Recommended

Recommended

Intense, well-defined and well-ripened blackberry fruit stays one step ahead of the pushy oak sweetness that appears everywhere here, and, if never an especially spicy wine, it is laced with just enough pepper to say Syrah. It starts out juicy and plush on the palate before firming up...we like the wine and recommend it as one to cellar for a couple of years...

Recommended

The coastal counties northwest of San Francisco Bay can produce some of the most balanced and flavorful Sauvignon Blanc in the Golden State. Kendall-Jackson's Grand Reserve offers a nose of grassy hay, fig, gooseberry and citrus, with notes of sweet pear and vanilla. Bright citrus and herb flavors refresh the palate for the next delectable oyster.

This is a notably more complex aromatically with a deeper and broader mix of scents that are primarily ripe pinot in character though spice and earth hints add nuance before complementing the rich, round and more concentrated as well as firmer medium-bodied flavors that possess good intensity on the slightly tangy but persistent finish. There is a touch of backend warmth but it's relatively subtle.

The 2006 vintage is a harvest of black cherry, licorice, smoke, and mineral.

Earthy, ripe California Syrah: 2006 Cambria Tepusquet Vineyard. Paired with Asian-Spiced Pork Shoulder.

A lovely red from California's Sonoma Valley with a peppery, mushroom nose and a mouth-filing cherry and plum flavor.

A tangy cabernet sauvignon with good acid and nice focus. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry and spice. Good length.

Top Pick - A creamy chardonnay with high-toned fruit. Aromas of flavors of apple, pear, mineral and spice. The chardonnay has notes of creme brulee and hint of butterscotch, but it also has a good underpinning of acid to give it balance. Pairing - Maine Lobster Salad

This Sonoma Chardonnay is crisp and focused - perfect with the tangy summer-squash pizza that was roasted in the clay oven.

A portion of this wine was barrel fermented and lends a spicy and creamy-vanilla complexity to accent the citrus, floral perfume and grassy baseline of both nose and palate. Sauteed mussels and Manila clams were a superb match, through the wine dominated the subtle half-shell kumamotos.

Its mineral nose has almost a charred character that gives way to an elixir of mountain berries and dark-roasted coffee. The finish is best described as a sustained and captivating crescendo.

Fruit from La Jota's estate vineyards on Napa's Howell Mountain makes this Cabernet Franc powerful and luscious. The wine's spicy edge is delicious with a juicy cut of meat like the clay-oven-roasted pork with herbs and garlic.

Here the nose offers up the typical herbal component from this cool growing area though it's quite subtle and certainly does not dominate the otherwise very pretty, fresh and elegant red pinot fruit aromas that give way to nicely detailed and pure medium-bodied flavors that possess good energy and punch on the relatively linear flavors that culminate in a finish where a trace of warmth manifests itself. This is actually quite pretty and very pinot and will best please those who are willing to sacrifice a bit of ripeness to have solid balance. I like this as the fruit is cool yet there is no astringency.

A very pretty nose of red raspberry, cherry, plum and violet notes that even have a hint of cranberry that carries over to delicious, fresh and lively middle weight flavors that do exhibit noticeable if not really intrusive warmth. This is attractive with good if not perfect balance.

A fresh and relatively high-toned nose of raspberry and cranberry with a hint of crushed herb leads to delicious, fresh and vibrant light to middle weight flavors that possess good balance and fine length if somewhat limited depth. Still, for the SRP, this offers fine value and is worth a look in that context as there is no obvious warmth and the balance is better than any number of more expensive offerings.

This Chardonnay is white-winemaking at its most opulent. The subtle sweetness of honeysuckle greets the nose, as do aromas of candied lemon, lychee, and beeswax. The crisp, lush palate saturates the taste buds with white-peach, ripe-peat, lemon and lime flavors that arise from the wine's dense nectarlike depths, which gradually make way for a finish of green tea and spearmint.

With a pretty color of shining ruby, this Pinot has flamboyant flavors of ripe red cherries, red plums, red currants and dusty spices, with an edge of mocha and sandalwood. Just beautiful. Now through 2013.

Beautiful. With crisp, tart coastal acidity, it offers lush waves of black cherries, anise, Asian spices and smoky vanilla, in a silky, elegant mouthfeel. Great value for the quality.

A gorgeous, flamboyant Chardonnay, with a rich, creamy mouthfeel and opulent flavors of peaches, orange popsicle, candied orange peel, buttered toast and cinnamon, brightened with crisp acidity. A real crowd-pleaser.

Made in an accessible, pleasing fashion, with sweet, smoky oak framing ripe flavors of pineapples, pears and honey.

There's a fineness to the raspberry and fraises des bois flavor in this wine, with the crisp impression of fruit just coming into ripeness. The aroma is floral and tight, the finish showing more oak than fruit at the moment, needing a year in bottle to come into balance.

This wine has a pan grille scent from oak aging, and a silky butter-and-sugar corn freshness. It's supple and round, focused mainly on textured pleasure. A smoky chardonnay for grilled lobster.