Juicy and dense, ripe and showing blackberry and racy acidity; toasty, smooth and neatly balanced.

Lots of crunchy acidity in this fresh, young wine. Thoroughly dry, and with a silky texture, it shows pleasant flavors of red cherries, raspberries, cola, orange zest, persimmons and vanilla. Very fine, and should age gracefully for six years or so.

Consistently and confidently fruity with highlights of marzipan, honey and flowers adding just a touch of range, this surprisingly deep, sugar-edged working hits the varietal mark in terms both of balance and focus, and it does so at a very noteworthy price. It will do equally capable service as either a summertime quaff or as a slightly sweet mealtime companion.

Its aromas of red cherries also suggest notes of loam and chocolate, and those enjoyable themes are repeated in comfortable flavors that seem likely to hold on for a year or two.

A tropical chardonnay that's balanced and elegant. Notes of pear, melon, apple, toast and spice. A sweet finish.

A dry wine with a tiny hint of sweetness; aromas and flavors of grapefruit, peaches and golden apples.

Nice raspberry-scented wine with berry fruit flavors and a bit of creaminess in the finish. Nor for the faint of heart.

From a steeped, sloped vineyard with 60-degrees inclines, this is a classic zin for those who love the classic brambly raspberry style. Exciting to drink, especially with summertime barbecue.

Push the boat out with these very limited-production Sonoma Cabs.

Heady cassis nose, sumptuous and perfumed. Suave, concentrated and tannic, with a firm structure that should ensure a long life ahead. From 2009.

An aromatic viognier with notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom. Lush and lively. Spot on.

Dense chocolatey nose. Rich, with concentrated black fruits, sleek but structured, but with freshness and persistence. From 2010.

Push the boat out for these very limited-production Sonoma cabs.

One reason why zinfandel is my favorite wine is that it's quite versatile with food (and especially compliments the barbecue and grilled foods popular this time of year). My tasting was dominated by Sonoma County 2006 Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice.

One reason why zinfandel is my favorite wine is that it's quite versatile with food (and especially compliments the barbecue and grilled foods popular this time of year). My tasting was dominated by Sonoma County 2005 Murphy-Goode Snake Eyes Ellis Ranch.

Cherry with a mature oak nose. Lively cherry expression in the mouth with a long finish. A terrific wine that seems to add up to more than the sum of its parts.

Pinot Noir is one of California's increasingly strong suits, although quality at the right price can be hard to come by. Within that category I would include the smooth-textured and subtly oaked 2006 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

From vines planted in 1906, the wine has plummy aromas, and a dense, taut palate that's vigorous and long.

The bottle, the cork, (indifferent) and the price all have the Us written on them, but this is in fact a seriously good grenache, with great colour and mouthfeel to its perfectly ripened, deep and luscious fruit.

The vineyard is in Fulton, a cool part of the southwestern valley heavily influenced by fog, and the vines are about 100 years old. This is great, classic Zinfandel. It should be in a museum. Despite high alcohol, it has a silky, Pinot-esque suppleness, balanced with crisp acids, and is profoundly rich in Zinny flavor. Currants, mushu plum sauce, anise, crushed black pepper, dark chocolate and rich Asian spices last forever on the finish.

The winery's most expensive wine comes from very low-yielding Martini selection grapes planted in 1975. The '07, tasted at a bit more than one year of age, was pronounced in smoky oak and robust tannins, showing jammy flavors of blackberries, cherries, blueberries, anise, cloves and cedar. Hold this powerful wine until 2011.

Dense colour, a high-quality regional style with an assemblage of black fruits, dark chocolate and a dash of licorice on the supple, medium-to-full bodied palate; extract and tannins well balanced.

This deep, generously fruited look at the grape achieves an extra measure of richness when compared to the field, and its involving interplay of ripe figs, fresh herbs and toasty oak spice is spot on in terms of varietal expression. Both weighty and very well-balanced, it is a wine of evident range and substance, and it will make splendid drinking with entrees that range from meaty, full-flavored white-fleshed fishes to savory herbed chicken.

A Wine that can be drunk now or cellared for a decade or more is the brilliant 2007 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard. This vineyard tends to provide a graphite-like character along with minerality and earth. The wine is full-bodied and powerful with striking concentration as well as a terrific perfume of flowers, plums, black cherries, and black currants. Deep, full, rich, still young and promising, it should be even better with another 1-2 years of bottle age.

The 2007 Pinot Noir Sierra Madre is dark plum in color, has earthy, berry, underbrush notes, medium to full body, serious depth as well as texture, and a long promising finish. It will evolve for 6-8+ years.