A remarkable value, the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Vintner's Reserve, which is essentially 95% Sauvignon and the rest Semillon and Sauvignon Musqué. Almost all of this is fermented in stainless steel, and the wine offers the classic melony, fig, and lemon grass of Sauvignon. It is dry, medium-bodied, and aromatic.

Well-defined, mildly melony fruit, a light kiss of fresh grass and a smooth palatal feel make this easy-drinking Sauvignon a most friendly wine, and, if hardly among the more expressive of this month's contenders, it is a dyed-in-the-wool bargain and comes with a very real bonus of wide availability.

Ripe red apple, grapefruit, melon, grassy aromas. Round, fresh palate with a touch of sweetness. Grapefruit, kiwi, baked apple, green melon skin flavours with a slightly buttery finish.

Clean flavors of lychee nut balance a fresh, mineral acidity, placing this wine with Sole Veronique

Also delicious, is the even less expensive 2002 Vintner's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. A crisp, elegant, fresh white, it reveals classic notes of melons, figs and dried herbs in a light-bodied, fruit-driven style.

The dry, crisp, fresh, light-bodied 2001 Sauvignon Blanc Vintner's Reserve exhibits notions of citrus, lanolin, honey suckle and melon.

This has citrus, apricot and honey flavors brightened with crisp acidity. It turns a little sweet on the finish, but it's a lovely wine that should be versatile with a huge range of food.

Ripe and juicy, with layers of peach, pear, citrus, butter and light coconut-toasty oak flavors.

Hugely successful...a remarkable wine for the price. Notes of lemon custard, tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and citrus combine in this fruit-driven, medium-bodied, cleanly made effort. The wood influence is kept in the background for fear of compromising the wine's delicious fruit characteristics.

It is a medium to full-bodied, juicy, tropical fruit-dominated effort with nicely integrated toasty oak, decent acidity, and fine purity and balance.

The 1998 reveals high acidity, a nice lemony, creamy texture, medium body, and a clipped but satisfying finish. It should drink well for 2-3 years.

Big, with juicy fruit aromas- apple and pear predominating. Citrus and apple flavors on the medium-weight palate. Mild apple and toast on the lengthy finish, which feels a touch heavy…

…exhibiting gravelly/stony scents in the nose, and unmistakable mineraly, medium-body, and more acidity.

Hints of tropical fruits, vanillin oak, nutmeg and a vague carnal quality on the nose. Ripe peach flavor complicated by coconut oak; juicy acidity gives the wine structure and shape Finishes with a rather sweet note of orange blossom.

One of the better Vintner's Reserves of late smooth, ripe, and creamy, with complex pear, apple and spice notes that are supple and tender.

Dried fruits, resiny oak and honey on the nose, plus a faint citric quality. Oily, thick and a bit heavy, with elevated alcohol and a slight impression of residual sugar. Finishes with good length, but could use a bit more delineation and cut.

Clean and attractive, with a core of ripe peach and citrus flavors. Fans out on the finish, picking up toasty oak and spice notes.

"Features ripe, intense, concentrated flavors of pear, spice, apple and hazelnut that are pure and refreshing, if a tad on the sweet side." (Also appeared 1/31/97).

Strikes a nice balance between ripe, polished pear and hazelnut flavors with light oak shadings. Elegant and refined, it turns smooth and spicy on the finish. Ready now.

Snappy and balanced with good oak, fruit and finish; lush and round.

One heck of a generously endowed, richly textured, satisfying white wine with enough Chardonnay character to make it a top seller. If more wines like this were available, perhaps Americans would be spending more time in wine shops than in video stores.

Medium-bodied and juicy, with crushed green herb notes to the apple and white berry flavors. Crisp finish.

Flavorful, well balanced and medium bodied, this wine is easy to sip and enjoy for its ripe peach and apple flavors and mild acidity.

Sweet and spicy with a hard-to-ignore infusion of caramel, toast and cream standing out at every stop, there is no getting around the fact that this one owes much to pushy oak even if its moderately deep fruit manages to hold its own. Richness rather than sophistication is the story here, and, although the wine does get a touch tangy and hot in the late going, its ongoing richness easily prevails. GOOD VALUE.

Fruity, featuring well-balanced flavors of white fruit and spice, with buttery accents.