An utterly perfect wine that exemplifies this extraordinary vintage for North Coast Bordeaux varietals is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder, which comes from the Jackson family's Veeder Peak Vineyard. Unfortunately, slightly less than 300 cases were produced, so availability is limited. A dense opaque blue/purple color is followed by notes of lead pencil shavings, ink, blueberry liqueur, raspberries and black currants. The wine is super intense as well as extremely full-bodied and opulent with great structure, purity and density. (I know this sounds weird, but when I smelled and tasted it, it reminded me of the 2010 La Mission Haut Brion that I had tasted a month earlier, no doubt because of its volcanic/hot rock-like character.) This phenomenal wine is a modern day legend from Napa. Still a youngster in terms of its development, it should hit its peak in another 5-6 years and keep for 30+. Winemaker Chris Carpenter, who has worked for the late Jess Jackson for many years, hit pay dirt at Lokoya in nearly every vintage. Certainly these 2001s have aged magnificently over the last decade. These 100% Cabernet Sauvignons are aged for 18-22 months in 100% new French oak and are bottled with no fining or filtration.

Another great showing for a wine from this vintage, the 2004 La Joie is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The majority of the fruit came from the Alexander Mountain Estate, followed by Knight's Valley, Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill. Full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, it is richer than either the 2003 and 2001, and comes closer to the 2002's personality. Sweet notes of caramels, espresso roast, forest floor, camphor, plums, chocolate and blackberries emerge from this full-bodied, unctuously textured, chewy, fleshy 2004. It requires another 3-5 years of bottle age and should keep for three decades or more.

A first-rate Cabernet, with deep, dark berry fruit flavors, echoes of cedar and tobacco offering secondary complexity, and just a hint of vanilla-laden sweetness from oak barrel aging, this wine offers extremely impressive depth and length. How nice to see red wines from Freemark Abbey tasting this good. A leader twenty-five years ago, this venerable Napa Valley property lost direction for awhile due to changes in ownership and management. Now part of the Jackson Family group of California wines, it seems to be running on all cylinders.

A delicious chardonnay, this wine has expressive tropical fruit and pear flavors, a creamy texture and a long finish.

K-J released the Avant 2009 Chardonnay just this year, a crisp, clean and light chardonnay for only $14, sourced from a multitude of vineyards along the California coast, the majority of them in Monterey. It's an amazing value, ideal for summer parties, tropical through and through, with tangible acidity and plenty of fruit to please a wide array of chardonnay palates.

Deep red-purple. Clean, deep aromas but shy and slightly closed. Palate is dry and savoury, full and slightly chewy in its tannins. The grip closes out the finish. Dense, slightly chewy flavour; lots of guts here but not a lot of subtlety. Big wine with oodles of flavour and character.

A great value, this California pinot grigio has simple peach and pear flavors and a hint of spice.

One our perennial favorites in this grape variety, Matanzas knows how to make sauvignon blanc. They always have crisp acidity and complexity that you don't often find in sauvignon blanc. If you want a real treat, try the Helena Bench version for $38 - loads of layered, rich fruit character and blended with 25 percent of the musque clone that adds rich dimension.

This multi-regional blend from a collection of Northern California vineyards was aged for nine months in mostly French oak barrels. It has a light cherry-red color, cherry-berry aromas with traces of pepper and dark plums, nicely textured flavors, accented with cedar...

A tropical chardonnay with bright acid. Aromas and flavors of pineapple, apricot, lemon and mineral. Lush.

Joshua Greene, our critic for California sauvignon blanc, rated 16 as exceptional (90+).

If we hadn't been tasting blind, you might call this a sentimental pick to memorialize Jess Jackson, who died recently. I loved the wine's smoky notes and bright red fruit, pegging its price at $50. Buy it: $14.99.

Bright ruby-red. Intensely perfumed bouquet of fresh red berries, cherry-cola and Asian spices. Sweet raspberry and gingerbread on the palate, with silky tannins adding shape. Gains sweetness and intensity with air, picking up black raspberry and floral character while maintaining superb clarity. This very elegant pinot is balanced to age.

Inky purple. Highly perfumed aromas of raspberry, cherry, Asian spices and potpourri, with a note of cracked pepper in the background. Juicy, precise and palate-staining, with impressively deep red fruit liqueur flavors giving way to darker fruits with air. Rich but surprisingly light on its feet, finishing with excellent clarity and persistence. These vines are reportedly 96 years old.

Glass-staining violet. Deep, floral-accented aromas of blackberry, cassis and cola, with a strong violet pastille quality and a touch of allspice adding interest. Palate-coating dark berry flavors are given spine by fresh acidity and show a seamless, velvety texture. Dense and weighty on the finish, leaving behind a sweet dark berry preserve note. I'd serve this with a strongly seasoned, grilled steak.

Opaque ruby. Explosive aromas of black and blue fruit preserves, cola, licorice and violet, plus an intense spiciness that builds with aeration. Broad, sappy and sweet, with potent blackberry and mulberry flavors lifted by tangy acidity. Ample but in no way heavy, this zinfandel finishes with strong thrust and resonating spiciness.

Inky ruby. Expansive, flamboyant bouquet evokes dark berry preserves, cola, incense and violet, with hints of smoke and fruitcake building with aeration. Lush, creamy and broad, with dense dark fruit and floral flavors enlivened by zesty spices. Very rich but almost shockingly lithe, with intense finishing spiciness and repeating florality.

This wine ups the ante a bit in terms of ripeness, richness and size, but it impresses most for its very deep and well-defined fruit. It is fairly full-bodied and wonderfully balanced with lots of flesh and nicely placed acids. Although some may find it to be a little too much of a good thing, it is in no way excessive or over the top, and, if a fine match for a savory pork roast in the nearer term, it is built for keeping and should improve for another five or six years.

Deep ruby. Sappy aromas of red currant, cherry, licorice and minerals. Sweet on entry, then pungently mineral and smoky in the mid-palate, with terrific grip and structure to its bitter cherry and red berry flavors. Finishes with youthfully gripping tannins and superb breadth and length, with the cherry note repeating.

Glass-staining ruby. Cool, complex aromas of blueberry, mulberry and dried flowers, complemented by a hint of minerality. Creamy and sweet, but with firm acidity leavening the wine's dark fruit preserve-like flavors. Wonderfully sappy and expansive zin, finishing with smooth tannins and excellent length. These vines are 93 years old, according to Don Hartford, and the wine was raised in two-thirds new oak.

Bright ruby. Aromas of blackberry, violet and licorice pastille, with a subtle meaty nuance. Juicy, minerally and penetrating but tightly coiled and on the youthful side, with medicinal red and dark fruit flavors showing a slightly bitter edge. Finishes on a note of licorice, with excellent clarity and serious grip.

From a block on the Alexander Mountain Estate at 2,200 feet, Rockfall has the pungent mineral savor of a high-elevation cabernet. There's plump and plummy fruit to smooth over all the mineral tannin, all wrapped together in tight restraint. Quiet and unyielding for now, this lasts on the flinty scent of crushed rock. For the cellar.

A strong Cabernet that's so tightly wound in tannins, it's hard to appreciate, despite plenty of fruit. There's also a green olive earthiness to the sweet blackberries and cedar. Showing its immaturity now, so give it a good six years in the cellar.

Nicely defined cherryish fruit is aligned with a bit of sweet oak and accented by a touch of milk chocolate in the inviting and moderately rich aromas here, and the wine follows suit on the palate with youthful, fairly deep flavors that are at once both juicy and bright. It is tasty now, but has room to grow and is sure to reward a few years of keeping.