This sports a pronounced, lively chaparral and savory edge that surrounds a core of pomegranate and blood orange fruit flavors. Light, racy finish. Drink now through 2025.

A yellowish pink in the glass, this Pinot Noir-based rosé offers strawberry, apricot and light honey-nut aromas on the nose. The palate has a tropical, banana-like flavor, with decent textural tension.

This is has picked up very feint "gris" coloration from some skin contact. The nose is very soft and vague with green melon, green peach fruit and not much other complexity. It is medium weight, smooth and almost creamy in its California way, yet there is enough acid ballast. Very simple flavours here. The length is very good with a touch of grapefruit on the finish.

Broad-textured, with toasty accents to the baked apple and dried pear flavors. Brioche notes accent the open-textured finish. Drink now.

Plus the wine inside is delicious and rather elegantly presented. It pours a medium straw in the glass and has citrus fruit and pear aromas; in the mouth are flavors of orange, apricot and peach; it’s super crisp in the finish.
This is just a nice, light and clean Sauvignon Blanc that we think will appeal to a lot of people. Another winner from La Crema at a super fair Costco price.

A classic style of California Chardonnay, this bottling begins with buttery aromas along with fresh lemon zest on the nose. The palate pairs the butter and lemon with ripe peach flavors.

Dried cherry, cola and summer sausage aromas show on the nose of this countywide blend. Ripe cherry and berry flavors are pleasant on the palate, balanced by a persistent acidity.

Inviting, with rather lush raspberry and boysenberry puree flavors laced with cinnamon and tea. Reveals a warmed fruitcake accent on the finish. A bit obvious in style, but will have fans. Drink now through 2024.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve Anderson Valley is perfumed with strawberry pie and baking spice. The palate is ripe and inviting with juicy fresh raspberry and silky mouthfeel with red flowers. Perfect for drinking now and over the next several years, this is a wine that casts a large net for sure.

The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Jackson Estate Kelsey Hills Vineyard is fresh with citrus up front, delicate white flowers, basil, and white peach. The palate is zippy and fresh, revealing white grapefruit, chive, and wet stone. Drink now or over the next 3 years.

The 2020 Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve is a mosaic of classic expressions, with toasted brioche, lemon candy, vanilla bean, and baking spice. The palate is full of ripe baked pineapple turnover cake, sweet pear, and vanilla. Classic for a reason, drink now or over the next 6 years.

Ripe and forward, with gently mulled raspberry and red cherry fruit laced with singed vanilla and wood spice. Fan-friendly finish. Drink now.

Fresh, grapy, jammy flavors and a medium body give this wine an intensely fruity, gulpable appeal. It is exuberant, easy to enjoy and not to be taken too seriously.

Lighter in the glass, this bottling shows cranberry, carnation and a funky earth aroma on the nose. It’s lean on the palate, where dried thyme and oregano meet with dried cranberry and cured meat flavors.

Plush and seamless, with ripe peach, apricot and crisp apple notes that show a touch of salted butterscotch on the finish. Drink now.

Monterey's windy, cool climate has fingerprints all over this picture perfect pink. The nose offers subtle aromatics of strawberries and watermelon. The fruit remains cool and muted on the palate with pink grapefruit and mandarin that persist lightly through the finish. Serve chilled with young goat cheese, smoked sausage, and a fruit compote. Bring on summer.

Delicate nose of flowers, candied plums and creamy oak. Herbal on the palate with a lively freshness.

Sweet on the nose with hints of mint and peppery black cherries. Dense and big, quite concentrated.

A warm red with scents of baking spices, mulled cider and baked fruit, this is soft and complex. Its lean profile will meld into slow-cooked braises.

Rich and plummy, with spice notes of cardamom and cinnamon, this wine has a brown sugar sweetness that leavens its gaudy spice flavors. Decant and pour for a lamb tagine.

Grown at the Jackson Family’s Far Coast Vineyard in Annapolis, this has the tight fruit of a cool-climate syrah, enriched by oak to an espresso-roast coffee-bean character. It’s robust, a potent red for short ribs.

A friendly style, with creamy raspberry and plum nicely lined by light anise and sweet spice hints. Drink now through 2023.

This has a nice polish to its open-textured mix of dried red fruit and berry flavors, with hints of hot spices and sandstone accents on the finish. Drink now.

We made a big pot of homemade Seafood Chowder full of shrimp, scallops and crab, with a hot baguette of multigrain bread alongside. We paired this with a bottle of La Crema Pinot Gris, for another cold winter feast. Not a bad way to spend a Grey Day!
The La Crema is a little on the delicate side, with a pleasant nose of melon and stone fruit. The flavors are tangerine and lime, with a little Meyer Lemon in the mix. The finish is crisp and clean. The alcohol content is 13.5%, and Norm’s score is 88.
This would be a great choice for Chicken Piccata, and also Shrimp Salad Louie.

Roasted, toasted berry richness dominates on this overtly full-bodied and ripely concentrated wine that is stemmy in earthiness, oak and lasting notes of cola and vanilla.