Better than the Vintner Reserve effort, displaying more chocolate, mocha, and berry fruit, medium body, and a straightforward finish that possesses good power and depth.

An easy drinking dinner wine, dry and balanced, with smooth tannins and plum, blackberry and coffee flavors. Has a rich blue-berry muffin taste on the finish.

Dark red. Plum, currant, tobacco, smoke and game on the nose, plus a light fertility. Juicy and vinous, with brisk flavors of tart berries and herbs.

Doesn't quite give you the goods you might expect from a grand reserve status wine, but it's well-balanced, showcasing dusty currant, mineral, cedar and spice, finishing with mild tannins and moderate depth.

Firmly tannic, with artichoke, green bean, plum and currant tones underscored by plenty of toasty oak and dry tannin on the finish.

A simple, ripe style of cabernet, this wine is filled with soft, juicy red fruit. It's balanced by a touch of oak, which shows up as a pleasant, bitter chocolate tone in the finish. Finely blended and easy to drink.

Medium red. Cassis, vanilla and toast on the nose; suggestion of hard candy. Similar flavors in the mouth; shows some slightly edgy acids yet seems rather undifferentiated. The tannins are even but slightly dry.

.a fine initial palate impression, but it shortens out in the mouth to reveal barely above average flavor concentration, and a spicy, slightly woody finish.

Supple and harmonious, with a range of cherry, herb and olive flavors that linger. Drinks well now.

Supple and harmonious, with a range of cherry, herb and olive flavors that linger. Drinks well now.

A straightforward, curranty-flavored wine with medium body, good purity, and a soft texture. It is the type of Cabernet Sauvignon that restaurants love to serve by the glass as it is faithful to a varietal and offers suppleness and value.

A textbook example of the type.

This is just the sort of Cabernet Franc you would experience in Bordeaux --a soft gracious yet fully flavored evocation of the cabernet family.

This medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend combines ripe red fruit with black pepper and eucalyptus. Well-balanced tannins with a touch of cedar.

Mint, cedar and leathery nuances swirl around expansive, sweet, berry-jam fruit. Hints of chocolate. Spicy finish. Big, generous, well-balanced wine.

Lightly herbal and modestly fruited with a quick glimpse of sweet oak to the side of its mild hints of cherries, this slightly supple, cleanly made middleweight is both a bit lean and a bit tannic...

Hang on to this for a while. The fruit is good suggesting blackberries and coffee.

Full ruby red with light purple highlights. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly tannic. Red fruits, earth, vanilla. Nice crisp fruit flavors on entry give way to some dry tannins through the finish. Soundly balanced and drinking well now.

Deep dark red appearance. Moderately full-bodied. Moderately extracted. Moderately tannic. Plums, black fruit, tea. Dark fruit aromas. Fleshy flavors and texture on the palate with some dry tannins coming through strongly on the finish. Quite structured, this should cellar for a year or two.

Cherries, pepper, cedar. Very complex with lush cherry fruit dominate over peppery spice.

Supple. Offers gobs of spicy, ripe, tasty, berry fruit, medium body, light tannin, and a fleshy, vibrant finish. A well-made, juicy Zinfandel for drinking over the next 2-3 years.

This inexpensive effort may not compete with its pricier cousins when it comes to depth and potency, but it is decently focused on Zinfandel berries, it is supple in feel and it does not run afoul of bothersome heat. It is in all ways a tasty and functional table wine that goes down easily with food, and its slight lack of drama is small considering its inviting and oft-discounted price.

Easy drinking and balanced, this food-friendly Zin has pleasant cherry and berry flavors and a hint of peppery spice in the finish. It's nice and dry, with a polished mouthfeel.