Wine of the Week: Summer sippers to beat the heat If you’re looking to enjoy some shrimp — or other seafood — on the barbie, consider serving it with a chilled glass of 2016 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Valley in California. It strikes the perfect balance between thirst quencher and grilled-food moving buddy. Aromas of grapefruit, pineapple and melon are buoyed by steely citrus on the nose. On the palate, tropical fruits — think guava, papaya and pineapple — dominate the front of the palate, but are kept light and bright, thanks to the refreshing acidity. Perfect with grilled shellfish or snapper.

Aside from the lemon background, you'll come across kiwi and lime. It becomes more citrusy as it opens up.

This is one of the best surprises I've seen in a while. You taste baked pear, crème brulée, yellow apple and toasted hazelnut. You can serve this with everything from heavy poultry to lighter pork dishes, or buttery seafood dishes like crab and escargot—even fried seafood would be fine.

A good value, this chardonnay is round and medium-bodied with lemon aromas and melon, peach flavors. Soft on the palate with a hint of spice and lemon.

The Best Drinks to Pair With Barbecue For lighter fare like grilled chicken and seafood, an oaky Chardonnay is a delightful choice. The woodsy notes in the wine will pick up the charred, caramelized character in your meal, with a hint of acid to balance things out.

Do You Know the Way to Serve Rosé Once considered a pale substitute for real wine, rosé has gained in popularity in recent years, especially in summer. Kendall-Jackson has a vintner's reserve that highlights the good points of rosé. It's drier than typical releases of the past and has enough acidity, but not bitterness, make it a great pair with seafood, light chicken dishes and spicy foods. Plus, it's easier to choose a rosé as vintage is not an issue and last year's crop is perfect. Rosés are a tradition in Provence, France but California varieties can be more full-bodied, with a slightly different fruitiness.

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2018: Gold

Cool off with a glass of sauvignon blanc I found a number of good everyday values that tend to be lighter with the focus on varietal fruit... 2016 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve juicy, multifaceted.

Following up on my last column, we had covered four wines from our tasting at the Spire Collection. Here are the final five we enjoyed… Jackson Family likes to give their favorite winemakers a number of challenges. As I mentioned in my first column, Chris Carpenter makes Cardinale, La Jota, Mt. Brave, and Lokoya for Jackson. While quite the workload, it seemed doable since all of these wineries are in California. But we then had the 2015 Hickinbotham The Peake, a 56/44 cab/shiraz blending from Australia. Carpenter makes that wine, also! This was delicious. Although bone dry, it has almost a candy quality, with notes of dark chocolate and cherries. A great, long finish.

What this will revive is a) your faith in high-end Aussie wares, and b) your love of Merlot done right. A-.

This wine is 100% shiraz from South Australia. Upon delivery to the winery, the whole berries were destemmed and sorted into open top fermenters. After a four-day cold soak, the juice remained on the skins for a minimum of 18 days. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. It comes in at 14.5% ABV. The wine showed a dark ruby almost opaque color. Blackberry, cassis, vanilla, dark chocolate, mossy earth and oak all arrived on the deep and alluring nose. Blackberry, black cherry, raspberry preserves, dark chocolate, vanilla, mossy earth and oak followed on the jammy, yet elegant palate. The wine exhibited excellent structure and length, along with big, chewy tannins. This wine can be enjoyed now after decanting alongside a seared dry-aged porterhouse steak.

What to Drink Now: Savory Summer Red Wines Though Cabernet Sauvignon is always going to be a standard go-to wine for Texans, here are a few lighter options to enjoy now through the fall. (Some selections were sent for editorial consideration.)... Australia’s cherished Clarendon Vineyard in McLaren Vale produces some of the most prized wine in the country for Hickinbotham Brook’s Road Shiraz ($75, wine.com). Planted in 1971, the vineyard produces concentrated fruit with character, revealing orange peel, vanilla, toasted spice, and dark chocolate with smooth tannins.

This is a long road, in a good way, and one where the path is lined with dried herb and ripe plummy goodness. A-.

Summer Wine Recommendations from C Lazy U Ranch Sommelier Elise Blann For all those California chardonnay drinkers out there, this is a great option for summertime. You get the oak and the butter you’re looking for without it being too heavy. The apple and pear notes come through just enough to create an extremely balanced chardonnay, light enough in body to stand up to the summer sun.

A bouquet of 16 rosés to pack for your summer picnic or enjoy during a summer storm Another one from Oregon, this wine serves up notes of watermelon, almond, earth, citrus and bright acidity, all leading to a crisp finish.

If there is one pinot noir to discover this year, it’s the Gran Moraine. Delightfully eloquent with a Provence-like appeal, it has a delicate coral color; exquisite cherry, watermelon and tangerine flavors; and balanced acidity. A very nice package.

A leaner, dry, slightly austere style featuring citrus and green apple fruits. Nicely integrated acidity and the slightest oak input.

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2018: Gold

From a ridge-top, western-facing site greatly influenced by the Pacific Ocean, this is exotic and distinct in character, with tones of white pepper, tart cherry, rhubarb and strawberry. Gorgeously layered, delicate and structured, it has length and richness to the tannin profile, as well as a notion of peat that adds to the dramatic complexity of the wine.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's is a positively stellar wine. Rich, powerful and unctuous, the 2015 possesses stunning intensity in all of its dimensions. Soaring aromatics, dense fruit and impeccable balance add up to a compelling Cabernet Sauvignon that shows all the best qualities of Stonestreet off to great effect. The transformation at Stonestreet in recent years is compelling. Nowhere is that more evident than in the 2015. This is a superb showing.

From a block growing at high elevation on the extremes of the coast north of Fort Ross, this wine is bright up-front with youthful tannins, its center juicy and densely packed in mocha, coffee and cocoa powder. Soft and structured, the dark cherry and blueberry fruit is dusted in dried herb and lavender.

This is comprised of fruit from two coastal sites, but it does not hold back on flavor or complexity. A juicy entry of spicy red and blue fruit is surrounded by moderate structure and an imprint of rose petal. Lasting in intensity and acidity, it's dotted in citrus and polished tannins.

Reduced on the nose in welcoming, complex ways, this white is intensely spiced and earthy, evolving into a light balanced take on caramel apple, pear and shavings of lemon zest. From a cool windy site in the Sebastopol Hills section of the larger appellation, the lemon takes on a candied note that boosts the acidity to fresh high-toned heights.

2017 CHARDONNAY, SPEAR the nose is a crisp lemon and sour pineapple with underlying mineral. The palate is bright and forward with penetrating citrus and tropical fruits. Extra-nice acidity.

2016 PINOT NOIR, HAPGOOD The density and purity of the fruit is notable here with well integrated oak. The palate entry is supple red fruit – polished Luxardo cherry, spice and fine-grained tannins.