Bold black raspberry and bacon fat aromas open to layered, polished blueberry and peppered black licorice flavors that lead to refined tannins.

Vivid purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, olive paste and peppery spices, with a sexy floral overtone building in the glass. Stains the palate with sweet blackberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that unfurl slowly and gain energy with aeration. Youthful tannins shape the finish, which hangs on with impressive, dark fruit-driven tenacity. I really like this wine's interplay of depth and vivacity.

Plump and juicy, deftly balanced and supple in texture, with pure plum and blackberry flavors at the core, showing touches of cherry, currant, anise and cedar around the edges. Ends charming and graceful, with fine-grained tannins.

Quiet and aromatically floral, this is a wine given time in both stainless steel and concrete, as well as a sizable percentage of neu¬tral French oak. Lemon zest and grapefruit adorn a robust body of stony minerality and touches of spicy lemongrass.

Focused and refined, with rose petal and raspberry aromas and well-built cherry, sweet anise and spice flavors that finish with polished tannins.

Elegant and sleekly complex, with floral cherry and crushed stone aromas and focused, delicately layered raspberry and white pepper flavors that glide along the easy finish.

Supple and expressive, with vibrantly layered raspberry, rose petal and spiced cinnamon flavors that glide toward a polished finish.

Brilliant ruby-red. Displays highly perfumed red berry, cherry-cola and Asian spice scents, along with a subtle mineral flourish that builds in the glass. Sweet and seamless in the mouth, offers deeply pitched red berry liqueur, spicecake and smoky mineral qualities with a touch of smokiness. Very long and appealingly sweet on the finish, where slow-building tannins add framework and gentle grip.

Vivid ruby. Spice- and mineral-accented red berries and cherry on the nose, with potpourri and cola accents adding complexity. Juicy and precise in the mouth, shows nervy lift and tension to its raspberry liqueur and floral pastille flavors. Becomes sweeter and deeper with air and finishes sappy and very long, with harmonious tannins and lingering spice and floral notes.

Limpid ruby. Intense, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of ripe dark berries and pungent flowers, with a hint of smokiness building with air. Shows very good clarity and spicy lift on the palate, offering sappy blackberry, bitter cherry and succulent herb flavors that deepen and spread out on the back half. Finishes very long and gently sweet, with building tannins and a jolt of juicy acidity that lends refreshing cut.

Delicate with juicy cherry and tangy acidity; smooth, savory, and fresh; a balanced blend from the winery's Estate, Fennwood, and Gran Moraine vineyards.

Bright purple. Displays intense, smoke- and spice-accented dark fruit preserve, licorice and cola scents, along with a sexy floral nuance. Sappy, concentrated and appealingly sweet, offering blackberry and cherry liqueur flavors and a touch of star anise. For its heft this wine shows very good balance and finishes long, chewy and precise, with building tannins and a touch of candied flowers.

Very dark in the glass, this inky wine shows aromas of iodine, distilled violets and wound-up black-currant fruit, making the Syrah appear in charge. It’s very dense but not especially ripe on the sip, where layered tannins reluctantly reveal elderberry and lilac flavors. Though five years old, it still needs time to unwind.

The label is retro but the wine is thoroughly modern; silky and fresh with seamless, juicy, and tangy pear fruit lightly kissed by vanilla; what a price.

La Crema’s Fog Veil Pinot Noir is richly layered and powerful, showing ripe flavors of cherry and black fruits and a woodspice note through the long, impressive finish. Drinking beautifully now though a bit grippy on the back end, so additional cellar time would benefit this wine mightily.

Ten wines based on a grape deserving more recognition It's ripe, for sure, with a brambly-fruit base and 14.5-per-cent alcohol for body, but on balance this is an enticingly earthy-spicy style from Sonoma County, with vibrant acidity supplying tight structure. Perfect for medium-rare duck breast or grilled lamb chops.

A bold, dark side expression of Alexander Valley, with lively blackberry, black cherry, currant and vanilla aromas and flavors that ride a firm structure through a long, rich finish. I'd give it some time in the cellar to allow a little more integration of the oak and gain maximum enjoyment.

If you’re looking for a “wow” wine crowd-pleaser this holiday season, try winemaker Kristy Melton’s stunning Bootleg Prequel, a power-packed blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah that is sure to turn heads. Melton has done a beautiful job of taming the sometimes aggressive tannins of the Petite Sirah so you can enjoy the lush blueberry and blackberry fruit notes. Add a generous dose of wood spice and you have a winner.

Combines precision with crisp and vibrant fruit, offering expressive cherry, strawberry and loamy mineral notes that finish with verve.

Bright red. Aromas of ripe, smoke-tinged black raspberry, cherry and rose oil are lifted and sharpened by suggestions of white pepper and smoky minerals. Offers juicy red and dark berry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors with a hint of licorice that builds with air. Shows very good heft as well as energy, finishing long and gently tannic, with clinging dark berry character.

Vivid ruby-red. Fresh blackberry, cherry, licorice and cola scents show very good lift and clarity. Supple, open-knit and appealingly sweet, offers juicy red/dark berry flavors that are given spicy bite by a jolt of white pepper. Displays very good clarity and fruity thrust on a long, focused finish that features rounded tannins and repeating spiciness.

Baked red cherry, vanilla, cola and sarsaparilla show on the nose of this very approachable bottling by Adam Lee. There is a light touch of licorice to the sip, with strawberry and red-plum flavors as well as more complex touches of tea leaf and candied raspberry.

Dark and potent, this deeply flavored red offers ripe and smoky blueberry, licorice and stony mineral notes that finish with dense tannins.

Here is a Merlot that at first impresses as being of two minds for, while it leads with deep and relatively open aromas of ripe cherries, berries, cocoa and sweet oak, it proves to be far less forthcoming once in the mouth. It is a big-boned wine with the very firm structure of one that wants to age for at least a half-dozen years, but, as youthfully tight and tannic as it may be right now, there is simply no questioning its fruity depth or its future. Hide it away with full confidence that waiting will pay big dividends. Two stars.