Another winner from the Jackson Family Wines group. A very well-balanced pinot noir with lovely ripe cherry notes and nicely accenting cinnamon spice notes. It manages to avoid the overblown fruit notes of some contemporary pinot noirs. Try this elegant wine with salmon or chicken dishes.

Syrah and petite sirah combine to deliver a fist-load of blackberry and plum fruit flavors with good depth and hints of black pepper. Rich and long in the finish.

8 new wines to try in 2018 It’s tough to find decent California Cabernet at a good price these days, especially one as well-built as this. If you’re looking for an opulent red ultraplush wine with sweet, ripe fruit, this ain’t it. What we have here instead is a balanced composition of red and black currants, dusty cocoa, espresso, cedar, and eucalyptus, all on point and showing well. There’s also a good streak of minerality and dusty tannins keeping everything in check. Hey, it’s still a Cabernet Sauvignon; feel free to give it a good decanting first so all those flavours can easily develop. Food pairing–wise, think lamb shank, sirloin steak, hamburgers, and other meaty delights.

Final 2017 Update: The top 30 That Turned My Head in this Tasting In honor of Carménère Day, I was sent several bottles to explore the differences of this unique grape. Carménère is a red wine that originated in Bordeaux, France, and now grows almost only in Chile. The grape was actually once thought to be Merlot when it was first transported into Chile. My two favorites were: 2014 Alcance Carménère – this wine was incredibly smooth with lots of red and black fruit, exotic spice, mocha and minerality.

Beyond raspberry: a rush of better rosés There’s an inventive resurgence of fine rosé underway in Oz this summer. Over the holiday, I saw impressive, thoughtfully-built wines from many who’ve moved on from the simple raspberry cordial sweeties often made from straight Grenache. Which is a waste of good Grenache. Unless you design a beauty like my landlord’s Yangarra, which was grown to be rosé, and made to maximise those many parts of Grenache which aren’t like raspberry cordial, ending up with a delightfully viscous dry whit-ish biodynamic wine made in big egg-shaped ceramic fermenters.

Reminiscing on the 2010 Rockfall Cabernet Patience was rewarded in the best way on New Year’s Eve. In three separate instances, I’d tasted the Stonestreet Alexander Valley Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. All three experiences left such a lasting impression that I’d decided to cellar one last purchased bottle of the red wine and revisit it on a special occasion. As 2017 came to a close, I decided it was time, one last experience with the red wine from the Sonoma Estate’s mountainous vineyards to see how it had evolved on its journey through time. Paired with a ribeye steak, garlic mashed potatoes, kale and apple salad and cheesy garlic bread, the experience was brilliant, different and memorable. Lots had changed in the world and in my life since the wine was bottled, and that was discussed over dinner. Plenty had changed in the wine as it entered its eighth year gracefully. Secondary flavors had taken over, tannins were tamed and the dark fruit note in the wine played a complementary role. It was a little kick on the finish that left a smile. The wine’s color on the edges had softened a bit, to a lighter shade of purple. The wine in the middle of the glass was as dark as ever. On the nose, time in the bottle showed a dusty aroma with cedar, dried herbs and mountain brush aromas. I’d walked through the mountain vineyards on a rainy spring day in 2014, and the heritage of the wine now showed on its nose. With the calmer tannins came a silky, smooth mouthfeel. Flavors of soy sauce, cedar and gravely dust came into focus. The absolute charm though was the round blackberry note that swept in on the finish. It was more prevalent when I wrote about it on Sep. 8, 2015, with the tasting note of: Stonestreet Alexander Valley Rockfall Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 ($100): Intensely dark violet color in the glass, beautiful dusty earth, quiet blackberry fruit with slate, pencil shavings and a savory meat component that intrigues. Sourced from blocks at 2,200 feet. My first experience with the wine was detailed in a Feb. 8, 2014, column. After the Altitude Matters wine tasting in Chicago, I’d written: Stonestreet, Rockfall Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 ($100): Coffee beans, mocha, pencil shavings and a rocky minerality highlight an elegant wine. A lovely nose yields dark berry flavors and a hint of cigar box on the finish. If you have a bottle at home of the 2010 Rockfall, it will continue to change with more cellar time. But, on New Year’s Eve, I captured the wine at its best. At that moment, my last bottle had hit its peak.

Chardonnay Masters 2017: Master

50 Great Wines of 2017 Excellent

50 Great Wines of 2017 Exceptional

Lynn Penner-Ash blazed the trail in Oregon for women winemakers, and while she earned fame for her work with Pinot Noir, there’s also an obvious passion for Rhone varieties, too. Six vineyards throughout the state factored into this blend dominated by Rogue Valley sites Lakeside, RoxyAnn and Crater View, and the 17-month French oak program included six new barrels. It offers seemingly something for everyone, starting with hints of brownie mix and blackberry, backed by whiffs of gaminess, moist earth and funk. Inside, it’s rich and flavorful as blackberry jam and blueberry hang among the high-riding, fine-grained tannins. Pomegranate acidity gives it a long fruity finish capped by a pinch of white pepper. Outstanding.

Wine: New Year, New Shopping List Another fabulous Merlot, worthy of its price.

The wine is very aromatic, with lime, jalapenos and a smoky component. Medium body and acidity, with a continuation of the lime, jalapeno and a touch of smokiness. A bit of roundness due to the aging in oak barrels. A Sauvignon Blanc with finesse. 4½ stars.

Chardonnay Masters 2017: Gold

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

It's a Merlot almost entirely with a little Malbec and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County, it was awarded with 90 points in Wine Enthusiast magazine. Appearance: presents a cherry red color with violet edges that shows its perfect evolution and conservation granestado. Smell: It is a mix of different things, begins with touches of black pepper, giving way to delicate aromas of cinnamon and vanilla, in minutes you begin to discover the black fruits, where blackberries and blueberries stand out. Taste: It is a wine that is worth waiting, to see its great evolution in the glass, start with medium and friendly tannins, with a pleasant acidity, while the minutes pass the wine opens and the tannins offer us a certain sweetness and warmth. A good wine quality price.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Wine made up of a large base of Cabernet Sauvignon and with small portions of different grapes including Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, all the grapes come from Sonoma County in California. Appearance: For being a 2011 the wine offers us a surprisingly bright red color and edges more tiles typical of maturity. Wine is at its best to be consumed. Smell: It shows touches of flowers such as acacias, jasmine, cassis and raspberries, then an earthy finish and a leather finish. Taste: Wine of good tannic structure, intense, lively, tasty, with very good balance and a mouth ending that falls in love.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.

10 wines to cleanse your post-holiday palate If your palate needs a bit of reviving after the holidays, here are 10 wines you should consider purchasing right now. Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay 2016, $14.99: This is America’s top-selling brand of Chardonnay, with 300,000 cases produced from Kendall-Jackson’s outstanding California vineyards. The quality and consistency from vintage to vintage remains outstanding, a credit to winemaster Randy Ullom who’s been directing this top-notch team since 1997. Wine Advocate magazine ranked this Chardonnay No. 27 on its 2017 Top 100 Wine List. It’s soft, creamy and expressive in sunny California’s tropical fruit flavors.

Try these selections if your post-holidays wallet is a bit light From the brand started in 1983, Kendall-Jackson has grown into one of the world's larger family-owned wine companies. The Vintner's Reserve line remains the company's backbone.