The nose is a dense and saturated spicy cherry and blueberry skins and faint notes of orange. The palate is firm, dry red cherry and a gravelly texture accentuating the lush undercurrents of supple red fruit.

Dark bright-rimmed red. Sexy, expansive red fruit, sandalwood, five-spice powder and candied rose scents show excellent clarity and pick up a hint of smokiness with air. Sweet and focused on the palate, offering juicy raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that deepen steadily on the back half. Densely packed but lively as well, showing intense berry and floral character on a smooth, subtly tannic, red-fruit-dominated finish.

Bright red. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red berries, potpourri, incense and Moroccan spices, and a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Lively, mineral-accented raspberry, cherry and rose pastille flavors stain the palate and show excellent precision and building sweetness. Unfolds slowly with air, gaining depth and finishing with sharp delineation, well-knit tannins and strong, floral-driven persistence.

Supple and well-structured, with savory black cherry aromas that open to polished raspberry, orange zest and spiced cinnamon flavors, finishing with refined tannins.

Lurid red. Powerful red and dark berry liqueur, mocha and incense scents take on a smoky nuance as the wine opens up. Fleshy and broad on the palate but surprisingly lively as well, offering intense black raspberry, cherry cola and candied licorice flavors and a hint of allspice. Finishes seamless and very long, featuring an echo of juicy blue fruit and velvety tannins that add gentle grip.

An enveloping red fruit, caramel apple across a smoked dried meat and spectrum of dried florals, cinnamon and baked fruit tart. The palate is a hard vitamin, wrapped in deep red berry with a waxy core and a sappy cherry finish.

Deep brilliant red. Powerful, spice-accented red and blue fruit and potpourri scents show excellent clarity and pick up suggestions of mocha and cola with air. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering concentrated black raspberry and boysenberry flavors that display appealing spiciness and an energizing jolt of smoky minerality. This concentrated yet elegant wine closes long and sweet, with smooth tannins coming in slowly.

The Top 20 in Value for 2017… Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value, and the scores are simply a measure of this reviewer's enthusiasm for the recommended wine.

Best Wines And Spirits Of 2017

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Toasty nose with lush plum and berry fruit; crisp and deep with a lovely style and long finish; made by Aussie master Charlie Seppelt and California superstar Chris Carpenter.

Pale copper color. Aromas of strawberries, white cherries, roses, honeysuckle, biscuits, toasted almond, sea salt, ginger — wow! Crisp acidity and a lot of textural depth and richness but such a refreshing, lip-smacking wine. Strawberries, white cherries, red apple peel, the fruit is topped in toasted baguette, flaky biscuits, salted almond, ginger, honeysuckle, sea breeze. The minerality is gorgeous. What an impressive sparkling wine. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Deep brilliant red. Suave, mineral-tinged black raspberry and cherry scents, along with building floral and star anise nuances. Sweet and spherical on the palate, offering intense red and dark berry liqueur and spicecake flavors that firm up slowly on the back half. Closes sappy and impressively long, delivering a whiplash of juicy dark fruit, supple tannins and lingering florality.

Siduri? Big fan. Clos Pepe? Huge fan. This wine? Whoa. Dark cherry and earth dominate the nose with hints of eucalyptus and sage. Whoa. On the palate this is a fruity Pinot lover’s delight: rich fruit, great tartness, and just the right amount of earth. This will never be confused with an Old World Pinot, but holy cow, it’s good. Outstanding.

The nose is a concentrated waxy Luxardo cherry and cranberry with notes of cinnamon and cedar. The palate is a ripe, luxurious cherry and blue plum showing a spicy, savory core along with notes of graphite and spice.

Deep brilliant red. Ripe red berries, cola, incense and a hint of vanilla on the highly perfumed nose. Juicy, appealingly sweet raspberry and cherry flavors show very good depth and pick up a succulent herb nuance on the back half. Finishes very long and smooth, displaying subtle tannins, strong persistence and a touch of lingering smokiness.

Vivid red. Fresh red berry scents are complicated by suggestions of candied rose, star anise and musky earth. Juicy, finely etched raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show very good energy, and blackberry and licorice notes emerge with air. Closes on a spicy note, displaying very good clarity, sneaky tannins and red-fruit-driven persistence.

The nose is a forward red fruit, graphite and herb with notes of licorice, cherry and black currant. The palate has immediately ripe saturation, spicy cherry and tobacco with well-defined acidity on the finish.

Expressive and refined, with pretty raspberry and lavender aromas and tightly focused blackberry and spiced cinnamon flavors that lead toward polished tannins.

Supple and precise, with cherry and pomegranate aromas and well-knit red currant, green tea and spice flavors.

Full red. Ripe red fruit, vanilla and cola on the expressive, smoke-accented nose. Juicy, oak-tinged cherry, blackberry and rose pastille flavors show very good depth and breadth, and a repeating cola note emerges with aeration and adds sweetness. Closes smooth and long, displaying impressive power, building tannins and strong tenacity.

The nose is a dusty mint and sap imbued macerated plum and blossom notes earth and bark. The palate is a solid black fig, cocoa and plum with notes of espresso.

Another blue-fruited nose that's never overripe with blackcurrants, citrus rind, some burnt orange, orange peel and brambles. Full-bodied with grainy tannins, fresh acidity and a chewy finish.

Possessing an inky, glass staining purple color, the 2014 Malbec has classic Malbec blue fruits as well as terrific minerality in its crushed rock, liquid violet, and graphite aromas and flavors. With medium to full-bodied richness, a fresh, vibrant style, and nicely integrated tannin and acidity, you can safely drink this beauty anytime over the coming decade or more.

This opaque and midnight purple colored Merlot from Howell Mountain opens blackberry and anise bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and easy going. The flavor profile is a tasty mineral infused black currant with notes of black licorice and oak. I also detected hints of black pepper and olive. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins stick around for quite a while. This Merlot would pair well with a veal chop.