Big and rich and smooth, with aromas and flavors of black raspberries and bittersweet chocolate.

Wines of the Week Winemaker Kristy Melton crafted this inaugural vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from Fortress Winery in Sonoma County. The wine was 33% barrel fermented in French oak with the balance in stainless steel. Look for elegant aromas of orchard blossom and white flowers mingling with lemony citrus and peach. The palate is crisp and medium bodied for food pairing or casual sipping.

What happens when a pinot noir guy gets his hands on some syrah? Well, just like with the pinots, you get elegance, purity and balance but not without ignoring the great intensity of cool-climate syrah. It's not like Mr. Brewer was a syrah novice: He made several excellent renditions when he was at Melville. Raspberry, dark plum, smoked meat, candied violets and some welcome florals on the nose. Dark fruit complexity on the palate with plenty of savory influences. Very supple, accessible and easy to drink, this bottle will disappear from your table in record time.

Wine+Food pairing recommendation

The American Syrah Report Greg Brewer is known for his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but he also makes some great Syrah. His ’16 is delicious with lots of character. It’s full-bodied and vivacious, with dark fruits, violets, and cassis. The finish is strong with black pepper and chocolate notes.

Complex flavor profile, with nice, bright cherry fruit. Notes of leather, toasty oak and smoky bacon. Good length.

Controversial. Some said it has sexy aromas with juicy plum on the palate. Others thought it hot and over-ripe

Rich, fruity aroma; smooth and medium-bodied with herbal and chocolate flavors.

Shows sweet pinot fruit…inviting cherry fruit and a touch of earthy underbrush…

shows overt & inviting red fruit aromas immediately upon opening & its cherry fruit flavors, with just a trace of underbrush for complexity, are light but not simple, balanced but not big.

…pretty cherry and strawberry flavors with good acid levels and a velvety texture.

A good example of California Pinot Noirs, Edmeades' effort displayed rich, ripe black cherry flavors that could have been cloying if not for the solid backbone. It also showed undercurrents of smoke and licorice.

Relatively ripe in scent with a wee bit of jammy sweetness creeping into its highly oaked, cherry-like aromas, and the impressions of ripeness and rich oak figure prominently in this wine's open and fairly forward flavors.

To put it in technical winemaking terms, this Mendocino County product is one big mutha - big fruit, big oak, powerful sweet spices in the nose and mouth and a very long, lingering finish.

So robust that it's almost over the top. Full-bodied style, a bit hot from alcohol, with plenty of smoky oak. Tart black cherry aromas, flavors.

Ripe and rich with black cherry aromas and flavors. The fruit is succulent, the alcohol is noticeable but it comes together in the end.

From its very dark color to its dense, tannin-laced flavors, this impresses as a bigger, sturdier, tougher wine than Pinot Noir is wont to be. Its very rich, very ripe aromas are long on sweet oak, but, like the ensuing flavors, they are less than fruity in their basic mien. Fairly full in body, moderately astringent and eminently suited to service with heavier meat dishes, this brawny youngster demands at least a few years of quiet cellar time.

(Recent Wine of the Week Winners that make a good gift). Tangy fruit flavors of dark cherry and plum. A hint of pepper. Subdued, yet rich. Integrated tannins.

An elegant pinot, with tangy fruit flavors of dark cherry and plum. A hint of pepper. This pinot is subdued, yet rich. Integrated tannins. Clean and balanced.

We have been an avid follower of this Anderson Valley producer's zinfandel, so we are delighted to discover another reason to buy this label - pinot noir. Grown in a cold climate, pinot noir can offer some dense, serious wines. That's what you have here - good complexity, forward raspberry fruit and a nice earthy note. The zinfandel remains good wine, too.

...Opulent and smooth.

A muscular Syrah that's balanced and delicious. Notes of black plum, licorice, cassis and coffee.

…boasts a brawny, full-throttle character reflective of its rugged origins..

an underrated varietal that's making a comeback.

.a superior petite sirah, try 1995 Edmeades Eagle Point Petite Sirah, with an aroma of chocolate, anise, pepper and clove, and a full, thick taste that's plenty tannic, but which smooths out with hearty foods. With pizza, the match is sublime.