This is a big, brawny red, loaded with black and red currant, fig and bitter plum compote flavors that are still wrestling with one another a bit, backed by waves of briar, licorice snap and roasted apple wood. There's serious grip on the finish, but the fruit winds up, rippling longest.

This is a tremendously impressive wine from the producer's high-elevation estate situated at 2,400 feet. Rich tones of vanilla bean, cassis and raspberry liqueur open the door to a soft, integrated midpalate that is complex and lengthy.

A ripe, juicy, seemingly forward style, with mouthfilling plum and blackberry compote notes before the back end delivers gutsy black licorice, chocolate and roasted apple wood flavors that will need some time in the cellar to integrate fully. Has the energy to pull everything together.

This is a rich, complex and attractively layered wine that opens with baking spice and black cherry aromas. The palate brings mouthfilling and concentrated black-fruit flavors with lingering dried fruit and cinnamon characteristics. It's a big but well-mannered wine that will cap any occasion with style.

The Yangarra vineyards are just next door to Hickinbotham's, yet the Shiraz here, grown in sandy, ironstone soils, is an entirely different beast. High-toned red currant, raspberry and plum fruit is wound with peppery spice and warm pavement nuances. Tannins are firm and powerful but tightly focused, supporting rather than overpowering the tangy red fruit. One for the cellar.

Hickinbotham's renowned vineyards once supplied fruit to high-end Aussie wines like Penfolds Grange. Now flexing muscles under its own label, this vintage was made by Charlie Seppelt and Napa Valley winemaker Chris Carpenter. The Napa influence is evident via opulent chocolaty, vanilla and milky coffee notes, alongside ripe cassis, plums and earthy, woody spice. The palate is more structured than the nose suggests, the silky fruit supported by muscular, tight-grained savory tannins, suggesting this wine will cellar nicely until 2029 and likely well beyond.

This widely available bottling is an excellent choice for an attractive price. Aromas of hibiscus, pomegranate, raspberry and herbs lead into a palate with hints of game, red fruit and a touch of dried mint.

This is Yangarra's foray into this very Australian preservative-free category of wines, and the result is delicious. Brambly fruit, baking spices, coffee, vanilla and ground peppercorn aromas lead to a palate that is plush but firm, deftly woven with stony, mineral tannins, an earthy core and a long savory, herbal finish. This is a clean-cut, warming wine that makes you want to eat a gamy casserole on a cold day in winter.

Light oak spices shade lots of fresh red-fruit flavors in this medium-bodied, generous and nicely balanced wine. It is well rounded and smooth on the palate, getting better with each sip.

It's fairly rare to see Roussanne in Australia and even rarer to see it as a stand-alone wine. But if there's anyone Down Under who understands Rhône whites, it's winemaker Pete Fraser. His version is medium to pale gold in color and sings a subtle tune of apple and stone fruit harmonized with ginger, white spice and a savory, salty trill. Texturally it's both slippery and chalky, spicy and fruity, with a salty finish.

Vivid pear and peach aromas give way to gentle, ripe but still crisp pear and floral flavors in this smooth and full-bodied wine. It's charming and aromatic, made more intricate by blending in small amounts of Viognier, Muscat, Roussanne and other varietals.

Ripe, featuring dark plum, blackberry tart and dark currant flavors, framed by concentrated Asian spice notes. Dark chocolate and mocha details emerge on the finish.

Sunny well-ripened cherry and plum flavors give a lot of pizazz to this full-bodied and smooth-textured wine. It's on the rich side of the spectrum but has a light touch of tannin and fruit acidity for good balance.

This pale-colored but relatively full-bodied wine has plenty of ripe pear, apple and peach flavors and a soothing mouthfeel. It's a blend of mostly Pinot Noir with smaller amounts of Syrah and Grenache.

Flavorful, well balanced and medium bodied, this wine is easy to sip and enjoy for its ripe peach and apple flavors and mild acidity.

This blend is thick in black fruit, tobacco and leather, with a mighty presence of power and concentration. Baking spice, toasted oak and sturdy dusty tannins wrap around a core of rounded richness that will broadly appeal. Made from 85% Syrah with 15% Petite Sirah.

This is a light-bodied, mildly fruity wine that accents apple and pear flavors with a sprinkling of dried herbs. It's soft and dilute in terms of mouthfeel but works well as a basic white wine.

Pair this rich and creamy dish with Byron’s 2016 Nielson Vineyard Chardonnay. The Chardonnay vines in their Nielson Vineyard feature cuttings from the original “Wente” clones. The clusters they selected contain an optimal mix of berry sizes: the larger, riper berries provide the wine’s rich stone fruit flavors while the smaller ones contribute to the wine’s firm acidity and underlying minerality. This wine benefits from cool temperature barrel fermentation utilizing native yeast, and the lees are stirred every two weeks for enhanced mouthfeel and texture. Aged 16 months in 45% new French Oak, this wine will go well with the chicken broccoli casserole. Enjoy!

The Best American Pinot Noirs Under $30 To Drink Right Now This widely available bottling delivers a quality Pinot Noir, especially at its price point. Ripe red and black fruit, with loads of herbal spice and a hint of vanilla make this a great everyday Pinot.

Appearance: Salmon Nose: Cherries Palate: Soft cherry. Medium plus acid. Refreshing. This is ideal for summer-day quaffing or served with salmon, pork, or light hors d'oeuvres.

Chardonnay is America’s favorite white wine and one that Gary and I find ourselves sipping often. There are many faces of Chardonnay though, from steely, fresh, and mineral-driven, to rich, round, and luscious. As warm summer days continue, the former fresh, racy style continues to top our list, like some of the tasty options noted below. #Cheers! Blending fruit from Monterey County, Santa Barbara County, and Mendocino County, telling the story of Chardonnay in California in it’s purest form, Kendall-Jackson Avant Unoaked Chardonnay layers cool climate grown fruit with warmer climate, riper fruit, delivering a balance of citrus and floral notes, with orchard and stone fruit, and a touch of tropical lychee and pineapple. Not the norm from the winery that is known for their well-rounded, oak-aged Vintner’s Reserve that highlights spiced apple, lemon curd, and toasted hazelnut.

I found this to be a nice value offering from Kendall Jackson. This light straw-colored unoaked Chardonnay is a very good summer sipper. It opens with an inviting tropical fruit bouquet that includes coconut, butter and light herb. The wine is nicely balanced with a slightly sweet mildly tart palate that is smooth. The flavor profile includes lemon and light lime with hints of pineapple, coconut and peach. This is an easy drinking Chardonnay with balanced acidity and minerality. The finish is pleasurable and fades away nicely. I reviewed this Chard at room temperature but would recommend serving it slightly chilled. If not sipping this on the patio, I would recommend serving with pesto and pasta. Very good.

Epic Wines Online for Premium Red Wine Lovers Finally a fantastic pair of wines from this week’s James Halliday winners Yangarra Estate. We’ve included their 2016 GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre) – a wine packed with luscious fruit flavours and that has a fantastic mouth feel; and my absolute every day personal favourite – the 2018 Preservative Free Shiraz. It’s simply a cracker. I’m sure this wine pack would make your father smile.

Epic Wines Online for Premium Red Wine Lovers Finally a fantastic pair of wines from this week’s James Halliday winners Yangarra Estate. We’ve included their 2016 GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre) – a wine packed with luscious fruit flavours and that has a fantastic mouth feel; and my absolute every day personal favourite – the 2018 Preservative Free Shiraz. It’s simply a cracker. I’m sure this wine pack would make your father smile.

Go big and then go home after drinking this structured but enveloping splurge this summer. A blend predominantly made with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon but also 14% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2015 La Joie is an ode to Old and New World wines alike. Expect an earth-driven bouquet of mint, sage, and lavender aromas with notes of ripe fruit—black currant and cherries, damson plum—before a brooding finish with grippy, well-integrated tannins. Developed individually by micro-cru in Vérité's Sonoma County vineyards, the wine should mature gracefully.