Dark-red-fruit, singed wood and unique nutty aromas show on the nose of this bottling. The chestnut quality runs through the palate too, where toasted wood, burned herb, spicy peppercorn and rich red-fruit flavors align.

Dark-boysenberry, star anise and licorice aromas show on the nose of this lush and powerful Pinot Noir. The palate packs into ripe, dark fruit, with loads of hard spices, as a blood-orange-rind element adds tart balance and texture.

Aromas of dark-cherry, black-raspberry, incense and charred wood converge for a compelling and elegant nose on this bottling. Dark-red-cherry flavors also come through on the sip, which offers a uniquely woody streak.

This is an intensely structured, mountain-powered white, made in small amounts and built to show power and grace. Slate, stone and flint give it a mineral edginess amidst plenty of depth and length.

This medium-bodied, barrel-fermented wine offers light, toasted oak aromas, attractive baked apple flavors and accents of butter and vanilla. Good balance keeps it going sip after sip, revealing spice and almond nuances.

Dark magenta. Assertive cherry and dark berry scents pick up hints of baking spices and cola with air. Shows very good depth and sharp focus to the bitter cherry, blackberry and mulberry flavors, which turn sweeter and tighten up with air. Smooth, even tannins frame a long, spicy finish that strongly repeats the berry and cola notes. 30% new French oak.

Translucent ruby-red. Cherry, black raspberry, candied licorice and oak spice aromas are complemented by a steadily building mineral nuance. Succulent and penetrating on the palate, offering appealingly sweet red and dark berry flavors, a touch of savory herbs and a vanilla note that gains strength on the back half. Finishes long and spicy, with a resonating cherry note and gentle tannic grip.

Glistening ruby-red. Ripe cherry and blueberry on the nose, along with building floral, earth and succulent herb nuances. Broad and gently chewy on the palate, offering sappy red and blue fruit flavors that show appealing sweetness and an undercurrent of spiciness. Clings very nicely on the finish, which features gently framing tannins and a repeating cherry note.

Dark magenta. Expressive, oak-tinged aromas of cherry, black raspberry, candied flowers and mocha. Supple and broad on the palate, offering juicy, smoke-laced red and blue fruit and spicecake flavors that show very good depth and a hint of smokiness. Round, even tannins frame the clinging finish, which leaves a repeating cherry note behind.

Deep, shimmering crimson. Smoke-accented cherry and black raspberry scents are complemented by suggestions of allspice, mocha and candied rose. Pliant and expansive on the palate, offering gently sweet, spice-laced red fruit and cola flavors and a touch of cured meat. Finishes on a gently tannic note, with persistent cherry and floral qualities and a hint of botanical herbs.

The team at Yangarra started bottling wine from their Hickinbotham estate in 2012. The dry-farmed vineyard in Clarendon produced a shiraz with the meatiness and bloodiness of rare roast beef, backed up by McLaren Vale tannins that add a black mushroom savor. It's smooth and ripe, a pleasure with filet mignon.

Sleek and savory, this red simmers with a steely minerality that pairs with cherry and forest floor accents. Drink now through 2028.

A handsome red, well-built and polished, with blueberry, forest floor and dusky spice flavors that finish with medium-grain tannins. Drink now through 2028.

Well-framed and slightly brooding, with cherry and blueberry flavors laced with black tea and dusky spice. Drink now through 2028.

Freemark Abbey's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is dark, supple and inviting. Black cherry, plum, mocha and licorice give this open-knit Cabernet tons of up-front appeal. Silky tannins wrap around the juicy, inviting finish. The 2018 is attractive, but it is also a bit soft. I would prefer to drink it over the near and medium term.

Another small production cuvée (2,000 cases), the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford comes from a handful of sites in Rutherford and offers more medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black currants, tobacco, sandalwood, and cedar. It has some firmer, chewy tannins, so give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar. It will drink well for a decade.

There are roughly 25,000 cases of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which is sourced from all over the valley. Certainly a beautiful wine worth seeking out (and it should be easy to find), it has ample ripe cherry and cassis fruits as well as spicy oak and tobacco nuances. This impeccably made, medium-bodied, elegant Cabernet will shine for a decade.

This slightly opaque and deep purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Arrowood opens with a spiced plum and black cherry bouquet with hints of clove. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied with medium acidity. The flavor profile is a black currant and plum blend with notes of oak and minerality. I also detected hints of craisin and cinnamon spice. The finish is dry and its flavors and gentle fine tannins drift away nicely. This Cab would pair well with beef tenderloin and a red wine shiitake sauce on a baguette.

This medium purple colored Syrah from Copain opens with a moist pipe tobacco and black cherry bouquet with hints of leather, craisin and cinnamon. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity. It is also balanced and savory. The flavor profile is a pronounced oak influenced pomegranate and stony minerality blend with notes of craisin. I also detected hints of red raspberry and cinnamon mixed in. The finish is dry and its dusty tannins and fruit flavors sail away nicely and last for a considerable amount of time. This red fruit-based Syrah would pair well with Shaking Beef from the Slanted Door (San Francisco) or with bratwurst sliders on pretzel buns.

This grows at high-elevation estate vineyards, predominantly from the mountains above Alexander Valley (91 percent) with a contribution from Knights Valley. That tight, mountain-grown structure is apparent in the iron-filling austerity of the tannins and the restraint they place on the wine's dark floral fruit. You could play off the capsicum spice in those youthful tannins and decant this for a slow-braised pork shoulder. Or you could cellar it for five years or more.

Mouthwatering, offering a vibrant mix of lime sherbet, ripe melon, candied ginger and lemongrass flavors on a smooth and juicy frame. Drink now.

Well-focused and juicy, with loamy hints to the red plum and berry flavors, featuring a cedar note. Leafy accents emerge on the rich, minerally finish. Drink now through 2023.

Big, featuring concentrated and well-knit flavors of baked apple, dried apricot and melon. Lemon meringue notes show midpalate, with fine-textured minerality and toasty accents lingering into the finish. Drink now through 2024.

This wine has a creamy midpalate of robust apple and pear that includes nuanced oak and balanced weight. White-flower and jasmine aromas permeate throughout, making for a pretty experience of grace and elegant texture, which finishes in crisp melon.

Steely and crisp in melon, apple and nectarine, this white is integrated in oak with a hint of rich brioche and vanilla. Long and lengthy, it has well-integrated acidity that keeps it fresh in the glass despite its hearty concentration.