. The Panel would decant this Cab and pair it with Steve’s short ribs, chicken mole, or a flourless chocolate cake.

California whites under £30 / $30Slightly restrained nose with nice stone fruit and floral character underneath. Light lemon sherbet notes with toasted pineapple on the palate, pleasingly dry and youthful finish.

Fragrant and complex, red licorice and framboise mingle with blueberry and raspberry flavors. Candied violet and blood orange notes follow, with terrific precision and polish. Drink now through 2030.

Dark chocolate, chicory and sarsaparilla aromatics add complexity and a touch of richness to the dense blackberry, cassis and blueberry flavors. Hints of savory herbs, tobacco and cedar linger on the firming, dusty tannins. Drink now through 2035.

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.

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.

Intense, deep ruby color; ripe plum nose; silky and smooth with rich, toasty plum and toast, lush but modern in style, juicy and long. Jess Jackson's Bordeaux property, under the direction of the brilliant Pierre Seillan, is a lovely posthumous tribute to Jess's vision.

An easy-drinking but classically styled Syrah leading with aromas and flavours of black fruit, iodine, pie crust and white pepper. The silky palate is rich and broad, with zesty, cleansing acidity and an upright, precise finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2031.

Concentrated and creamy but not overly showy, this wine is balanced, restrained and layered. It meshes an apple-tart flavor with subtle vanilla and nutmeg nuances whileunderlying acidity achieves excellent balance.

Not sure what happened to the 2019 vintage. We must have missed it. Anyway, here we are. A blend of Sexton, Applejack, Primavera, Tarraford Vineyards, with 40% whole bunch and 10% new oak. Small yields, high quality, is the message from the winery.Aromatic and spicy, charred red capsicum and red fruit, subtle biscuity oak. Bright, energetic, fine emery tannin, a slight smokiness to taste, fresh raspberries, soft but sure grip on a long finish. Light, but with a fair bit of concentration and extract. Easy to enjoy.

Lovely aromas of orange blossom, green apple and spice build to minerality and vibrancy on the snappy, refreshing finish. Drink now.

The GS welcome matt is rolled out with this wine!Juicy, bright citrus and stone fruit characters, licks of salty nuts and faint honeyed toast. Rolls around the palate with a sense of high refreshment and pristine, youthful, tight-skinned green grapines – you know, pluck a berry off the bunch straight out of the fridge and chomp. That kind of deal. Such a delight to drink, super easy to drink, a little polish and spit shine and we’re here! Nice one.

There’s a simmering intensity at the core of this red, with refined raspberry and hints of blueberry, crushed stone, violets and savory tea that finish with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2029.

This deep purple colored Merlot from Howell Mountain opens with a musty blackberry jam and black plum bouquet with hints of black cherry, graphite, black tea leaves and dark chocolate. On the palate, this wine is full bodied with medium acidity. It is nicely balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty red currant and black raspberry blend with notes of crushed stone and a hint of anise. The finish is dry and its tannins build-up and stick around for quite some time. The Panel would pair this Merlot with a porterhouse steak or braised short ribs.

Deep purple color. Enticing and complex aromatic display of tobacco, eucalyptus, mint, rosemary and smoky pencil lead over top of tangy black and red currants. Full-bodied, fresh acid with structured tannins with rounded edges. Black currants and roasted fig fruit blend well with complex violets, tilled soil, leather and cigar shop, with coffee and cedar woven in well. Solid concentration but stays lively as well. This needs air or time or both, but it’s a beauty and brings a ton to the table for the price point. 100% Sangiovese.