Freemark Abbey Chardonnay is something of a forgotten classic. As other Chardonnays have grown bigger, richer and riper, winemaker Ted Edwards has held the line. This wine does not go through malolactic fermentation and therefore has enough acidity to be light on its feet; as another effect, its aromas and flavors are not dampened by the ML muting process. In fact, the wine's fresh acidity conspires to accentuate the apple aromas and flavors. The wine definitely tastes oaked in its vanilla and smoke character, but it is not overly oaky. It is full-bodied as a Chardonnay should be, but not too big, and it manages to have soft texture despite its crispness, without the bite of high alcohol that mars many a Chardonnay for me. The winery is also known for its red wines: two Cabernet Sauvignon single-vineyard wines, the Bosché and Sycamore Vineyard. The winery has changed ownership in the past few years, and I am happy to see that the wine has survived the ordeal. If you're planning to serve this wine, don't think of it as a typical full-throttle California Chardonnay. It's more delicate and fine-boned than that. It doesn't need to be very cold, because its alcohol doesn't need that straightjacket. And it can accompany food better than an excessive California Chardonnay. I like it in a medium-sized glass with a tulip-shaped bowl, and I like it with veal or chicken fillets, grilled or sautéed. As I taste it, my mind also conjures up thoughts of grilled Italian sausages. Did you notice the price? In my perfect world, this wine would command a higher price--except that in my perfect world, most Chardonnays would taste like this one.

The grapes are from all parts of the valley, cool as well as warm, and the wine shows a complex structure and rich fruity flavors. The tiers of pineapples, tangerines, sautéed bananas, green apples and butterscotch have a honeyed, botrytisy richness, although the finish is thoroughly dry.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Reserve is fabulous. Inky blue/purplish fruit, crème de cassis, gravel, smoke and cured meats give the 2015 quite a bit of complexity, while soft contours and plush fruit add to the wine's exuberant feel.

Smooth, ripe and spicy with rich plum and toasty oak; blackberry, plum and cassis fruit; balanced and long.

This pale straw-colored Sauvignon Blanc from Fortress is very good. It opens with a yellow grapefruit and lime bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light to medium bodied and displays really soft edges for a Sauvignon Blanc. I also found it to be juicy. The flavor profile is like the nose. It features a pleasant blend of lime and grapefruit with nicely integrated minerality. I also detected hints of tangerine and kiwi mixed in as well towards the end. The finish seemed semi-dry because of the lush fruit flavors lingering. This Sauvignon Blanc is quite a quaffer and would be a nice summer treat to enjoy with swordfish skewers.

A keenly priced new label from Greg Brewer, the characterful Ex Post Facto 2016 Syrah offers up a classic bouquet of cherry, smoked meats, raw cocoa and violets. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, supple and savory, with nice balance and length. 473 cases of this attractive Syrah were produced.

Reminiscent of some of Domaine Parent's old fashioned Pommards I enjoyed in the early seventies, its medium ruby color is followed by aromas of overripe plums, blackberries, cherries, and toast. Full-bodied with a nicely layered, plump texture, this low acid, luxuriously rich, expressive Pinot Noir is one of the sleepers being made in California.

…...Scents of truffle, game and black cherry combine with new French oak, creating heady perfume. The flavors are earthy and pungent with a deep flavor of soil and vine in a ripe, medium-bodied style. This is a hand-crafted wine that will benefit from a two- to three-year cellar regime to bring out all its reticent complexity. Or enjoy it now for its bright, fresh fruit flavors and tangy texture...……

This is the kind of muscular but gentle wine inland Mendocino is betting on. Deep flavors of plums, berries and herbs, extracted and bold, but the wine is well balanced and not too alcoholic. It's fun to taste such rich flavor without having the wine be ponderous. A fine wine, and one that captures Petite's scrappy character.

There is nothing petite about this wine. It shows an opaque red-black color, concentrated aromas full of blackberry and cedar, then flavors like pomegranate juice and blackberry jam, without being sweet. All this density and intensity will help it age. It will improve if allowed to age in a cool place until at least 2020.

Edmeades describes its 'Folly' as a Zinfandel blend. Actually, less than half the blend is Zin. The Zin shares space with Syrah, Petite Sirah and Merlot. But I quibble. This juicy red is full of Zinful brambly berry character, ripe black fruits and an overlay of oak vanillin. It's fun and friendly, with supple, easy tannins, and should find a place around the picnic table throughout the outdoor grilling season.

The denser 1999 Zinfandel Eaglepoint Vineyard tips the scales at 15.6% alcohol. Big, fleshy, and briery, this full-bodied effort displays abundant quantities of black fruits mixed with notes of earth and underbrush. Interestingly, there is 24% Syrah in the blend.

Certainly a step down from Edmeades' single-vineyard Zins from the Ridge, but not by much. Rich and earthy and dry, with berry and tobacco flavors and a spicy finish that lasts for a long time. The wine has a plush smooth mouthfeel that's sheer pleasure.

Mendocino Ridge. More of that mountain intensity with very ripe fruit buttressed with spicy, mineral elements. Brambly, briary & spicy, leading into a fleshy, round, ripe, soft middle & a long, fruity finish. Good right now.

reveals a slightly more saturated color than its Mendocino Ridge sibling in addition to full, powerful, chewy flavors redolent with blackberries, cherries, incense, spice box, and subtle wood. A heady alcohol content provides glycerin, and the fleshy, full-bodied texture is a hedonist's dream.

which possesses plenty of this varietal's peppery, briery, raspberry fruit, good freshness, and loads of glycerin and concentration. This lush, supple Zinfandel should be consumed over the next several years.

I adored the 1995 Zinfandel Eaglepoint Vineyard. The wine's saturated opaque purple color is accompanied by intense aromas of black-raspberries, cherries, minerals, and spice. Opulently-textured and rich, with layers of fruit, this wine is atypical of the vintage given its wealth of fruit, surprising level of glycerin, and gorgeously proportioned, layered finish. This is a beautifully made, pure, medium to full-bodied Zinfandel that has managed to hide its lofty alcohol (15.2%) content. Drink it over the next 5 years.

Another outstanding wine is 1995 Zinfandel Zeni Vineyard. Tasters would never guess it boasts 15.2% alcohol. It exhibits a saturated plum color, and an exotic, spicy, sweet, jammy, black-cherry, strawberry and currant-scented nose with a subtle suggestion of toasty new oak. This wine possesses terrific fruit and richness, more structure and tannin than the Eaglepoint Vineyard, and plenty of spice, body, and length. Drink this well-defined, very pure, textbook Zinfandel over the next 5-7 years.

Edmeades is known for it delicious, fruity Zinfandels from Mendocino.

Another outstanding wine is 1995 Zinfandel Zeni Vineyard. Tasters would never guess it boasts 15.2% alcohol. It exhibits a saturated plum color, and an exotic, spicy, sweet, jammy, black-cherry, strawberry and currant-scented nose with a subtle suggestion of toasty new oak. This wine possesses terrific fruit and richness, more structure and tannin than the Eaglepoint Vineyard, and plenty of spice, body, and length. Drink this well-defined, very pure, textbook Zinfandel over the next 5-7 years.

Wines of the Week: Under $20, 90 Points One is drawn in by aromas of blackberries, cherries, and raspberries, accented by elements of clove and cocoa. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, and plum emerge on the palate, followed up by suggestions of toasty clove, earth, and dark chocolate. Offering polished tannins and good fruit character, it’s a wine to pair with chicken fijtas.

Terrific wine! Juicy purple plums and brambleberries. Lovely juiciness and supple layers. Zinfandel food pairings: pork tenderloin en croute served with Honeycrisp apple sauce.

Deep, dense and lush with blackberry and ripe berries; rich, smooth and balanced.

Although this substantial, generously oaked Zinfandel is inclined to high ripeness, it is rife with deep and defined blackberry fruit throughout and stays away from the dried-grape desiccation that its 15.5% alcohol might predict. It is admittedly a touch hot in the latter going, but it is rich and juicy from entry to finish and never crosses the line of being too much of a good thing. It has the balance to keep and will improve for a few years even if its outgoing nature invites drinking now.

Smooth, ripe and juicy with smooth texture and fresh berry fruit; balanced and long.