Smooth, clean and juicy with bright plum and racy acidity; fresh, balanced and long.

Appealingly soft and supple, offering aromas of black cherry and toasty vanilla, with accents of spice and bay leaf.

Here's a good, robust red wine. It's not particularly Merlot-like, with its pepper, herb, cherry, red currant and cola flavors, wrapped into sticky tannins. But it's very dry and elegantly structured, and the alcohol is moderate. fine with a nice steak or chop.

Sunny well-ripened cherry and plum flavors give a lot of pizazz to this full-bodied and smooth-textured wine. It's on the rich side of the spectrum but has a light touch of tannin and fruit acidity for good balance.

An easygoing blend, offering notes of blueberry, pepper and smoky anise. Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petite Sirah.

This blends a majority Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot, coaxing soft, rounded texture and substantial flavors of red berry and vanilla. With a density on the palate, it carries with it a streak of smoked meat.

This is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, which come together to form a full-bodied package of earthy compost and generously ripe blue and black plum. Soft tannins make it easy to enjoy.

Smooth, ripe and lush with black raspberry and blueberry fruit; mellow and rich with spice and good balance; long and stylish. Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel.

A blend of merlot (64 percent) with cabernet sauvignon (29) and petit verdot, this is soft and casual. The structure has been polished to a milk-chocolate richness though the flavors remain fresh, with scents of plum and woodsy pine.

This wine bridges the gap between mass-market wines that are soft and sweet, and more serious dry ones that have better structure and more powerful fruit. It is nicely fruity but dry, has generous aromas and flavors supported by light tannins and good acidity.

Graceful and pleasing, with a solid mix of gravelly earth, dried dark berry, cedar, mocha and tobacco flavors, ending long and firm.

Fruity and fresh, this medium-bodied wine has dark plum and blackberry aromas, along with ripe and almost sweet blackberry flavors. A lightly gripping texture helps make it appetizing.

Smooth, clean and juicy with bright plum and racy acidity; fresh, balanced and long.

This 100% varietal wine opens with beautifully lush aromas of blackberry and licorice, before a seamless, soft layering of leather comes in. Soft tannins mark the midpalate, followed by a finish steeped in smoky vanilla and herb.

Great price for a Cabernet this smooth and tasty. Shows appealing blackberry and cherry flavors, with a sweet, smoky touch of oak. All five classic Bordeaux varieties constitute the blend.

Concentrated in toasted marshmallow and juicy blackberry, this is a large, full-bodied wine marked by puckering tannins that still need time to resolve. Powerfully built, it’s big on flavor and intensity, with vanilla on the finish.

Cherry-vanilla and boysenberry jam combine around a ripe, lush and full-bodied wine, ideal for smoky, grilled foods. Smooth tannins make it enjoyable now and accessible to many palates, though be mindful of its power and intensity.

A jammy, spicy, high-alcohol Californian Zinfandel with dark spice and purple plums on the finish. Pair with barbecued ribs. Zinfandel food pairings: spaghetti Bolognaise, aged cheddar, grilled duck breast, Italian sausage burgers.

Sourced from both Dry Creek and Alexander valleys, this 93% Zinfandel with 7% Petite Sirah shows a hearty and robust take on the grapes, minty and oaky with a strawberry-cherry edge to the fruit. Soft and approachable despite its size, it finishes with a hit of coffee mocha.

A heady red with spicy tannins that give it a cinnamon Red Hots feel, this has enough juicy richness to balance its alcohol.

Several months since I last tried a bottle, but I recall liking the red for its jammy, ripe fruit flavors. They were still singing. The sweet-tasting fruit flavors and toasty vanilla notes worked really well with the smoky notes of both the bacon and the beans. The wine was plush and vibrant, it not only complemented my meal, but was great on its own for an additional post-meal glass.

88 POINTS Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc Alexander Valley Reserve 2002; Ripe, with very good concentration to fig, pear, peach, tangy quince and honeysuckle tones. Refreshing lemony acidity folds into subtle vanilla tones on the finish. Drink now.

Dry and tangy in style, this light-bodied wine offers good refreshment qualities due to bright citrus and green-apple flavors. Good acidity keeps the texture lively so it will make a good lunch or apéritif wine.

A crisp, clean mix of lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange zest flavors on a smooth and juicy body, with a hint of green tea.

Silky and spicy with tangy citrus and herbs; long and crisp.