5 Eco-Friendly Sonoma and Napa Wineries to Please You and the Planet Fear sweet wines? Don't shy away from this riesling, made with fruit from a 100 percent sustainable vineyard down south in Monterey County. Lemon zest, honeysuckle, and a lovely touch of apricot echo throughout this riesling, which leans toward the dry end, which will please the palate of those who are long-time fans of riesling, or new to trying it. It pairs perfectly with spicy chicken tikka masala or Szechuan cuisine.

Five Spring Wine Pairings That Aren’t All Just Rosé Dish: Peach tart
 Wine: 2016 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Monterey County Riesling, $13
 Some people prefer dessert wines with their plated post-meal sweets, and I can get on board if the dish is simple or savory. But for something like a peach tart, try a wine with a kiss of sweetness and similar flavors to your treat. This riesling is the right price, and its flavor profile—the delicate taste of apricot and pear—will accentuate the tart’s peach and crust. Just one, though!

From multiple vineyards located up and down the coast of California. This has a voluptuous nose of layered and expressive apple, pear, vanilla, buttered toast and creamy barrel spices. It's lush and spicy on the palate with a range of ripe orchard fruits, mango, pineapple and just enough acidity to keep it lively on the finish.

Five to try: top Australian merlot wines While this has structure, depth and a certain power, it's also finely crafted and elegant. Excellent colour, savoury yet a whisper of florals and dark fruit, cassis among the oak spice, dried herbs and black olives. Fuller bodied and expansive tannins with an appealing Amaro like finish. Not quite tamed, only time can do that.

Pinot Noir is king in West Marin Forestville’s Hartford Family Winery entry on this list is both unfined and unfiltered, giving you real honest to goodness terroir in the wine. This Dijon-cloned West Marin offering shows its Burgundian side with softly vegetal notes accented by pomegranate, smoke and strawberry. Winemaker Jeff Stewart’s cool climate pinots often score in the mid to high 90s, and this one is right there with the rest. Not cheap, but that is what happens when you have a recognizable name.

Springtime for Rosé From Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the full whole cluster pressed 2017 Gran Moraine Yamhill-Carlton Rosé of Pinot Noir is crafted from designated stock in two vineyards. Once it opened up in the glass, the floral hints in the bouquet heightened and the crisp, complex berry and melon flavors were revealed.

Turkey and Salmon Sliders Paired with Rosé Pale salmon in color. Aromas of tangerine and rose. On the palate, bright acidity, light/medium body with notes of cherries, citrus zest, and wet stone.

Wine options that are a true work of art This has so much bright fruit. It’s a perfectly fresh red wine for spring. Delicious. Yes, it does have some of the more typical savory notes that make pinot noirs stand out (mushrooms and spice); however, I was really struck by the cherry, cranberry and even some citrus zest in it. Its flavors were all over the palate, making me want to linger with it while at the same time impatient for another sip.

Most wine Drinkers Don't Really Understand Chardonnay Yes, there is some new oak on this wine, but it is extremely restrained, like a well-seasoned dish. A heady nose of peaches and spring blossoms gives way to a broad, brioche-like palate cut through by searing, orange oil acidity.

West Favourites Presenting a deep opaque red ruby color in the glass, this Merlot expresses rich dark fruit aromas composed of dark cherry, plum and dried herbs. There is a milk chocolate nuance with integrated spicy oak. Coupled with the rich dark fruit, there is a hint of arugula adding to the complexity. The entry and finish are very smooth with integrated fruit resembling black cherry. The wine’s depth, coupled with its rich flavours, provides a finish that’s long and harmonious. Well done.

Bright ruby color with a soft plum nose; bright cherry and boysenberry with notes of vanilla, toast, and spice; deep, intense, and ageworthy. Another Chris Carpenter masterpiece that's incredibly elegant, precise and generous.

Highest of the High-Priced The Top Ten Wines over $100 in 2018 (So Far) Bright ruby color with a soft plum nose; incredibly elegant, rich, and precise; generous with bright plum, cherry, and boysenberry notes with hints of vanilla, toast and spice. Another Chris Carpenter masterpiece – deep, ageworthy, and long.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Mt. Veeder) is the most distinguished and nuanced of these four Cabernets from Lokoya. Beams of tannin give the wine its shape and vibrancy. Deceptively medium in body, with terrific energy, the 2015 has quite a bit to offer, especially once the tannins start to soften. Bright red mountain fruit, savory herbs and expressive floral notes all develop as this striking wine continues to open up in the glass.

The 2015 Le Désir, Vérité's Cabernet Franc-based red, is racy and sumptuous in the glass. Bright floral notes give lift to the red-toned fruit as this silky yet powerful wine shows off its alluring personality.

The 2015 Cardinale is dark, sensual and totally beguiling. Voluptuous fruit and soft, racy contours make a strong opening statement. The dark cherry, mocha, smoke, plum, spice and new leather flavors are all amped up in a seamless, alluring Cardinale that is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth. There is so much to like here.

Highest of the High-Priced The Top Ten Wines over $100 in 2018 (So Far) Floral nose; luscious, pure, and balanced; rich with depth and concentrated fruit. A dramatic demonstration of the potential of this underrated variety.

Vérité's 2015 La Joie is deep, powerful and structured, with tons of Cabernet savoriness running through a core of intense, dark fruit. Grilled herbs, leather, menthol and licorice all develop in the glass. Sumptuous and yet also structured, La Joie is another winner from Vérité.

Lokoya's Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) draws on both fruit from the Jackson family's Keyes and La Jota vineyards, which is unusual, as the wine is usually made only from Keyes. Plush, deep and inky, the 2015 races across the palate with layers of inky blue/purplish fruit, spice, new leather, licorice and lavender. Deep, powerful and super-concentrated, the 2015 has a lot to offer. Here, too, winemaker Chris Carpenter has tamed the mountain tannins considerably.

The 2014 Chardonnay from Legacy is superb. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint, white pepper and chalk give the 2014 a distinctly bright yet delicate personality that plays beautifully off the natural intensity of the fruit. Bright saline note and a hint of reduction linger on the sublime finish. Silky and polished, this supremely beautiful Chardonnay has so much to offer. Precision, subtlety and nuance are the signatures in a gorgeous Chardonnay from Legacy and winemaker Graham Weerts.

Bright red cherry, blood orange, white pepper and lifted floral notes give the 2016 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard its distinctive personality. Lifted and medium in body, the 2016 is all class. The Highwire is one of the most polished, sublime wines in this range. All the elements are impeccably balanced. This is a positively stellar showing from Hartford and winemaker Jeff Stewart.

Another of the many highlights in this range, the 2016 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is superb. Deep, fleshy and powerful, with tremendous depth, the 2016 is another terrific wine from Hartford. Black cherry, chocolate, spice, leather and dark cloves all flesh out in this dark, virile Zinfandel.

Like all of these wines, the 2016 Le Désir is powerful, dark and quite structured. The Cabernet Franc is high in the 2016 and that gives the wine much of its distinctive personality and overall intensity. Powerful inky and explosive, the 2016 is full of potential.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Wendling is a total knock-out. Pliant, supple and engaging, with terrific fruit presence, the Wendling is superb. All the elements fall into place effortlessly in a textured, deeply layered Pinot that captures all the best qualities of Anderson Valley. Rose petal, lavender, mint and spice notes develop with time in the glass. The 2016 is endowed with compelling inner perfume, resonant fruit and total class. What a gorgeous wine it is.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Hapgood was my one of my favorites from among these offerings from Brewer-Clifton, wafting from the glass with an incipiently complex bouquet of plums, spice, raspberry, currant and rich soil. On the palate, the wine is medium to fullbodied, with the most volume and dimension of all the winery's Pinot Noirs at this stage, with its structuring tannins more supple and velvety than those found in the 459 and its saline finish reflecting its whole cluster fermentation.

The 2016 Chardonnay 3 D was my favorite of the whites this year, wafting from the glass with a lovely nose of pastry cream, lime, popcorn, fresh guava and citrus zest. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, with a glossily textural attack, excellent concentration and mid-palate depth, and juicy acids that lend precision to the long FInish. This is beautifully complete and should be long lived.