Dedicated to cool-climate merlot, this producer continues to make a steady, dependable merlot that is reasonably priced for the complexity it delivers. It bursts with cherry and plum flavors with intriguing hints of cocoa and sage.

This has a gorgeous range of flavors — pink grapefruit, lime and mineral. Bright acidity. Crisp finish. A standout.

The Los Carneros region straddles the Sonoma County/Napa Valley border, where the elevation of the foothills provides perfect conditions for Chardonnay, and produces wines of notable depth, structure and natural acidity. La Crema incorporates traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques to produce a rich and textured wine in a proudly Californian style. Vibrant and toasty, this Chardonnay will shine with crab salad or orange chicken.

Glorious! Almost Burgundian in its magical, illusionist combination of power and grace.

The Hickinbotham 2014 Trueman Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunner. From the moment your nose goes anywhere near this you know it’s everything cabernet can be. Lifted cassis, black berry with steady steps into the tasting zone, purity of fruit aided by its medium weight structures, while the variety’s necessary tannins are tapered and beneficial to a long languid finish.

The Hickinbotham 2014 The Peake Cabernet Shiraz is fabulous claret that stayed satisfyingly fresh in an open bottle for more than a week. Its transition from cabernet aromas to shiraz power, without overriding sweet fruit is exemplary. When it comes to that “collector’s mindset” the Hickinbotham winemaking team aspires to, these are all destined for cellaring greatness.

A favorite in a varietal tasting we recently did, this Sonoma County sauvignon blanc has broad flavors, thanks to 7 percent semillon in the blend, with grapefruit and passionfruit notes, a dash of spice and a long, crisp finish.

Cedar, dark fruit and rocky minerality nose through palate. The palate opens with a wash of dark fruit and carries forward through well-integrated baking spice and hints of cocoa with rocky minerality and savoury notes through the finish. Taut, persistent, fine tannins give this wine a lot of structure with well-balanced acidity for a long finish. This is a well-structured wine that wants air upon opening or a couple years in bottle.

Deep red colour with a strong purple tint. The bouquet is spicy and profound, the palate marvellously deep and yet elegant, with beautifully refined tannins and supple texture. Long, long finish. A wine of intensity and grace, if not quite the muscle of previous vintages. (56% cabernet, 44% shiraz, grown on the property's oldest vines, planted in 1971) Drink 2016 to 2039

Deep, brilliant red/purple colour; youthful. The bouquet is complex and inviting, with lots of savoury aromas, earth, charcuterie, spices, leather and subdued nuances of dark fruits. Some sooty and smoky touches. It's full-bodied and very supple in the mouth, with ample tannins which are smooth as silk. Red fruits rather than black. A delicious wine, superbly balanced and long. Drink 2016 to 2034

Deep red/purple colour and a bright, fresh, primary fruit aroma of blueberry, raspberry, cassis and violets. Oak is very much in the background and it's very varietal. Medium to full-bodied, not a whopper and not very tannic. Oak is subtle as is the grip, and the fruit is very much in the spotlight. It's a more elegant iteration of this wine and remarkably approachable for its age. Drink 2016 to 2034

Deep red colour with the merest tint of purple; rich chocolate, vanilla, plum and dark berry aromas, without any leafiness. Medium to full-bodied and very soft, with supple, rounded tannins and a long carry. Very approachable. Drink 2016 to 2030

Espresso, black walnut and black pepper flavors are bold and thick, with dense tannins framing the blackberry, plum and licorice flavors. Smoke, toast and spice accents linger on the finish.

Plump and polished, with bold raspberry and blueberry aromas and complex flavors of licorice, crushed stone and pepper.

Using the considerable talents of viticulturist, Rosa Kruger, to pinpoint the best Chardonnay sites in the Cape, this ambitious wine comes from five different sites. It’s less oaky than the 2013 (and better for it). Toasty, mineral and very focused, with an undertone of stone fruit, creamy lees and a bracing, mouth-watering finish. Drink: 2017-22

The 2014 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is dark, racy and voluptuous. Plum, blueberry, mint, hard candy and sweet spices give the 2014 its extroverted, flamboyant personality, while silky, creamy tannins add to the wine's considerable up-front appeal. This is one of the darker wines in the range.

A very pretty, finely-cut wine, the 2014 Pinot Noir Rita's Crown shows what can happen with a slightly less heavy hand. Orange peel, bright red cherry, mint and chalk give the Rita's Crown good brightness and energy throughout. Drink it over the next few years.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Sierra Madre Vineyard is a beautiful wine. Bright red berry, mint and chalk overtones give the 2014 its energy and weightless, focused personality. The more refined, understated side of Santa Maria comes through nicely.

Byron's 2014 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard offers good up-front appeal in a racy, fruit-driven style that is best enjoyed on the young side. Sweet red cherry, hard candy and rose petals shape the bright, lively finish. Here, too, I would prefer to drink the wine sooner rather than later.

The 2014 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard soft, pliant and delicate. This is a relatively small-scaled, delicate wine from Bien Nacido, with only modest expression of site and some elements of dilution. Citrus and floral notes are nicely delineated, but there simply is not as much Bien Nacido pedigree here as there should be.

Tropical fruit, butter and orange blossom are some of the signatures in the 2014 Chardonnay Nielson Vineyard. There is good intensity to the flavors, but the 2014 remains distinctly mid-weight in style.

Denise Shurtleff has spent nearly two decades on the Cambria estate, making her intimately familiar with the fruit that flourishes there. That includes the 15 different blocks of chardonnay grapes that were farmed individually and blended to make this fruit-forward wine. Citrus and pineapple flavors race across the palate and lead to a clean, refreshing finish.

Using grapes from Mendocino and two other North Coast regions, this California gem has balanced acidity and ripe peach and apple flavors. Creamy mouthfeel and generous aromatics.

This is a chardonnay with quite a range — lemon, peach, toast and hazelnut. It has bright acidity and a seamless texture. Solid.

The Vintner’s Reserve has bright acidity and tropical notes of mango and pineapple. It also has toasty oak and a hint of butter. The chardonnay is a steal for the price, and it has broad appeal because it’s a slightly sweeter version of the varietal.