A layered zinfandel with notes of blackberry, cherry, black pepper and cedar. This zin is savory and spicy, with the kick of petite sirah in the mix. A good pick for the budget minded.

This near-perfect growing season gives the wine even more intensity and juicy fruit. Aromas roar with dark berries, spice, brown cooking spices and an infusion of cedar. Flavors are juicy, acidity is firm; alcohol and toasty oak are woven into the fruit. Flavors and mouthfeel are broadened with the addition of 4 percent Petite Sirah. Alcohol is 15.4 percent. The producer calls it a second-glass Zin: If you have one glass you’re certain to have another. It’s perfect for pairing with grilled burgers and steaks.

Rich-tasting and almost sweet, this is an exuberant wine that smells like fig bars and tastes like pear juice. Quite a bit of complexity shows up, too, including accents of butter, vanilla and toasted baguette.

Lemon zest and melon flavors are straightforward and juicy, with a dried chamomile note on the finish.

A soft, almost sweet version of a typically more crisp varietal, this is fruity, smooth in texture and uncomplicated. It has fresh citrus and apple flavors.

Another hit from this Zin specialist; dense and packed with rich, ripe blackberry and spice.

Aged in stainless steel and small barrels of French oak, this wine remains smooth and silky with interweaved acidity, a classic, fresh expression of the variety with very subtle oak. Vanilla and pear find their way onto the finish, providing additional layers of flavor and finesse.

Effusive florals and pretty red fruits offset delicious old-vine dried spices and sandy tannins. The alcohol is worn very lightly; lovely freshness.

None of Novy’s newly released Syrahs shy away from full ripeness nor does any make the slightest pretense to nuance, but, as a group, they are as rich and outgoing as any and this one from the well-regarded Garys’ Vineyard stands as the richest of them all. It is saturated in color and saturated in smell with dense, oak- sweetened flavors that are unsparing in very ripe, fully extracted, blackberry fruit, and, if purists might quibble that it is not quite as specific in varietal spice as it could be, few will find it wanting in stuffing and depth. It is nicely balanced for the very sizeable wine that it is, and its immense fruity extract serves to disguise its underlying tannins, but it needs a minimum of three or four years in the cellar and will easily grow and improve for at least twice that time.

A big, bold wine that also tastes precise and structured, it has deep, dense fruit flavors like black currant and black cherry, layers of fine tannins, hints of dark chocolate and espresso. This is a great wine to stash in the cellar, as it will taste best after 2020.

A classic, boldly full-bodied offering of the variety from vineyards in Sonoma Valley, Knights Valley and Alexander Valley, this wine is defined by blackberry, cassis and mocha, its mouthfeel velvety and luxurious. The finish is lengthy and accented in sage.

Dark, ripe and velvety with soft herbs, plum and smooth texture; long, toasty and charming.

Honey, butter, yellow pear, pineapple and vanilla cream show on the supple and soft palate of this bottling—one of the new appellation blends branded under the Nielson name. Sea salt and caramel apple show on the palate, which is underlied and bound by a rain-on-slate minerality, and finishes on an apple custard note.

Elegantly structured and softly complex, with aromas of red currant and cedar, and dusty cherry, herb and mineral flavors that linger.

Savory in personality and at first austere, this wine blossoms into a full-bodied, concentrated and tight-woven exploration of black cherry and dark chocolate, accented by 1% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Elegant, it's also bold, and will successfully appeal to Cab drinkers.

Focused and well-structured, this offers appealing accents of currant, mint and cedar. The tannins are big but ripe. Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel.

Here, again, overt ripeness and juicy, blackberry-like fruit move ahead of underplayed notes of game and peppery spice, but the wine still manages to stay pointed in the right varietal direction and flirts with a touch of complexity. It is full-bodied and slightly viscous in feel before firming in the late-going, and, while those who are insensitive to tannin might find it to their liking now, we plan on waiting for at least another couple of years.

Sleek and trim, this has a gutsy heart of bold blackberry, licorice and smoky bacon flavors. Ripe tannins frame the finish.

Lots of fresh apple flavors, a crisp balance and smooth mouthfeel make this light-bodied wine refreshing and fun to drink. It has some richness on the midpalate and finish, but basically keeps its lively, tangy personality going.

A case where dry, dusty tannins meet dried currant and wild berry that shows the elegance of the style, with its refined tannins, but also the good push that comes from extraction. Vineyard has a record for gaining with time.

Offers lots of flavor in a layered style, with tiers of smoky oak and dark berry—roasted savory herb. Easy to enjoy now.

Ripe and generous, pushing toward plum and berry jam notes, this is somewhat flat at the midpalate, ending with firm, loamy tannins.

This delivers complex aromatics of ripe berry, sage, underbrush and crushed rock, the mix of lively acidity keeping the flavors refreshing. Ends with a snappy, tannic edge.

Exhibits a tart berry profile that makes the raspberry, cranberry and sour cherry lively, if trim and peppery. Very enjoyable and distinctive. Ends clean and refreshing, with a crushed rock and gravel edge.

Lightly aromatic and medium weight in intensity and flavor, with supple plum and raspberry amid fresh-turned earth and floral scents.