Stony citrus, maple and baking spice complement toasted oak in this focused, approachable and well-structured white wine. Vineyards from Saralee’s to Durell figure into the mix, adding texture and richness within a likable style

Concentrated pear flavor and generous oak combine for an approachable, easygoing experience of varietal character in this likable, well-distributed wine. Melon, peach and Meyer lemon add to the fruitiness and balanced weight, the grapes from several vineyard-designated sites.

Dried cherry, leather and baked earth aromas arise on the nose of this widely available, fairly priced bottling. There are earthy tones to the palate as well, where dried meat flavors meet with soft cherry and strawberry tones.

Snappy, offering hints of licorice to the plum, dried raspberry and spiced cherry flavors. Cedar and spice notes show on the finish.

Napa Valley & California Cabernet Sauvignon 2015: Panel tasting results Discreet and elegant, with some leafy notes. Palate has a lovely freshness and silky tannins, very appealing.

This is a serious, dry, oak-aged wine, with full body, firm tannins and good concentration. It's well balanced and a bit reserved in flavor, as light smoke and beef accents mingle with tasty black cherry and cranberry.

This deep ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Murphy Goode opens with some nice aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, red plum, cedar, black pepper and vanilla with a hint of heat on the nose. On the palate, it is medium bodied with a dry, yet silky mouthfeel. The flavor profile is a blend red and dark juicy berries with notes of red cherry and blueberry. We also detected some hints of black raspberry. This is a tasty quaffer that will be a crowd pleaser. It is a good value as well. Very good.

Sleek in feel, with an herb-laced cassis core and floral notes in the background. A light mineral twinge runs through the focused finish. Drink now through 2022.

Up From The Cellar #7 & Misc New Releases The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Alexander Valley sports a light gold hue as well as a delicious, forward style in its lemon blossom, sappy herbs, and green citrus-driven aromas and flavors. Nicely balanced, medium-bodied, soft, and charming, it's a classic Sauvignon Blanc from this estate to enjoy over the coming 2-4 years.

Italy’s Incredible Year: About 6,400 Wines Rated This shows a little bit too much bean paste on the nose, although there’s some pretty blackcurrants beneath. Medium-bodied and little lean on the palate with slightly hard tannins, but some good fruit comes through. Drink now.

This straw-colored Viognier from Cambria opens with an orange and lemon bouquet with hints of sour dough. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied and balanced. The flavor profile is an orange and apricot blend with notes of white pepper, honey and lime. The finish is dry and its flavors are nicely prolonged. This Viognier would pair well with Savoury Lane’s five fruit chicken or a seafood casserole. Very good.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Spice cherries, raspberries and sassafras notes all emerge from the 2017 Pinot Noir Vintners Reserve, which is medium-bodied and nicely balanced, with a classy finish. While too many Pinot Noirs at this price point are sweet and overdone, this is solid.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Stature is also solid, with honeyed peach and apricot notes, medium-bodied richness, and a rounded, enjoyable texture.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2018 Julia's Vineyard Rosé (100% Pinot Noir) offers a slightly reductive, crisp, citrus and strawberry-scented style that's clean, bright, and refreshing. It's a solid poolside quaffer.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2018 Viognier Tepusquet Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and is a ripe, tropical effort loaded with notions of pineapple, apricot, and exotic flowers. Fleshy, medium-bodied, and textured, yet also fresh and lively, this solid Viognier will be versatile on the dinner table.

The dark nose boasts penetratingly deep sweet oak, maraschino cherry, smoke, black plum, black currant and cassis. It’s full bodied and lush on the palate with fully integrated tannin and surprisingly tart acid, which throws the balance a bit on what is otherwise a nice structure. Flavors are a combination of raspberry, strawberry, tar, tobacco leaf and ground slightly bitter espresso bean. It finishes with a slightly floral note. Were it for less sharp and better integrated acid, this would be a really enjoyable wine.

Black cherry and raspberry notes run through, with light bramble and anise details checking in. Shows good focus through the finish.

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.

The just-released 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard (2,000 cases) will undoubtedly suffer in comparison to the 2012 (which I have not tasted). The 2011 is a well-made, more angular style of wine than the 2012s, revealing notes of cedarwood, spicy oak, black cherries and blackcurrants. Made in a medium-bodied, palatable, drinking style, it should be consumed over the next decade.

Medium-depth black cherry fruit laced with rounder, somewhat softer red cherry notes makes the early going in the nose and is filled out by hints of creamy oak and a slight herbal, twiggy scent. The wine is on the medium-bodied side with an early bit of suppleness that gets stiffened by modest tannins and evident, never pushy acidity. It can age a few years or be enjoyed sooner than that if a young Cabernet is on the menu.

Good medium ruby-red, more saturated than the merlot. Attractive floral perfume lifts aromas of red currant, tobacco and licorice. Offers darker berries on the palate, along with dark chocolate, pepper and spices and a slightly green herb-and-menthol element. Nice touch of sweetness. Finishes with firm tannic spine and good length.

The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa shows beautiful cedary, Christmas fruitcake, black currant and black cherry notes as well as excellent ripeness, medium body and a long, spicy, heady finish. Composed of 82.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot and small dollops of Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, it should drink well for 10+ years.

A graceful, elegant style, with understated currant, smoke-laced oak, dried herb and tobacco leaf notes, ending with fine-grained tannins.

Medium ruby-red. Medicinal aromas of black cherry and licorice lifted by a floral element. Juicy, spicy, moderately intense flavors of cassis and toasty oak; distinctly riper than the more pinched and green 2008 merlot bottling. Firmly built wine with polished tannins.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon emerges from the glass with dark red fruit, spices, tobacco and licorice aromas. It reveals good inner perfume and plenty of depth in a fruit-driven, approachable style. Darker notes of tar and licorice add complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015.