This red strikes a balance between moderately rich red berry, blackberry, subtle earth, spice and dried herb notes, with a complex, graceful finish. Drink now through 2021.

A balanced style, with a mix of ripe berry, plum and light creamy oak. The tannins are laced with crushed rock and cedar details. Drink now through 2020.

Offers a modest, pleasing core of ripe blueberry, creamy oak, spice and sassafras notes, maintaining focus and ending with a clean, flinty finish. Drink now through 2020.

There's plenty to admire here, starting with a firm mix of red berry, gravelly earth, black licorice, herb and cedar notes. Dries out a bit on the finish. Drink now through 2020.

Presents a tight beam of cherry-laced gravel, dried herb and cedar notes, ending clean and vibrant. Drink now through 2020.

A cabernet with great bones (structure) and ripe fruit. What makes this impressive is its concentration of fruit - blackberry and black raspberry. Notes of herbs and spice in the mix. Lush texture.

A chardonnay-lover's chardonnay with lovely notes of apple, pear and crème brulee. Lush texture. Lingering finish.

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

This wine has an enticing, crisp acidity that buoys it. The sauvignon blanc has tropical notes, with a touch of tangerine. Tasty.

This has an intense but elegant black cherry nose and flavors with appealing spicy and vanilla notes. It's great by itself or with salmon, chicken, pork or cheeses. The wine is very drinkable and enjoyable.

Fleshy cherry and dark spice with a long, naughty finish. Medium-bodied and satin smooth like lingerie. A supple, smooth red wine with cherry-berry mouth-filling wonder and flavours. Just enough oak for hedonists. Layered yet not heavy. A consistently great producer of classic Californian pinot noir year after year. Love this silky Pinot Noir! It seems to get better every year. Beautiful cherries and field raspberry notes roll in first, then there's fresh earth aromas after a spring rain followed by some baking spices and a long finish. This pinot has been one of my favourites for years. Satin seduction in a glass.

Making great zinfandel requires winemakers to be dauntless. For true ripeness the fruit has to linger on the vine, but winemakers know the rains are coming so every day they delay the pick is a test of their resolve. Winemaster Randy Ullom and winemaker Fritz Meier are the steadfast duo behind our wine-of-the-week winner – the Kendall-Jackson, 2012 Vintner’s Reserve, Mendocino County Zinfandel at $17. This zin is layered with notes of blackberry, raspberry, and spice. It has an interesting underpinning of cedar and cracked black pepper, which makes it edgy.

Our Wine of the Week, Kendall-Jackson 2012 Vintner’s Reserve Mendocino County Zinfandel ($17), is big, bold and spicy, with layers of dark berry flavors woven through with sweet spices and accented by a toasty richness. The alcohol, 14.5 percent, is lower than a lot of contemporary California zinfandels, a quality that allows the flavors of the grape to fully emerge. If you’re used to high-alcohol zins, this one might seem a tad edgy, as high alcohol cushions the palate, dulling other flavors. Lovers of this varietal will call it feisty, a confident wine in touch with itself, you could say.

The 2005 vintage was exceptional in Bordeaux, and, indeed, throughout France. The weather was perfect throughout the growing season. The right amount of sun and the right amount of rain at the right time brought the grapes to perfect maturity. Harvest occurred under sunny dry conditions so the grapes came to the winery in ideal condition. Château Lassègue, recently acquired by California's Jess Jackson group, decided to hold back this wine, their top of the line bottling, until they felt it was ready, which explains why it's their current release. Very aromatic -- the aromas fill the room when you pull the cork -- it shows the beauty of Bordeaux. The superb balanced combination of ripe fruit flavors offset by herbaceous earthy notes delights the palate. A lovely subtle bitterness in the mouth-watering finish cries for food. Glossy, but firm tannins, allow you to drink it now with simply grilled lamb chops -- a simple preparation allows the complexity and glory of this wine to shine. As enjoyable as it is now, it still has plenty of evolution to go, so there's no rush. Save some space in your cellar for this graceful wine.

The cool coastal climate of Monterey seems a natural place to grow Pinot Gris. Persistent ocean winds are funneled down a 90-mile long valley between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan Mountains. Fog penetrates the northern part of the valley, where Pinot Gris is planted. This crisp and refreshing Pinot Gris shows aromas of lemon zest and Asian pear with notes of mineral and stone fruits. The palate adds flavors of melon and kumquat on a long and generous finish.

Very deep, glass-staining, purple/red/black colour. Smoky spice and earth aromas, some humus and oak notes, the palate full-bodied, quite drying and savoury with lashings of tannin. It's strong on both tannin and oak, as well as rich fruit and needs a bit of time. The whole-bunch component doesn't unbalance the wine.

Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of rich black cherries, cassis, and blueberries. In the mouth black cherry, cassis, and blueberry flavors have a slight herbal note as they are wrapped in powdery, fine grained tannins. Good acidity and length.

Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black cherry and tobacco, with cassis and cola overtones. In the mouth powdery, chalky tannins wrap around a core of black cherry and tobacco tinged with earthy savoriness. Good acidity and length.

Liquid velvet! Black cherry seduction with mouth-watering yearning for more. Please! Complex with layered of dark berries that intermingle with a judicious use of oak. Cherry and raspberry jam on the midpalate: rich and delicious. Drink now or save for a few years: you have the luxury of that choice with this wine. Pair with holiday turkey. The grapes for this full-bodied red wine are grown in Sonoma's Russian River Valley appellation. Highly recommended.

Butterscotch and baked bread on the nose of this inviting, robust Californian Chardonnay. The palate of this rich white wine opens up with green apple and melon. Full-bodied, generous and delicious! Pair this with roast chicken.

Typical of good Cabernet Sauvignon from mountain vineyards, this wine is tight and firm, with flavors that make one think of wild berries, herbal underbrush and stony terrain. The grapes grow at altitudes ranging from 400 to 2,400 feet, which helps explain Stonestreet Cabernet’s mouthwatering concentration, savory tannins and palate pleasing long finish.

This solid, no nonsense Pinot from Byron is nicely structured, with good weight and mouthfeel, pleasing red-fruit aromas, and a spice note that is attractive and inviting. A steal at the price.

With its noble expression, the 2012 Lassègue shows a beautiful palate of hillside Merlot with spicy oak notes from the Cabernets. A brilliant finish.

This powerful 2011 shows meaty and smoky notes. With a fresh entrance, this wine delivers a fruity and chalky expression with present but civilized tannins. Well integrated oak.

Rich on the nose, black fruit, fine oak, full, juicy, tight tannins, very good potential, a lot of depth, long.