Here's a nice alternative to Cabernet in a full-bodied red wine at this price range. It's completely friendly, from the first taste of cherries and chocolate to the softly gentle texture and all the way through the pleasingly spicy finish.

This tight, black syrah is thick and spicy, with blueberry flavors that drape over the tannins.

...displays a dark ruby color, a spicy, oak-dominated, berry-scented nose, ripe, medium-bodied flavors, and is overall a good, straightforward, competent effort. It should last for 2-3 years.

"Pleasant enough, with ripe sherry, smoky oak and cedar notes, but it tastes tightly wound and finishes with crisp, firm tannins." (Also appeared 6/30/97).

Deep crimson red color. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted, oaked and tannic. Dried cherries, prune, brown spice. Big spicy nose. Rich baked fruity flavors give way to dry tannins through the finish.

Creamy oak and a hint of cinnamon-like spice overlie lesser themes of red plums and cherries in the mid-density aromas of this correct, but never compelling Merlot...

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...