Creamy vanilla and smoky, oaky flavors shade the mix of pear, fig, apricot and melon notes, making for a complex, layered effort that's deep and persistent.

Distinctive for the jazzy, toasty, mocha-laced oak, yet the rich, polished fig, nectarine, white peach and tangerine flavors are equal to the wood. A remarkably seductive Chardonnay.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Aromas of black raspberry, purple rose, nutmeg and vanilla arrive with more vividness over time in the glass. Mid weight plus flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and blackberry in an intensely fruit-driven styled wine with a satiny mouthfeel and a bold charge of ripe fruit on the slightly astringent finish.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. A fruit-driven, mid weight plus offering with a soul of boysenberry and blackberry fruits underlain with some spice, earth and toasty oak. Good integration of tannins, sleek in texture, with a little persistence on the finish that reveals the slightest bit of alcoholic warmth.

Light ruby red color in the glass. Leading off are bright aromas of cherry, cranberry and sandalwood. Juicy and pleasing on the palate with an oak-kissed cherry core. Silky, with balanced tannins, lively acidity, noticeable oak overlay and the slightest sense of alcoholic heat on the finish.

ROSÉ FOR NEWBIES La Crema 2016 Monterey Pinot Noir Rosé “Starter Rosé” “Cougar Juice” and “Mom will love this” were some of the many notes that surrounded La Crema’s Rosé – and those aren’t bad things. This wine is a safe bet for group gatherings – and the price point (under $20 at the grocery store) can’t be beat. It’s filled with fruit: strawberry, watermelon, mulberry – all the good stuff you want out of a summer sipper.

CAMPING TIME WINE Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve 2016 California Rosé KJ scored big with their new Rosé. It’s low in alcohol (13% ABV) and the screw cap makes it a great pick for summertime sipping in the sun. It’s got the right amount of sweet without being too sweet, tastes like the things we love about Rosé (strawberry & watermelon), and looks good in a glass. What more do you need? Buy it by the case for your camping trip.

Grown biodynamically. Fermented in two ceramic eggs: one left on skins for a whopping 160 days, one fermented as juice only. Final blend is 60% of the extended skin contact egg portion. Bottled unfined. I suspect that the ‘part extended skin contact/part fermented as juice’ approach is the secret here.
It’s a killer wine. Body, soul, aroma, flavour and length. Honeysuckle and stone fruits, more spice than your average temple, custard apples, tea, kiwi fruit, anise and more. It has power, texture and persistence but, almost regardless, its personality is captivating, and makes you want to delve ever deeper. It is a truly brilliant white wine.

Brushy sage meets succulent blackberry, blueberry and tar in this impressive wine, which offers generous structure and complex tannin. Though juicy and decidedly enjoyable now, it will benefit from further cellaring; best 2022 through 2032.

A magenta color and ripe grapy aromas of black fruits accented by spice and olive open this plump wide-bodied Carmenère. Spicy black cherry and blackberry flavors are stout and rock solid on a unwavering finish. Drink through 2020.

On the nose, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Petit Verdot smells of spicy berry fruits and black plum along with chocolate and cedar. The palate is a touch drawing and tannic, but in no way harsh or impeding. Spicy black-fruit flavors include notes of olive and herbs, while the finish delivers more of the same. Drink through 2022.

A classically styled, beautifully made red, this is defined by its well-chiseled structure and sanguine characteristics, as well as notes of cranberry, dried herb and anise. Lush and full-bodied, it has additional elements of pencil shavings and meaty game, complex and interesting to the end. Enjoy best 2022 through 2032.

A pretty ribbon of gardenia opens the nose of this rich, concentrated wine, creamy in texture with a viscosity of vanilla and oak. The richness continues in deep caramel notes, as baked pear provides fruit and nuance.

Pea shoots and a faraway lawn provide a fresh inspiring of springtime in this stainless-steel fermented white that’s lovely and fully expressive on the palate. Jasmine notes are joined by tastes of apricot and peach, while tropical breezes blow by.

Based on cabernet from the Terra A Lago vineyard in the Mayacamas foothills and merlot from the Geyserville bench, this is a chewy yet sophisticated red, carrying a black earthen flavor in its tannins, even as they’re smoothed by oak. It feels properly ripe, its sails full of red fruit, hinting at higher-toned floral aromas and a woodsy savor that speaks to hillside fruit.

A 100% varietal wine from the wilds of the appellation, this wine shows a pretty range of violet and dusty sage. Concentrated in fruit and girth with a bright backbone of acidity, it finishes in earthy forest floor and chocolate.

Aged in neutral French oak for eight months and blended with 11% Sémillon, this is a voluptuously full-figured take on the variety, textured and multi-layered. Creamy vanilla is met by waves of tangerine and peach as pea shoots and fresh grass look on.

Sage, brush and pencil shavings make for a savory, gravelly experience on the nose and palate of this full-bodied, high-elevation wine. Robustly tannic, it softens in the glass and on the finish in a stream of black pepper and dried herb.

This has the richness of Rutherford tannins, from vines grown in the benchlands at the base of the Mayacamas mountains. It also has energy in its red fruit, a zesty edge of bay laurel and herbal tension. There’s a lot of oak getting in the way for now, shellacking the fruit with its toast and tannic extract. Cellar this to let the fruit absorb some of those oak tannins.

This blends a majority Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot, coaxing soft, rounded texture and substantial flavors of red berry and vanilla. With a density on the palate, it carries with it a streak of smoked meat.

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec from both the Sonoma Valley and Alexander Valley appellations, that works in its big, broad and tannic approach to ripeness and bold flavor. Plum, cranberry and currant provide fruit as black olive plays on the back of the palate.

This is simple, hearty California cabernet, its chewy blue-black fruit ripe and flavorful but not ponderous, lasting on a pleasant cassis aroma. Try it with lamb shanks braised in red wine.

This is an impressive cab with layered flavors of black cherry, tobacco and cocoa. Round texture. Nice length. A steal for the quality.

A bottle of Screaming Eagle will set you back $850. With this in mind, you may be in the market for a cult-cab substitute, a knockout that’s a steal for the quality. We had an impressive line-up of bottlings that over-delivered, and the best deal in the flight is our wine of the week winner — the Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, 2014 Alexander Valley, Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, at $40.

Our Wine of the Week, Stonestreet Estate Vineyards 2014 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, is a classic beauty, with layers of flavor, restrained alcohol and a lingering finish. A swirl of tobacco carries flavors of black cherry, milk chocolate, white pepper and black pepper over the palate, with hints of smoke and dark top soil that resonate until your next sip. Try and you may notice subtle notes of sweet red pepper, too. The wine’s texture is luscious and juicy, yet, at the same time, elegant and mannered. Cabernet sauvignon is often described in masculine terms but this one is more dowager than gentleman; think Downton Abbey’s dowager countess of Grantham, when she’s in a good mood, with a twinkle in her eye: That’s this wine.