Dark red. Red berry and cherry pit aromas are accented by cracked pepper and clove. Juicy and gently sweet, with a silky texture to the lively raspberry and cherry flavors. Turns spicier with air and finishes on a note of dried rose. Shows very good depth but this is also quite graceful.

Bright gold. Highly perfumed nose offers nectarine, orange pith, toasty lees, jasmine and a hint of candied ginger. Opulent but with very good energy to its lush pit fruit, citrus, herb and spice flavors. Finishes vibrant and long, with strong florality and a sneaky note of vanilla.

Yellow-gold. Musky peach pit and herbs on the nose, with complicating notes of jasmine, lees and quinine. Sappy, palate-coating citrus and pit fruit flavors pick up smokiness with air, along with a touch of fennel. A bit of a tough read right now but I like this wine's density and finishing grip.

Light yellow-gold. Ripe citrus and orchard fruits on the nose, with complicating notes of white pepper, violet and mint. Fleshy, expansive orchard and pit fruit flavors are brightened by notes of lime and lemongrass, along with a touch of anise. Refreshingly bitter on the lime-flavored, slightly warm finish.

Vivid yellow. Pungent pear and pit fruit aromas are complicated by hints of spices and herbs. Juicy and penetrating, offering bitter fruit skin and melon flavors and a late jolt of lemon zest. Finishes with good clarity and spicy persistence. This wine's mix of richness and energy will make it flexible at the table.

Yellow-gold. Pungent scents of apple, pear skin and tangerine. Fleshy and broad, with nicely concentrated fruit flavors and a deeper note of bitter peach pit. I'd have liked more vibrancy but fans of powerful, lush chardonnay will go for this.

Ripe and full-bodied, with a fleshy mouthfeel, and apple, citrus and pineapple flavors...

New oak gives a vanilla cream and buttered toast accent to this pretty wine, but the basic fruit flavors also are nice, offering varietal waves of pineapples, pears and green apples. It's a super-drinkable Chardonnay whose richness suggests elaborate fare, like shellfish.

New oak (38%) vies with green apple butter and pineapple crême brulée flavors to dominate this wine, with neither winning out, suggesting that it's balanced. It's a very pretty, creamy, slightly sweet Chardonnay, balanced with brisk acidity.

New oak dominates this pleasant Chardonnay, with buttered toast, vanilla and caramelized buttercream notes that are almost sweet, although the wine is technically dry. The underlying flavors are of pineapples, pears and green apples.

Try this as an interesting alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. Dry and crisp in acidity, the wine shows elevated flavors of citrus fruits, peaches, pears and flowers. Really cleanses the mouth with briskness.

A nice, bright and savory Sauvignon Blanc, rich in fruit but dry on the finish. Shows waves of Meyer lemon, pineapple, kiwi, honeysuckle and vanilla flavors, accented with a touch of oak. Enjoyable on its own or with little appetizers.

This is a very stylish wine. The word impeccable comes to mind. It’s balanced and soft, complex in its flavour offering and then firm/focussed through the finish. Notes of pepper spice, roasted meat, tar and raspberry. Sweet, minty, coconutty oak comes in as an afterthought. I like. A lot.

This shiraz from Yangarra has good control, but it still didn’t really grab me.
It’s very shy in the aromatics department and while there’s good, beefy flavour in the mouth it has a general dullness that makes it hard to get excited over it. Raspberry, tar, dried herbs. The mid palate is good but the finish feels (slightly) clumsy. Not bad but I far preferred the Yangarra Cadenzia of the same vintage.

A tasty zinfandel with ripe tannins and good acidity. Briary, with notes of blackberry, black cherry, herbs, spice and caramel.

As bright as the sun on sand, this is a beautifully layered wine. There are floral scents of jasmine and narcissus, savory notes of ginger and subtle hints of butterscotch to balance the finish toward sweetness. The wine has powerful length, extending its fresh fruit into lime pith and lime zest flavors. the musculature in the structure will allow for several years' development in the cellar.

A showy, rich chardonnay with notes of pear, apple, herbs and spice. Caramel finish.

Fresh, with aromas of dark fruit, earth and plenty of oak.

Though some wine pros disagree, wines above 15.5 percent alcohol can be balanced.

A monster Chardonnay, massive yet balanced. Shows fantastically ripe pineapple, golden mango, lemon chiffon pie, buttered toast, crème brûlée and cinnamon spice flavors, brightened with crisp, clean acidity. Almost a food group in itself. Reserve this for your boldest, most upscale fare, like lobster.

This is an intense, nervy Chardonnay, rich in acids and minerals that offer a tang to the palate. It's also dazzlingly rich, with complex flavors of pineapples, honeysuckle and buttered toast. Shows extraordinary concentration throughout the long, spicy finish.

The most convincing of an exceptional trio of Chardonnays from Stonestreet, the Broken Road bottling at once tightly constructed and minerally in character on the one hand and keenly focused on sweet apple fruit with wisps of nectarine for come-hither appeal and citrus for balance. Long, but still unfolding on the palate and bound to grow into better with a minimum of one to three years of bottle age, this exceptionally well-crafted effort sports bags of potential for increasing brilliance.

Ultra rich, an oily, unctuous wine offering tiers of pineapples, pears, limes and mangoes, enriched with sweet, smoky oak. Made in the super ripe California style, yet always retains a crisp, dry elegance.

This very fine Chardonnay has a stony, minerally component, like a lick of cold steel. That vibrancy leads to rich pineapple and green apple purée flavors, enriched with cinnamon spices, toasty oak and creamy lees. It's a complex, elegantly dry wine that will pick up bottle nuances over the next 2-3 years.

Quite oaky, with vanilla and caramelized meringue notes dominating, but underneath is a dry, crisp Chardonnay of enormous size. It's minerally, with a rich vein of pineapples and mangoes.