Top 100 Wines of 2017 Density is balanced by crunchy acidity in this generously flavored wine. Golden apple, nectarine, Asian pear and crème brûlée notes meld beautifully, and the finish is fresh and clean. Hello crab cakes.

The wine showed a straw color. Apple, lemon, honey, buttery oak, almonds and slate each arrived on the rich nose. Apple, lemon, oak, honey, slate and cedar followed on the palate where the wine's time in oak provided a foundation for the ripe fruit. The wine exhibited good acidity and balance, along with good structure and length. This wine would do well as an aperitif and would be the classic pairing for your Thanksgiving turkey.

Top 100 Wines of 2017 Made by Spanish native Laura Diaz Munoz, this sophisticated wine delivers brisk grapefruit, lime and mineral character. Half of the blend was aged in new and older French oak barrels, lending textural complexity to the vibrant fruit character.

The perfect party gifts for any occasion this holiday season - To meet your girlfriend's parents A foolproof way to get her family on your good side: Bring a bottle of vino to the table. Just make sure your pick isn't too cheap (you are dating their child, after all) or too pricey (you definitely don't want to make them uncomfortable). If you're looking for a white that's sure to please any palate, opt for Kendall-Jackson's 2014 Camelot Highlands Chardonnay... When it comes to red wines, we love ...or Freemark Abbey's 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. And if you're still coming up blank (or if they're nondrinkers), don't be afraid to simply ask your girlfriend what they like—she's the expert when it comes to your (potential) future in-laws.

Arrowood's Smothers-Remick Cabernet from the stellar 2013 vintage is a tour de force reminiscent of the early days when winemaker Richard Arrowood routinely cranked out stunning wines. This beauty is among the finest Cabs ever produced at Arrowood, a silky, voluptuous red that shows notes of cassis and blackberry with a hint of cedar and graphite. The tannins are ample but seamless, and the wine exhibits impressive depth and length. While drinking beautifully now, this is a wine to hold for those who have good wine storage and even better patience. Drink now or over the next 20 to 25 years.

This is a stellar representation of the region, combining ripeness with dark earth and wild herb notes. Aromas of black cherry, crushed slate, turned loam, dried hibiscus and violets make for a lavish nose. The rounded palate weaves black raspberry together with gravel, thyme and sagebrush. Iron fist, silk glove, utterly delicious.

From one of the most coveted vineyards in the Central Coast, this is a well-balanced whopper of a wine, starting on aromas of fresh raspberry, black plum, forest floor, violets and dark chocolate. The palate is rich upfront, showing strawberry and other dark berries, and then gains complexity in notes of sandalwood and myrrh. Thanks to deep acidity and tannic framing, the wine is simultaneously bold and balanced.

Very attractive aromatics including ripe blackberry, kirsch, fall spice, dried herbs and vanilla lead to a rich palate with great structure, yet manages to be light and lively on the palate, with a blossoming finish that already shows good integration. You'll have a hard time keeping your hands off this one, but get a few extra to age and enjoy the evolution.

Lush fruits of boysenberry, plump raspberry and strawberry mesh with vanilla, nutmeg and allspice on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard off Drum Canyon Road. Black cherry and more vanilla make for a rich palate, but it’s cut by an edge of acidity, darker elderberry, savory shiitake and a bay-leaf character that rises on the finish.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Demure, but pleasant aromas of cassis, earthy flora and wood shed. The most harmonious wine of the trio tasted here, with a bit more vibrancy. Nothing is out of place. A discreetly sappy black cherry fruit core is accented with a touch of cardamom spice. Oak is contributory without imposition. The wine has a mouth filling presence, a sleek texture, with integrated tannins, and a potent finish. There is an indefinable special quality to this wine that makes it stand out.

Limpid ruby. Expansive, spice-accented red and dark berry aromas show excellent clarity and pick up suggestions of cola and potpourri with air. Juicy, focused and appealingly sweet, offers intense black raspberry and spicecake flavors that tighten up steadily on the back half. Shows impressive depth and power and finishes sappy and impressively long, with slow-building tannins and an emphatic echo of juicy dark fruit.

The nose on this bottling from the iconic vineyard co-owned by the Pisoni and Franscioni families is quite sultry, with lots of violet and purple-flower aromas as well as mulberry, black raspberry, forest floor and grilled meat. The earthy fruit flavors of mulberry are strong on the sip, playing well with the loamy soils, dusty minerality, stiffer tannins and persistent acidity. A deep and layered wine.

This producer continues to up its game with this variety, becoming more impressive with every vintage. With the majority stainless-steel fermented, it offers tart, tangy grapefruit pith, lemon and lime around a grip of sublime texture and length.

2015 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard The Revivalist Merlot The vines were planted in 1976 and 1989. The grapes were left on skins for three weeks. It was basket pressed before going into French oak (Bordeaux coopered) for 15 months. It’s a substantial red wine by any measure. Bold berried fruit, bold coffeed oak, bold tannin. It feels integrated, supple and creamy – elegant even – but there’s no missing the weight of flavour, and texture. This isn’t your average Australian merlot. It’s good now but there’s a lot in the tank for the future.

This very dark ruby colored Italian blend is very good. It opens with a black pepper, black cherry and new leather bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, slightly acidic and juicy. The flavor profile is a black olive and black cherry blend with notes of cedar, black pepper and blackberry with a hint of sage The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins drift away nicely. This Italian treat would pair nicely with veal parmigiana. Very Good+

This bottling is the “best of the best” from the vineyard. Winemaker Shane Moore identifies the best blocks in the property that he feels fit the style of Slope, often selecting individual rows. The specific rows and blocks vary from year to year, but the top blocks are always hand selected. Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Shy, but pleasant aromas of dark berries and leather. Mid weight flavors of blackberry, cassis and spice have an impressive attack and length with an amazingly long and generous finish. A hint of oak-driven vanilla and tobacco chimes in. Impeccable balance, with blended tannins and a creamy texture. The most concentrated of the three 2014 wines reviewed here. Much better over time in the glass.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Shy aromas of red and black fruits and fertile earth. A little more refined and elegant than the Slope bottling with a more silky mouth feel. Again, beautifully balanced, with a mid weight charge of blueberry and blackberry fruits that are well spiced and complimented by piney oak. The wine finishes with a delightfully aromatic and sweet blackberry finish. Further bottle aging advised.

There’s a slightly gamy, pleasantly rustic touch to the nose of this hearty bottling, with a broad and deep boysenberry base spiced up by dark cola, nutmeg and wet gravel aromas. The mouthfeel is very full and the tannic structure is tight, propping up flavors of dark mulberry, tree bark and more roasted game.

Bright ruby-red. Exhibits an array of fresh red and dark berry aromas that are complemented by suggestions of Asian spices and cola. Supple and broad on entry, offers juicy black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that tighten up and become sweeter with aeration. Plays richness off of elegance with a smooth hand and finishes impressively long and smooth, with youthful tannins framing the wine's sweet fruit.

Brilliant ruby. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-tinged aromas of fresh dark berries, cherry-cola and incense, with a sexy floral nuance slowly emerging. Seamless and concentrated on the palate, offers intense blackberry liqueur, bitter cherry, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors with a touch of licorice on the back half. Finishes chewy, spicy and impressively long, with outstanding clarity and dusty tannins lending grip.

Deep and hearty aromas of blackberry, candied violet and dried lavender are enhanced by a touch of roasted pork on the nose of this red by Adam Lee. The full-bodied palate is framed by soft yet structural tannins and a slow-rising acidity, showing dark berries, charred beef and a hint of licorice.

Baked black cherry meets with nutmeg, clove and dried ginger on the very inviting nose of this bottling by Adam Lee. A sizzling acidity greets the palate, as do muscular tannins, with flavors of dark-red fruit, allspice and gingerbread falling into place.

Vivid ruby-red. Highly expressive, mineral-tinged cherry and raspberry scents are complicated by suave floral and Asian spice nuances. Sappy, sweet and broad on the palate, offering juicy, densely packed red and dark berry flavors that become livelier and sweeter as the wine opens up. Shows suave floral pastille and oak spice qualities on the impressively persistent finish, which is framed by silky, harmonious tannins.

Deep ruby-red. Smoke- and mineral-accented cherry and blackberry aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied flowers, allspice and mocha. Silky and concentrated on the palate, offers alluring, sweet dark berry, cherry compote and rose pastille flavors that are lifted by a spine of juicy acidity. Rich yet lively in character, finishes with impressive clarity, resonating florality and smooth, fine-grained tannins.

A bright side expression of Santa Rita Hills, with fruit from the likes of Clos Pepe, Cargasacchi and John Sebastiano vineyards coming together with aromas of cherry and fall spice that translate clearly on the palate, with touches of forest floor and citrus zest bringing the velvety texture to a mouthwatering close. Artfully blended by Adam Lee.