Youthfully exuberant, open aromas of black cherry and pomegranate; hint of earth and chalk underneath the ample fruit.

Recommended as a wine to drink while reading An Ideal Wine: One Generation's Pursuit of Perfection - and Profit - in California by David Darlington: This cabernet from its Alexander Valley holdings is...pretty hefty, but delivers its power gracefully.

Wine reviewed in May (see previous entry).

A dramatic wine, authoritative in tannins, bone dry and noble. Withholds its best under a cloak of astringency, but already shows its mountain terroir in the complexity of its structure and deep, intense blackberry, currant, blueberry and dried herb flavors. Should develop bottle complexities for at least a decade and probably longer.

Bright, spicy and sophisticated, this takes a cool, red-fruited approach to the 2008 vintage. There's shape to the wine, the tannins made supple by their time in oak, the wood lending a hint of butterscotch sweetness. The tannins become earthier with air, the wine lean enough to target roast lamb.

A refined, herb-scented cabernet, this is solidly built on earthy tannin. There's a hint of sweetness to the fruit, balancing the earthiness and setting it up for lamb stew.

This is a lovely, elegant Merlot for drinking now and over the next several years. It's dry and smooth, with dusty tannins framing cherry, red currant, herb, olive and cedar flavors.

Like several other KJ Vintner's Reserve reds we've recommended lately, this wine is simple and clean, with saturation of flavor rather than excess weight. It focuses on tart red cherry flavor, almost Bing cherry in its brightness, with a meaty density underneath - the sort of red that's easy to drink with grilled chicken. A super value.

From 50-year-old vineyards in the California hills comes an artisanal and very American wine. Rich, redolent of earth and smoke, baked plums and cassis, it has considerable intensity and structure and, despite the 15.5 per cent ABV, does not feel over-alcoholised.

With rich and lush aromas of butterscotch and caramel apples, this mouth-filling Chard has crisp apple and soft vanilla notes, with a nice bit of acidity for balance. A very pretty wine.

This red wine blend offers impressive complexity for the price and is widely distributed by K-J, which may lack in snob factor but makes quite reliable wines. The winery calls this wine a renegade because the blend includes both Bordeaux varieties and other grapes, including zinfandel, syrah and petite sirah. I'm not sure that makes it all that revolutionary - California produces lots of offbeat blends - but it's very tasty. It offers pure, penetrating black cherry, black currant and herb flavors and is smooth, balanced and ready to drink.

Good fruity nose with a hint of earth that adds a bit of complexity and interest. The flavor profile is ripe strawberry and cherries with a hint of lead pencil. Very well balanced and pleasing.

This is a very pleasant medium-bodied pinot noir with aromas and flavors of berries and cherries. Well balanced and a real crowd pleaser.

This Zin delivers what in the right hands makes the variety so appealing--bright, juicy flavor with a hint of sweet spice and a briary finish. There’s nothing very complex or remotely subtle about it. There’s instead just tons of up front fruit flavor, without excess alcohol or heat. Delicious.

This is the first and so far only vintage of this botrytized sauvignon blanc dessert wine, made in the style of a Sauternes, lush and overwhelmed by flavors and aromas of peach and honeysuckle and a touch of hazelnut.

Medium to full red to brick-red. Shows some age. Chocolate and charred-timber aromas, with sort of toffee-like notes. Palate soft and round, smooth and rich with flesh and nice balance. Bottle-age making a positive impact on the flavours. Spice/herb/sappy flavours. Ironstone minerality. Good intensity and length.

Deep red/purple, very good color. Deep, latent, spicy fruit aromas, shiraz driven perhaps. Intense, rich and lively in the mouth, full-bodied and powerful with firm, ample tannins tightening the finish. Lively acidity which jars slightly. Especially with the alcohol, it results in a hardness. Possibly adjusted.

Deepish purple/red; excellent colour. Earthy, dusty, nutty and spicy aromas, the dry spices of the warmer regions grenache. Intense flavour and tight tannins. Some lushness of sweet fruit, but with structure and spine.