It's not often that I recommend a wine that naturally reaches an alcohol level of 15.4% but I love this one, made from California's signature grape variety (albeit with roots far, far away) and vines that are well over 50 years old according to the back label. Mendocino was first planted with vines by Italian immigrants who simply wanted wine to drink and had no truck with fancy irrigation systems. This wine, the most basic from the Edmeades stable, is presumably a blend from the many different old vineyards from which the company produces vineyard-designated Zinfandels. Contained, dry nose. Nothing about this wine flaunts its alcohol. Well structured and very Zinfandel. Not exactly an iron hand in a velvet glove; more velvety richness inside an iron corset - and none the worse for it. Serious wine and quite a bargain for a Californian. Impressive! GV (for good value)

Deep red/purple, bright - very good colour. Fresh, simple, herbal grapy aromas with some banana esters and simplicity. Some dark and red fruits also. Palate is medium-bodied and well laced with drying tannins, but quite good weight as well. A tad angular.

Call me a throwback, but I still prefer these big zins that are so oafish to those afflicted with sensitive Euro-palates. At least when, as with this well-crafted wine from Edmeades, a high alcohol level (15.5 percent) is concealed behind gobs of fruit. This full-bodied red boasts intense flavors of blackberry, cassis and chocolate that combine to give it a Porto-like character without the sweetness. Somehow it manages to be burly and smooth at the same time. Serve it with food with the muscle to wrestle with it.

Terrifically juicy, with energetic plum and licorice flavors and sweet vanilla oak.

Cardinale creates only a single wine in vintage from fruit grown in Oakville's famous To Kalon, Mount Veeder's Veeder Peak, and Howell Mountain's Keyes vineyards. Each of these unique terroirs contributes the threads of flavor and aroma in Cardinale's singular tapestry of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Harmoniously balanced, this vintage presents velvety layers and layers of mocha java and blackberry.

Dark ruby. Dark berries, olive and black pepper on the nose and palate. Firm and tangy, with good clarity and a late note of candied licorice that carries through the finish. Easygoing and ready to drink.

Bright gold. Ripe pear and pineapple aromas are complicated by notes of beeswax and toasted grain. Smooth and fleshy, with broad tropical fruit flavors and a touch of bitter citrus pith. Finishes on a slightly warm note, with lingering spiciness and a touch of anise.

Delicious ripe raspberry flavors are accented by a touch of peppermint.

Zippy acidity lifts toasty oak, chocolate and black-fruit flavors.

Interesting nose of mint sauce, blackcurrant, spice, blueberry, pepper and oak. Lots of fruit offset by good acidity, cinnamon and clove spice with a hint of vanilla.

Developed fresh nose of spice, herb, red plum, oak, coffee, coconut, red and black fruit. Rich, earthy, complex and flashy - a fine combination. A very enticing wine with supple, ripe tannins. Lovely palate.

There's great acidic verve in this Pinot, which gives lift to bright cherry, raspberry and earth flavors.

This wild strawberry-infused red shows an appealing liveliness compared with most California Pinot Noirs.

Small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and others add to this red's complexity.

Straightforward citrus flavors are rich yet focused in this tasty KJ white.

Bright colour: convincingly avoids oily extraction on the one extreme and bland anonymity on the other; there are nuances of apricot/apricot kernel and a squeeze of citrus on the fresh palate. It won't be a struggle to find a food match.

Deep, bright red. Redcurrant, cherry-vanilla and spices on the fragrant nose. Lively and precise, with very good energy to its sweet red fruit and spicecake flavors. Vanilla and smoky oak spices linger on the long, focused, seamless finish.

Bright ruby. Intense violet and licorice-tinged black raspberry and cherry aromas expand with air, picking up a sexy note of oak spices. Palate-coating cherry-cola and dark berry flavors show very good intensity and power but come off as quite elegant. Finishes long, spicy and fresh, with a lingering note of candied licorice.

Very ripe and skirting the edges of dried cherries in character, the wine never loses the needed vitality to be attractive, and its hints of dark chocolate and caramel add to its charms whereas they might have otherwise pushed it over the top. Full in body, fleshy in feel on the palate and slightly hot to finish, this wine is not for the faint of heart, but so too is it still Merlot at its heart and in its uses with food.

This wine wobbles along the line between superripe and overripe, at times seeming a bit raisiny, at others seeming just right. It's full-bodied, soft and expansive, with a lush, long finish, but drink it over the next few years.

Gleaning light green-gold, the variety speaks more of texture and structure than any particular flavour; a faintly flowery/blossom/nutty bouquet, then a distinctive minerally palate, although the nutty characters linger.

Add La Jota to the ranks of those producing ageworthy Merlot. This wine, for all of its dense and suggested fruitiness, reveals itself in layers as its tannins and bright acidity get peeled away. Our impressions are less about a long list of adjectives, although we certainly find ripe cherries, sweet soil influences and creamy oak, and more about textures and continuity and the sense that the wine builds and builds towards the finish.

Everything about this wine is substantial, including the hefty bottle, the full, voluptuous body, and the generous mouth-filling flavors. It seduces one's taste buds with a wallop of lemon and orange zest plus robust toasty, buttery elements. A clean, lingering finish keeps everything in balance.

A good value in a wine this rich and complex. It's very full-bodied and dry, with immensely deep blackberry, currant, black pepper, roasted meat, smoke and spice flavors that linger long on the finish.