A nice, lush and tart Pinot whose dryness comes as a welcome surprise, given the massive fruit. Cherries, raspberries, currants, cola and smoky cedar flood the mouth, yet the finish is crisp and balanced. With its silky texture, this deep end wine is best now and for a few years.

A lovely, polished Cab, brimming with fresh flavors of blackberries, currants, cedar and spice. With its dry, lush mouthfeel and firm tannins, it provides quite a bang for your buck.

This is a big, powerful, tannic Pinot Noir, almost Rhône-like in its weight and density. Shows flavors of plums, blackberries, cola, mocha and cedar. Rustic now, but could develop soft complexities over the next six years.

Here's a supple, polished Merlot that shows lots of North Coast class. It's fully dry, with rich, smooth tannins and complex flavors of black currants, cedar and herbs. good buy for under $20.

K-J figured out California Riesling: It doesn't have to be flabby and sweet. This one has some sweetness, but it is balanced by a siren of citrus, minerality and floral notes. The aromas pierce the nose long, long after you open the bottle. The palate is sturdy, body is big. Alcohol is 13 percent--now that's California. The finish is so impressive--so intense, dry, crisp and minerally. When I have an open bottle of K-J Riesling in my fridge, it's an arsenal of flavor to embolden sauces with. This is a hidden gem on store shelves. Trust me.

The huge, thick tannins are all from the wine's 1,500-foot mountain vineyard, but they're so soft and refined, the wine is instantly drinkable, although it will age for many years. Tastes dramatically luscious for the depth and length of black currant, olive, chocolate and cedar flavors.

California Merlot doesn't get much better than this. Shows the tannic weight and density of its mountain origins, a huge, gigantic Merlot that will take some cellaring. But it's fully drinkable now for the ultra-rich black currant, licorice, grilled meat, mocha and cedar flavors.

By the way, if you really, really are determined to pick up an American Chardonnay for less that $20, perhaps for entertaining this summer, you could do a lot worse than good old Kendall-Jackson. We always disagree about it - Dottie likes its round, buttery, mouth-coating and slightly Muscaty tastes, while John finds it too lab-made and oaky - but we both agree that there's never anything wrong with it and it's easy enough to drink. It's a solid Good wine, it costs about $12 or so and it's available pretty much everywhere. K-J has this Chardonnay down to a science...

Ripe and zesty, with wild berry, toasty sage and cracked pepper flavors that finish with appealingly rustic tannins.

Fragrant, fruity Pinot Noir; 2006 Carmel Road Monterey.

The 2007 Chard is powerful and elegant, and delicate, at the same time. It's feminine in its delicacy - with well-hewn edges. The nose is a perfume of apples, peaches, lime, pineapple and vanilla. Flavors sweep the palate - you get the silky texture, the vibrant acidity and the fruit that trumpets more apples, pears and citrus. The finish is strong and lasting. Pour it with shellfish, seafood, chicken, veal and pork. As an aperitif? Perfect.

A vibrant version, with lively raspberry and pepper aromas and soft, supple black cherry and toasty vanilla flavors.

Moderate garnet color. Lovely perfume of cherries and berries with sage. Powerfully flavored ripe berry fruit with a base of minerals and earth. Very friendly in the mouth with a creamy, sexy quality and plenty of vim on the tangy finish. A high-collared and impressive wine.

The golden-hued 2007 Four Hearts Vineyard Chardonnay represents white wine at its most opulent. The subtle sweetness of honeysuckle greets the nose, as do aromas of candied lemon, lychee, and beeswax. The crisp, full, and lush palate saturates the taste buds with white-peach, ripe-pear, lemon, and lime flavors that arise from the wine's dense nectarlike depths, which gradually recede to make way for a long finish of green tea and spearmint.

Stature is always a Bordeaux blend, but varies in vineyard source each year. this '04 is soft, utterly delicious and fully drinkable now. It's rich in black currant, cherry pie filling, plum, anise and spice flavors, generously aged in smoky new oak. Made in the modern style, it will hold effortlessly through 2012, at least.

This hits the pure passionfruit flavor of finely ripened sauvignon. It's mouthwatering and firmly structured, with umami flavors of oyster mushrooms and marrow to balance the fruit. A portion of the blend is sauvignon musqué (13 percent) and a portion is fermented and aged in French oak barrels (21). The result is delicious with roast fish.

Sporting a fine mix of ripe cherries and sweet oak spice first in the nose and then again on the palate, this carefully composed Pinot Noir eschews high extract and bombast and instead keys successfully on balance and keen varietal definition. It's bright mildly toasty, moderately rich flavors invite drinking in the near term, yet it shows no signs of fading away anytime soon, and should keep well for several years.

Ripe and jammy, but with great structure. Shows luscious aromas of boysenberry and blueberry, with layered, complex flavors of licorice, nutmeg and toasty mocha that linger on the finish. Drink now through 2015.

Bright and jazzy, offering a riot of flavors, including plum, blackberry, floral and licorice notes that swirl through the finish against fine tannins. Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2014.

Bright cherry and wild berry and lavished in thick layers, adding intensity and persistency. This modern Chianti Classico is 20% (the maximum allowed) Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bright acidity and vibrant berry flavors characterize the mouth and fuel a lasting fruity impression that would pair well with meat-based pasta or risotto.

Juicy, bright and showing citrus and white flowers with racy acidity; complex and charming with a long, elegant finish.

Few Zinfandels are this focused and complete. Displays boysenberry, white pepper and loam aromas, with a structure that balances ripeness and complexity, showing flavors of wild berry, licorice and cinnamon. Drink now through 2014.

Offers pure, rich, ripe fruit, with touches of ripe pear, apple and honeydew melon, gaining depth and body and ending with a complex finish. Drink now through 2012.

Easy-to-like from first sniff to lengthy finish., this delicious wine relies on its open, juicy black cherry, sweet plum fruit to set the pace and finds added range in its interesting nuances of caramel and dark chocolate. Fairly full in body and just soft enough for service today with long-cooked meats like lamb Shanks or Short Ribs of Beef, it has the depth for several years of beneficial aging in the cellar as well.