This well-balanced white wine is an imaginative blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon, Roussanne, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Muscat Canelli drawn from vineyards around California. It comes to the palate as a very fruity wine, but leaves with a dry impression. It offers vibrant flavors of grapefruit, lime, pear, kiwi, honey and white pepper. It's immediately appealing, but with some complexity too.

Alexander Mountain Estate, Sonoma County: youthful, closed and tannic with hints of cassis, mint and herbs; should age into an impressive wine.

The pronounced minerality gives it a wonderful feel in the mouth. You won't taste that overt grassiness the grape is known for, but you will taste the expected notes of citrus and spice. There's a bit of sauvignon musqué in the blend, which adds nuance.

A creamy chardonnay with aromas and flavors of pear, melon, vanilla, toast and spice. Has a lush texture. Nice length.

...black cherries and milk chocolate, very rich and smooth, with soft tannins.

Crisp and dry, with flavors of melons and citrus.

Light and crisp, with flavors of limes and minerals.

...Stonestreet is producing wine every bit as good. Every one of its reserve wines will wake up the palate with exciting concentration, dense fruit flavors and great complexity. This is a stunning wine.

Kendall-Jackson is to be applauded for producing a wine of this quiet character at such an attractive price. It's not one of those muscular, in-your-face California reds, but rather a subtle blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and other. It's medium-bodied, flavorful, well rounded and delicious, with an elegance that is uncommon at below $15. The tannins are well integrated and supple, allowing the predominantly red-fruited character of the wine to shine. Is it a wine for the ages? No. Is it a wine for tonight? Most definitely.

A complex chardonnay. It has a creamy texture but its crisp acidity balances it out nicely. Notes of apple, pear, melon and toast. Rich finish.

A nice cooler climate chardonnay that delivers a well balanced and food-friendly experience. Nice apple and pear fruit with a hint of spice and vanilla. Medium bodied and elegant.

Deeply colored. Nicely scented with aromas of black raspberry tart, black cherries, smoky oak and rose petals. Sweet and rich with a powerful core of dark red stone fruits and berries and underpinnings of earth, anise and grilled meat. The tannins are supple and the wine’s richness and velvety mouthfeel courtesy of the alcohol will find fans.

Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County often has a dried plum or black currant note, perfect with these earthy, deeply flavored steaks.

A rich, honeyed dessert wine with notes of nectarine, pear, apricot and spice. Has great intensity. Lingering finish.

Medium-deep ruby color; ripe, plum and cherry aromas with herb and clove notes; rich, deep, ripe plum and cherry flavors; deep clove and herbal notes; silky texture, some toasty oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, silky and full of interesting flavors in this Pinot—needs some air to open up.

With a medium body and supple tannins, this Merlot delivers a heady amalgam of plums, cherries, cassis, vanilla, a touch of licorice, hints of cloves and other spices. The wine embodies everything that terrific Merlot can offer, including power, grace and complexity.

Smooth and silky with ripe cherry and lovely notes of earth and spice; racy acidity, clean and balanced with a long, lush finish.

Smooth and bright with juicy citrus and suave, oak-influenced flavors; long, balanced and lively with depth, finesse and excellent length; year after year a remarkable achievement.

Sporting lots and lots of keenly defined fruit and winning the nod for very fine balance, this solid, firmly structured young Zin is redolent of ripe berries, sweet oak and shows a nice touch of accenting oak. While it is just tannic enough to commend a few years of keeping, and that is what we recommend, it is never so stern or astringent as to prevent earlier enjoyment with juicy cuts of roasted pork.

Big, broad and gutsy with a wealth of very ripe, well-extracted, dark-berry fruit, this powerful wine is at once fairly thick on the palate and comes with a fair streak of finishing heat. That said, it is so rich that it manages to make the style work, but it carries the warning that it will in all likelihood overwhelm all but the most flavorful foods.

This bright white gold colored Viognier opens with a mild ripe Bartlett pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, and easy going. The flavor profile is a blend of mild Anjou pear and gentle apricot with just a touch of oak. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This wine is food friendly and it would pair well with wild mushroom and chicken ravioli in a thick cream sauce. Enjoy.

Pinot Noir, mourvedre and grenache join the syrah in this motley but juicy blend from three California counties. Earthy, ripe black berry grapes and soft mouthfeel.

Another blockbuster, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder, which has the largest production, exhibits a deep blue/purple color along with notes of burning embers, charcoal, sweet black currant liqueur, licorice and scorched earth. It possesses fabulous fruit along with full-bodied power, a voluptuous texture and beautiful density as well as richness. It is not far off the quality of the brilliant 2007. One of the stars in Jess Jackson's Artisans and Estates portfolio, Lokoya focuses on high elevation mountain vineyards in four separate Napa appellations. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has been the force behind these wines for many years.

Over 1,000 cases of the 2008 Cardinale were made from a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot. Interestingly, the To-Kalon portion is the only fruit source located on the valley floor, which is not surprising give Jess Jackson's propensity to buy, plant and source fruit from high elevation hillside and mountain sites. The 2008 exhibits a dense purple color along with sweet kirsch, unsmoked cigar tobacco, toasty oak and black currant characteristics. The wine hits the palate with a resounding opulence, full-bodied richness, moderate, sweet, well-integrated tannins and a long, heady finish. There is a floral component in the 2008 that was not noticeable in the 2007. This beautiful, full-bodied wine was aged 21 months in 100% new French oak. Slightly more evolved than the 2007, the 2008 should last for 20-25+ years. Here is a case where the 2008 is slightly superior to the 2007 (rated 94). From Jess Jackson's viticultural empire, this wine, made by Chris Carpenter, is essentially a selection of some of the best lots of grapes from six separate Napa Valley regions, including Veeder Peak, Keyes Vineyard on Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, the To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville and the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard.

Another stunning effort, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain comes from Jess Jackson's well-known Keyes Vineyard high on Howell Mountain. Like all of these wines, it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It offers stunning notes of crushed rocks, boysenberries, blueberries, black raspberries, black currants, graphite and a hint of toasty oak as well as a sensationally concentrated mid-palate finish. Forget it for 3-5 years and drink it over the following three decades. One of the stars in Jess Jackson's Artisans and Estates portfolio, Lokoya focuses on high elevation mountain vineyards in four separate Napa appellations. Winemaker Chris Carpenter has been the force behind these wines for many years.