Bright ruby-red. Black cherry, bitter chocolate, licorice and a hint of menthol on the nose. Supple and sweet, with a slightly medicinal cast to its rather velvety redcurrant and menthol flavors. A bit youthfully tight on the back end, with firm tannins and juicy acids currently limiting the wine's length. Needs some patience.

Good ruby-red. Ripe, aromatic nose offers plum, currant, chocolate and graphite. Nicely sweet and dense, with ripe flavors of currant, plum, spices and tobacco framed by juicy acidity. Finishes with good verve, the big, broad tannins reaching the front teeth.

Yellow-gold. Exotic aromas of poached pear, smoky lees and iodine. Sappy, palate-coating orchard fruit and melon flavors are braced by gentle minerality and dried flowers. The smoky note repeats on the broad, persistent finish.

Light yellow-gold. Mineral-driven aromas of Meyer lemon and apple, with a mounting floral honey quality. Fleshy and smooth, offering gently sweet orchard fruit flavors and good mineral lift. Open-knit and easy to drink, with very good finishing breadth and cling.

Here's a nicely balanced chardonnay that shouldn't be too hard to find around town and that drinks especially well for the price. The nose is fairly restrained for California chardonnay, with bits of butteriness and mango on the nose. The taste is smooth but not overly soft, with well-integrated flavors of apple and tropical fruits. Oh, and for you point-chasers out there: Robert Parker rated this wine at 90 points.

The flavors exceed what you would expect from a wine at this price. Ripe apple flavors with citrus notes and a hint of mango. a little residual sugar give it generous mouthfeel.

8 Terrific Sommelier Pairings - Grilled Halibut with Tomato Butter. Try the cherry infected 2006 Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir.

A toasty chardonnay with a lush texture. Notes of pear, melon, toffee, caramel and spice.

The blend is 85 percent merlot, 12 percent cabernet sauvignon and 3 percent syrah. Cherry and mature oak nose. Expressive complex cherry flavors in the mouth that really add up to a terrifically pleasing wine.

Wine Country recipe Herb-Marinated Chicken Skewers with Harissa paired with the spicy aromatic 2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

The nose is a sensational mix of oatmeal, subtle oak and vanilla, with bits of butter, mineral and spicy orange flecks. The palate is a creamy mix of pineapple, papaya, citrusy lime notes, along with a créme brûlée finish. Perhaps the best finesse yet, with only 55 percent new French oak in the barrel ferment. A first-class chardonnay that over-delivers.

Massive in structure, this blend of merlot with cabernet sauvignon (18 percent) and cabernet franc (5) finds its power in the mixed soils of this estate in central Tuscany. It's grown in clay, sandstone, basalt and schist. The tannins ease up after a few hours, revealing ripe flavors of plum and savory dark chocolate notes. Built for the cellar, this should continue to evolve over the next ten to 12 years.

Forest floor scents of ferns and conifer contrast with brighter fraise de bois and violet notes in this pinot noir. the structure is clean and transparent, allowing the wine's complexity to show through. The impression is gentle yet concentrated, a wine built to age or to decant for coq au vin.

Aromas of ripe strawberries balance the rich oak spice in this wine. The fruit feels fresh and plump, held firm by strong tannins. This has the structure for rack of lamb.

Made in the Edmeades style of high alcohol and exceptional ripeness, this is a powerfully explosive Zin. Fully dry, it's packed with black currant, cassis, plum jam, dark chocolate and spice flavors that are wrapped into hard tannins. Will soften in time. Best now through 2012.

A lovely Pinot, polished and supple. Ready to drink now for its crisp acidity, lush coat of smoky oak and, above all, exotically complex flavors of cherry pie filling, black raspberry tart, cola, red plum and mocha. Should evolve through 2012.

Smoky oak and flavors of plums and cassis mark this wine. It finishes sweet. For flank steak.

A cab with good structure. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, herbs and spice. Long finish.

A cab with firm tannins. Aromas and flavors of currant, black cherry, cedar and dark chocolate. Long finish.

Aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cedar and chocolate. Great integration. Nice mouth-feel. Long finish.

The 2007 Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir is an excellent wine for the price with its bright cherry and raspberry flavors, firm structure and smooth finish.

This fleshy pinot noir is delicious - one of our favorites. With grapes grown in the fertile Santa Maria region, it sports ripe cherry fruit, spice and a touch of oak. Good mouthfeel. Great value.

A jammy zinfandel. Notes of black cherry, herbs and spice. Snappy.

Moderately tannic, fruity wines like California Pinot Noir pair well with rich sauces. Try the 2007 La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir.

Peppery, spicy, tobacco, meaty, saddle leather, coffee, orange peel, chocolate, green olive, spicy, savoury aromas. Rich, round, full and supple with fresh acidity and grainy tannins. Coffee, leather, licorice, orange, vanilla, peppery, spicy, black tea, plum jam and black cherry flavours. Good finesse, intense with good fruit and complexity. Young and a bit hot, needs 5-7 years but very good potential