Kendall-Jackson’s popular chardonnay has changed with the times, with more bright and buoyant acidity in the mix to give a lift to the crowd-pleasing ripe fruit and rich oak-derived notes. You can still expect a smooth and mouth-filling style, which has made it a top-selling white wine across North America, but with more refreshing lemon and pineapple on the palate to cut through the vanilla, butterscotch and luscious fruit notes. Drink now to 2023.

Medium purple color. Aromas of juicy plums, dark currants, with smoky earth, tobacco, mint chocolate chip and spiced black tea. Full-bodied, structured but velvety, fresh acidity, this is balanced very nicely. Tangy red and black currants and cherries mixed with complex notes of spiced coffee, earth, tar, pepper and coffee grounds. This is a bright but complex Super Tuscan that offers a lot of what I look for in these wines at a very reasonable price. Could use air or a year or two. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot aged 12 months in French oak.

This straw-colored Chardonnay from Cambria was described as a food wine by the Tasting Panel. It opens with a shy oak and apple bouquet with hints of lemon. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced and very smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mild green apple with notes of lime, vanilla and light oak. We also picked up some hints of toasted almond, minerality and caramel mixed in as well. The finish is dry and lingers nicely. The Panel suggested pairing this Chard with grilled trout with butter or Rhode Island clam cakes.

Blended with 22% Merlot, this shows a wealth of herbal intensity and sizable concentration—the fruit profile a mix of cassis, dark cherry and baked plum. Tannins and oak are integrated yet highly present, underscoring the wine’s full-bodied intensity.

A classic Sonoman, benchmark, oldie and goodie, been there, done that cabernet sauvignon. Represents so many growers and makers that have shaped and styled the Sonoma landscape. Does so dutifully and admirably in low alcohol, easy oak and perfectly balanced epithets. This is the right stuff and really important teaching example of commercial excellence. Drink 2020-2024.

Custardy notes accent the ripe white fruit flavors. Buttery pastry hints linger with buoyant spiciness on the cream-filled finish. Drink now through 2023.

Rich and broad-textured, with butterscotch accents to the viscous ripe white fruit and spice flavors. The buttery finish shows tropical fruit notes. Drink now through 2023.

This features a savory edge to the intensely crisp and fine-pointed flavors of freshly cut green apple and lime. Shows minerally precision on the finish. Drink now through 2024.

This white gold colored Chardonnay from La Crema opens with a pleasant and inviting lemon, pineapple and gentle oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with plus acidity and is very fresh. The flavor profile is an oak influenced baked apple with hints of lemon, butter, vanilla and nutmeg. The finish is pleasant and drifts away nicely. This Chard is very food friendly. It would be a great glass pour at a seafood restaurant. I would pair it with a seafood casserole or a crab cake.

COMMENTARY: The 2019 La Crema drinks swimmingly well, and it is a wine that the entire family will enjoy. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright with aromas and flavors of apples, faint leaves, and flowers. Serve it as an aperitif and light, alfresco meals.

La Crema consistently delivers a range of ripe and rewarding chardonnays including this popular Sonoma Coast label, which offers expressive fruit and well-defined oak notes on the nose and palate. The smooth texture and persistent finish add to the appeal. Drink now to 2023.

COMMENTARY: The 2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Cabernet Sauvignon is one of California's best Cab deals under $20. TASTING NOTES: This wine is attractive, and it delivers. Enjoy is pleasing aromas and flavors of black fruit and mineral notes with prime rib.

COMMENTARY: The 2017 Siduri Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is an excellent now-drinking wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is bright and full of easy-drinking ripe fruit. Pair its alluring aromas and flavors of red and blue fruits with grilled pork chops in a mushroom-wine reduction sauce.

COMMENTARY: The 2019 Cambria Estate Winery Julia's Vineyard Rosé is one of the marketplace's top pink wines. TASTING NOTES: This wine is perky and bright. Enjoy its fruit-lifted aromas and flavors of dried earth, savory spices, and red berries with grilled chile-accented prawns.

Pinot Gris does not possess a foreword characteristic flavor of a wine like Sauvignon Blanc, for example. While Pinot Gris flavors are more in the background, the varietal can be quite rewarding in its subtleties and light fruit. Characteristics vary somewhat according to place of origin.We are going to look at WillaKenzie Estate’s 2018 Pinot Gris, the first of three of their wines that I am currently reviewing. The Estate is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in the northern Willamette Valley, Oregon, and is now part of Jackson Family Wines. The winery and vineyards lie along three long descending ridged hilltops, with the Tasting Room on the middle hilltop incorporating views off into the distant fir tree studded landscape dotted with occasional contrasting meadows of dry grass. A real storybook setting!Although their flagship wines are Pinot Noir, six grape types are planted on the Estate’s 420-acres with the bulk of the plantings in Pinot Noir. WillaKenzie features the most clonal diversity in the Willamette Valley. The variety assists Pinot Noir’s complexity and texture. The second most prevalent grape is Pinot Gris at about a quarter of Pinot Noir’s 67 acres.WillaKenzie refers to the prehistoric sedimentary soils on the Estate which nurture the vines, and also refers to two major rivers in the Willamette Valley, the Willamette and the McKenzie, whose confluence is not far away in Eugene. The soils were deposited by uplifted ancient seabeds, and consist of deep well-drained silty clay loam over siltstone and sandstone. The winery states, ‘Place Matters’.I visited the winery several years ago, and I found the setting to be more impressive than the proverbial castle on a hill. After visiting the tasting room, I went outside to enjoy the lovely vistas and have a bite. Shortly, an amicable looking woman came out, we began talking. I learned she was the founder’s wife, Ronnie Lacroute. Mrs. Lacroute is American, and she is an instructor in the French language. Soon we stumbled on the fact that her French husband, Bernard Lacroute of Burgundy, and I had both been employed by the same company. The company was sizeable and we had not known each other.Winemaking on the 2018 Pinot Gris included fermentation mainly in stainless with a small amount in barrel. The malolactic fermentation was blocked. This Pinot Gris is independently certified LIVE, Salmon Safe meaning environmentally and socially responsible winegrowing in the Pacific Northwest.An 8,300-case effort, this pale straw Pinot Gris is mid to light in weight, reveals an ultra-fine texture, is well tied together, and presents attractive aromatics of citrus blossom with subtle hints of pastry and powdered sugar. Consisting of100% Pinot Gris, the 2018 displays excellent balance accompanied by fresh acidity (pH 3.86) well integrated with the velvety fruit. On the palate, light notes of white nectarine, grapefruit, and salt are intertwined with savory umami. Quite a flavorful Pinot Gris, albeit in a restrained elegant way, with a remarkably light touch on the palate.A great pair with Tuscan Garlic White Bean Soup. The near full-bodied Pinot Gris contrasts its delicate fruit with the earthiness of the bean soup, both working nicely together.

Very much keyed on the incisive, cherry-like fruit specific to good Pinot Noir, Siduri’s Russian River bottling is a very well-balanced working that is at once fairly outgoing and possesses a sense of fruity depth and reserve that bodes well for further development. Despite being easy to taste now, it shows the kind of energy and tactile length to encourage optimistic keeping, and, while we admittedly would not refuse a glass or two with a juicy pork chop tonight, we see good reasons aplenty to lay it away and exercise a few years of patience.

The 2012 vintage in Bordeaux was not an acclaimed vintage, although Merlot on the Right Bank (such as in Saint Émilion) fared better than Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank. Typical of the vintage, the 2012 Lassegue is surprisingly perfumed for a Bordeaux, especially when the wine has had some aeration in the glass. I found aromas of blackberry fruit topped by lovely floral notes (violets, rose petals and lilac, suggest the Seillans) and classic Bordeaux scents of polished leather, lead pencil and cigar box. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and supple in texture, with a strong tannin frame. Within that tannin frame, the fruit is fairly light and pretty, showing notes of mushroom, red cherry and black currants, along with fresh herbs. A key to getting the most enjoyment from this wine is to give it enough air, and a wide enough glass, for its aromatics to emerge.

Yangarra’s third vintage of Roussanne aged in concrete egg is a distinctive bottling that shows the purity of the variety. It’s pale yellow in hue, and the nose is perfumed like lavender hand soap, grilled pineapple and ginger. There’s a purity of fruit and acidity on the palate, amid a rich, creamy texture and streaks of salty mineral nuances. Don’t make the mistake of drinking this too cold—just a quick cooldown in the fridge is all it needs. Drink or hold.

This widely available wine is compelling on many fronts. Strong aromas of Key lime pie, Anjou pear, grapefruit pith, chalk and buttercream lead into a generous palate of white peach and smoked nectarine. It’s rich but balanced.

A rich juicy blend of nearly equal parts Merlot, Petite Sirah and Syrah, this wine is generous in cedar, oak and lively black, jammy fruit. Lush on the palate, it’s a crowd-pleaser, outdoor barbecue-kind of red.

This appellation wine impresses in its delivery of supple herbal, earthy and high-toned flavor. Dipped in rhubarb, pomegranate and strawberry, it has the richness of cola and a spicy hit of cinnamon beneath its dense layers of cherry pie.

Julia’s Vineyard was named for Julia Jackson back in 1988, 20 years after the original fog-covered Pinot Noir vines were planted at the Santa Maria site on ancient soils full of fossilized seashells, shale, limestone and sand. The vineyard site is unique in that it boasts one of the longest growing seasons in California, and with that comes consistency of quality. The fruit is always forward here with bright ripe black raspberry and blueberry aromas striped with cranberry, pomegranate, and sweet brown baking spice. A hedonistic, California Pinot Noir that entertains rather than confounds. Salmon, mushroom risotto, roasted chicken all work here. It’s a mix of clones including 4, 2A, 23, 667, 115, 777 and 828 that are barrel-aged for 8 1/2 months in French oak, 31 per cent of which is new.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Lots of red cherries, kirsch, and blackberry notes emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Siduri Perry Ranch Vineyard, which shows plenty of stem influence, medium body, bright acidity, and a clean, moderately lengthy style. It builds nicely with time in the glass and is a Burgundian, vibrant Pinot Noir that will be better in 6-12 months and drink nicely for 7-8 years or so.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018There are two releases from Oregon. Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Siduri Gran Moraine Vineyard, it has a medium ruby/translucent color to go with a vibrant, juicy array of red plums, violets, candied orange peel, and spice. It's nicely textured, medium-bodied, and has wonderful purity of fruit. Drink it any time over the coming 7-8 years or more.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018More lightly colored, the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley comes from a mix of sites in the Russian River and was 80% destemmed and brought up in 25% new French oak. Spiced strawberries, potpourri, candied orange, and lots of spice notes emerge from the glass of this elegant, medium-bodied, nicely textured and fruit-loaded effort. It's ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years.