This dark ruby-colored wine exhibits fine ripeness, a round, plush texture, and smooth finish.

A warm and toasty style of sauvignon, filled with unctuous lemon curd and lime zest flavors bursting out of oak.

…an elegant, fresh, melon, honeyed citrus, grapefruit-scented and flavored 1998 Sauvignon Blanc. This pleasant Sauvignon will be ideal with Asian dishes as well as shellfish/seafood.

The 1995 Chardonnay is a solidly built wine with a Burgundian-like, roasted nut, buttery, leesy nose. This lavishly oaky, medium-bodied, fleshy, uncomplicated but tasty and satisfying Chardonnay should be drunk over the next year.

It offers white peach, pineapple, toasty oak, and earth characteristics.

A blend of Russian River and Carneros fruit, with just a pinch of estate fruit for seasoning, this is California as we all expect it: Pear, baked apple and citrus flavors dressed up in butter and toast. Soft and easy to drink.

The least expensive Pinot Noir is the generic 2014 Pinot Noir Russian River, and it’s also the largest production at just over 3,000 cases. It is soft and ripe, showing attractive apple skin notes intermixed with pomegranate, cherry and a hint of strawberry in a straightforward, juicy and round style with an easygoing personality. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Light ruby in color, with hints of strawberries, cherries, and rose petals, the 2014 Sonatera Vineyard comes from the Petaluma Wind Gap and is made from four different clonal selections. It is round, easygoing, relatively light-bodied and delicate. Drink it over the next several years.

Baked apple, hints of white flowers and bruised peach all emerge from the fruit-forward, textured, easy drinking 2014 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County. It's geared for near term drinking.

Winemaker Dave Ready Jr. adds a splash of Chardonnay to his Pinot Grigio and the result is a touch more body and spice to go with the citrus notes typically associated with this grape variety. The perfect summer quaffer.

An assertive and substantive wine, this has very peachy aromas, vivid and ripe peach and apple flavors, and a texture that’s energized by good acidity. It is light to medium bodied and nearly dry.

Top Ten: California A steady-Eddy brand, the Murphy-Goode opens with a friendly, inviting nose that draws you into the glass. Spicy cherry, sweet black fruit aromas and flavours mark this modern commercial red blend that has a zinfandel lead. The fruit is a 34/27/16/13/6/4/ blend of zinfandel, merlot, petit verdot, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. Ready to drink with smokies or burgers. Pricey. 86 points.

Here’s a basic red wine, full-bodied and dry, with ripe blackberry, cherry, currant and oak flavors. The blend is Merlot-dominated, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Another interesting offering as well as a reasonably good value is the 2007 All In Claret. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec from the Alexander Valley, it is an attractive wine to enjoy during its first 4-5 years of life.

Light and simple, this is a clean, juicy red with enough grape-skin tannins to keep it savory. For burgers off the grill.

From a single, high-elevation block of the Alden-Ellis Vineyard, this is somewhat muted aromatically, preferring to present itself in waves of oak and cigar box. Big tannins and weight surround a soft, approachable palate that’s ready to enjoy now.

The Murphy-Goode touch with Sauvignon Blanc is evident here, producing a plush sauvignon that shows richness and softness on the palate with notes of tropical fruit, melon and grapefruit. Easy to drink and enjoyable to the last drop.

An easy-drinking Sauvignon Blanc that's fermented in barrel and stainless steel, this has a depth of pear, tangerine and lime flavors. Creamy and rich, it will make a consistent companion to most fish dishes.

This is a light-bodied, mildly fruity wine that accents apple and pear flavors with a sprinkling of dried herbs. It's soft and dilute in terms of mouthfeel but works well as a basic white wine.

Starting out with a full flush of appley fruit on the nose and staying on track through to its finish, this unexpectedly fleshy and surprisingly well-balanced Chardonnay is not particularly complex, but it stays clear of the candied confection typical in wines of its price and is persuasively fruity every step of the way. Its varietal honesty earns it an enthusiastic vote for fine value, GOOD VALUE.

Aged in white oak barrels from Minnesota, the winemaker’s home state, this wine offers exotic honeysuckle and baked pineapple at its core, beautiful aromas that gain weight on the texture. Toasted caramel and coconut define the finish.

The 2001 Syrah exhibits deep colors, but had hard tannins, a certain austerity, and a noticeable lack of texture as well as persistence on the palate.

Full medium red. Musky aromas of roast coffee, menthol and fresh herbs. Highly aromatic but a bit foxy in the mouth, with a candied mint, chocolate, spice and herbal flavors more than primary fruits. A supple wine with modest density.

It is a straightforward, lemony, melon, and grapefruit-scented and flavored wine, with elegance, crisp acidity, and light to medium body. Drink it up, as it already seems to be drying out.

As longtime readers know, the Journey produced by Matanzas Creek is one of an increasing number of absurdly priced, good yet unexciting California wines. Of course, one can cite many examples from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and elsewhere that are overpriced, but isn't it time consumers begin saying no to wines that prey on a group of consumers with more discretionary income than taste? There are 235 six-packs of this wine, which has a dark ruby color, as well as earthy, cherry currant, and herb-tinged aromatics intermixed with toasty new oak. The wine tastes attenuated as well as austere. If my instincts are correct, it is already beginning to drop its fruit. Caveat emptor. This chunky, spicy wine is a bad value at one-third the price. Drink it over the next 4-5 years.