Hints of gunflint and graphite accent the dried dark fruit and spice flavors, backed by firm acidity and tannins. Forest floor elements show on the savory finish. Drink now through 2024.

Explosively fruity, featuring raspberry, red currant and red plum flavors, with zesty acidity and minerality. Pastry accents linger on the spicy finish. Drink now through 2024.

Firmly structured, with focused flavors of dark currant, green olive and dried raspberry flanked by accents of beef carpaccio and savory minerality. Drink now through 2024.

Heady and enticing, with hints of spiced red fruit, while the palate is braced with supple, soft tannins.

Graham Weerts blends this wine from two of the top parcels at the Jackson family’s Alexander Mountain Estate, Upper Barn and Cougar Ridge. It’s a bold chardonnay, powerful in flavor yet integrated, its oak prominenteven as the wine feels tense and clean. As it opens with air, the flavors take on the layered richness of an almond confection while the fruit sustains a bright, refreshing lift.

Katherine’s Signature fairly screams benchland, big skies, wispy fog and a warm, sunny oasis of fruit in a cool Central Coast valley. This has a sweeping oak presence, with hints of vanilla and sweet corn. The flavors are rich, the fruit caramelized and broad; a crowd-pleasing white for scallops in brown butter.

Here’s a rich and rewarding style of chardonnay from the Stonestreet estate in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County. There’s an enticing mix of fruit, toffee and oak derived notes that carry through to a long refreshing finish. Drink now to 2023.

Located in Santa Maria, Calif., the Cambria winery is home base for the Jackson family, who own and operate wineries up and down the coast of California and in other parts of the world, including Unsworth Vineyards on Vancouver Island. Katherine’s Vineyard is named for older daughter Katie Jackson. One of the winery’s larger production wines, this represents a blend of fruit from the 34 different blocks of chardonnay grown there. It knits together nicely for a juicy and refreshing white wine with a mix of appealing fruit, floral and spice notes. Drink now to 2022.

There's a nice floral component to this, as well as some blackcurrant and vanilla character. Full body, round tannins and a fruit-driven finish. Screw cap.

The colour is deep, the bouquet is rich in oak-derived chocolate and vanilla, as well as tamarillo, tomato-bushy aromas. It's fleshy and deep; the softest and most approachable of the 2013 Hickinbotham quartet

Warm aromas of Meyer lemon and blistered apples meet with a fresh splash of pink grapefruit on the nose of this bottling. Warm peach flavors arise on the sip, with hints of lemongrass and chamomile adding intrigue.

Freemark Abbey Napa cab is a reserve style red, especially in the outstanding 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon. Look for intense, spicy, fresh, juicy boysenberry and bing cherry with milk chocolate, cedar, and garrigue. There is plenty of life here, and there is no rush to drink this wine. The 2016 composition is 75.8 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 16.2 per cent Merlot, 4 per cent Malbec, 3 per cent Petit Verdot, 1 per cent Cabernet Franc. It is a tour of Napa soils, including valley floor well-drained loam and clay; shallow, acidic western mountaintop soils with low fertility; and eastern mountaintop soils that are volcanic based, with poor fertility and incredible minerality.

This pours almost flourescent yellow and the aromas are just as bold. From the cool Pacific-cooled Santa Maria Valley this single vineyard chardonnay has been made in a reductive style to bring some edge to its naturally rounded character. The nose shows a touch of flint and onion, along with considerable oak toast, spice and pineapple fruit. It is medium-full bodied, fairly firm and nicely balanced, with excellent length. Lots going on, quite assertive and lacking some finesse. I would actually age it a couple of years.

Vivid yellow. Ripe, spice-tinged apricot and pear nectar aromas, with a subtle floral note in the background. In a generous, fleshy style, showing good heft to the juicy orchard and pit fruit flavors. A sweetening honey note builds on the persistent finish, which features building floral and gingery spice qualities.

Bright violet. Expressive black and blue fruit aromas are complemented by floral and cola notes and a hint of cracked pepper. Smooth and seamless on the palate, offering juicy blackberry and boysenberry flavors that slowly tighten up on the back half. Finishes on a faintly smoky note, with strong persistence and supple, even tannins making a late appearance.

Creamy, fresh, golden. Yellow with golden glints with and aromas of grilled lemons and young pineapple, toasted cashew, honeysuckle, tangerines, brown spice and vanilla. The palate mimics its nose with melon, tangerine, pineapple, candied nuts and hints of caramel. Creamy yet fresh it has a bold spritz of citrus in the mouth and a lingering oak spiced finish.

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.

Aromas of deep black cherries, blackberries and currants, topped in violets, pepper, earth, leather, cocoa. Medium/full-bodied with silky but solid tannins, and fresh acidity balances the wine out nicely. Crunchy but deep plum, currant and black cherry fruit. Pretty, complex elements of smoky earth, cocoa, violets, sage, roasted red pepper. This deserves time, but is already harmonious and balanced. Classic 2016 stuff, here.

This winery has long been known for value, and this vintage of its Sonoma Coast pinot noir is a great example. Modestly priced but ambitiously crafted, it delivers layered aromas of cherry and pomegranate, a subtle note of oak spice and beautifully integrated tannins.

Crisp and clean aromas of strawberry, watermelon, chalk and citrus pith make for a very compelling nose on this bottling. There’s a great snap to the palate, where pure but delicate strawberry flavors leveled by an ashy streak.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2017 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is marked by strong savory aromatics. Crushed rose petal, cedar, tobacco and dried herbs all open up nicely. Here too, there is some reduction, but it gradually starts to blow off, revealing an ethereal, gracious Pinot. I would prefer to drink this on the early side.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a very pretty, translucent wine. Sweet red cherry, wild flowers, mint, cinnamon and blood orange are all nicelty lifed, but what stands out most about the appellation wine is its superb balance and class. The 2018 is fabulous.

This is one of the best values around in high class Bordeaux from a good vintage. A blend of 90 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Franc, Les Cadrans is the second label of Chateau Lassegue, the Right Bank property guided by the estimable Pierre Seillan. This vintage is plush and supple, showing aromas of black cherry, red fruits and wood spice, with nicely integrated tannins and impressive length on the finish. Drink now or over the next eight to ten years.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyMoving to the reds, the 2016 Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco was all destemmed and brought up in 36% new French oak. Impressive black raspberry and mulberry fruits as well as plenty of spice and incense notes emerge from this beauty, which is medium-bodied and has a supple, fruit-forward style that's a joy to drink. Enjoy bottles over the coming 3-5 years.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountySpiced peach and white currant fruits as well as some toasty notes emerge from the 2018 Chenin Blanc Jurassic Vineyard, a medium-bodied red with good purity, integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's a terrific example of Chenin Blanc from California that should drink nicely for 2-4 years.