A nice measure of ripe and well-formed cherryish fruit takes the lead in this mildly herbal and carefully oaked middleweight.

Herbaceous, with basil and oregano atop a tart cherry base. Crisp.

fruit scents emerge out of the tar-black tannins of this wine, their bitter edge balanced by a floral aspect, like jasmine tea.

A pleasant quaff, with easygoing flavors of ripe cherry, sweet toasty oak and spice. Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignane.

Their inexpensive 42,000-case cuvée of 2012 Proprietary Red Avant is dominated by 60.4% Merlot, and the rest decreasing percentages of Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and miscellaneous grapes. Little new oak is used, about 11% total. The wine has a deep ruby/plum color, lots of sweet black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, dusty soil undertones, and a bit of pepper and spice. Ripe, medium-bodied, exuberant and fruity, it can be enjoyed over the next 1-2 years.

The 2007 Vintner's Reserve Summation Proprietary Red is a blend of 46% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot, all from estate vineyards. Soft and spicy with briery mountain fruit, licorice, herb, red and black fruit characteristics, this medium-bodied, lusty, soft 2008 can be drunk over the next 2-3 years. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines. Any offering from Kendall-Jackson bearing the Vintner's Reserve designation will offer much more quality than its humble price suggests.

The first release in Canada of the Meritage comes with bits of olive, Band-Aid, spicy, earthy, tobacco, cassis and a slightly leafy, resin nose. Round, dry, slightly tight and hollow, with light tannins and some alcohol. Smoky, spicy, cassis, peppery, chocolate, resin, black olive flavours, with a bit of tobacco and coriander on the finish...

I did like the 2004 Vintner's Reserve Meritage, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. The wine exhibits medium body and good black cherry fruit intermixed with some cedar and loamy, earthy notes. The wine is soft, medium-bodied, and a stylish Californian take on a good Bordeaux. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Firm and and concentrated, with wild berry, violet, blackberry and plum flavors. Cedary overtones and solid tannins extend through a vibrant, lingering finish.

Ripe black cherry fruit is matched in intensity by mineral, loamy notes in the nose and flavors of this somewhat gruff Cabernet, and while the fruit holds up well against the pushy tannins, it is a bit dried out by the astringency of the finish. The wine might need a decade of patient cellaring to age out, but we suggest drinking it up in half that time rather than risking that is fruit begin to drop out.

Dark red. Aromas of red currant, cedar, menthol, tar and tobacco leaf, with a faint weedy quality. Juicy and fruity, with good flavor intensity but a slight greenness. On the lean side, with somewhat drying tannins. A good effort for the vintage.

Saturated dark red-purple hue. Brooding black-fruit, toasted-oak aromas. A tough entry leads to a full-bodied palate with well-extracted fruit flavors and whopping, chewy, drying tannins that grip the finish.

Firm texture and pretty fruit flavors promise much in this well-modulated wine, which echoes its plum and black cherry flavors enticingly on the chewy finish.

A bit more aged than its mates and delivering more of aged cedary patina from the outset along with a whiff of burnt walnuts, this wine has arrived at its peak and will now begin to dry out over the next four to eight years. It is oaky, briary and oriented to black cherries in its remaining fruit, and it possesses still a fair bit of sturdy structure, but its filling is drifting off and the best course would be to drink it up soon. One star and $24 when first reviewed.

Crisp, with firm tannins and just enough spicy currant and berry flavor to give it the depth and complexity you might hope for at this price.

Rich purple ruby. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted and oaked. Leather, currants, black cherries. This dense, chewy red features deep fruit meshed with a rather rich oak component. Finishes long. An attractive wine for drinking now or holding.

Dark, rich, chocolaty and still firmly tannic, with ripe cherry, herb and dusty cedar notes, touches of mineral and metallic flavors.

Woody in cedar, pencil shavings and toasted oak, this is a straightforward, full-bodied red, big in tannin weight and breadth that delivers big bold flavor and integrated oak.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner's Reserve is blended of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Merlot, aged ten months in 6% new French and 4% new American oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it has an enticing nose of warm cassis, cloves, dried herbs and cedar chest. Medium-bodied with plenty of crunchy black fruits and a chewy texture, it has a refreshing line carrying of the spicy finish.

The deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve has fragrant earth and violets hints over a blackcurrant and blackberry core with touches of toast and coffee beans. Firmly textured and with plenty of freshness on the medium-bodied palate, it has a good core of black fruits and an herbal lift on the finish.

A star (especially given the fact that there are 165,682 cases) is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Vintner’s Reserve. Made up of 89.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec, all hailing from Sonoma, this is a deep ruby/purple-tinged wine with rich tobacco leaf, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with a touch of wood spice and barbecue notes. It is medium-bodied, soft and ideal for drinking over the next 5-6 years.

The tannins are assertive and dominant, with a savory tobacco leaf presence amid dried berry and anise flavors. A cedary oak note weighs in.