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

Plum jam, spicy, licorice, savoury, meaty, saddle leather, peppery, vanilla, black olive aromas. Round, supple, full, long palate with good acidity and some gritty, youthful tannins. Coffee, chocolate, spicy, clove, Christmas cake, orange, black cherry, plum, carrot and licorice flavours with a touch of green olive and tobacco leaf on the finish. Great concentration and ripeness with length if abit warm. Needs 3-7 years to fully integrate but very fine.

Spicy, peppery, cassis, black berry, sappy, leather, tobacco, smoky, plum, barnyard, coffee aromas. Dry, full, round, warm palate with grainy tannins but good finesse. Chocolate, tobacco, cassis, peppery, vanilla, leather, plum, resin, green bean, black olive flavours. Long, tight, warm palate with some tannins to shed. Needs 5+ years to come around.

Coffee, chocolate, spicy, meaty, saddle leather, vanilla, black cherry, plum, tobacco, floral and licorice aromas. Rich, round, full palate with fresh acidity, some youthful, grainy tannin but good finesse. Orange, black cherry, licorice, vanilla, plum, chocolate, spicy, clove flavours. Good length but tight with great acidity and fresh fruit characters. Needs 5-7 years but will drink well before with its fruit intensity.

Very spicy, licorice, plum jam, coriander, black olive, orange, floral, vanilla, savoury, peppery, cherry aromas. Rich, round, full, vibrant palate with good acidity and concentration and grainy but supple tannins. Vanilla, chocolate, orange, black olive, peppery, licorice, clove, spicy, meaty, savoury flavours with bright plum and cherry fruit. Long, full and intense, has very good aging potential, keep for 7-15 years.

Peppery, meaty, saddle leather, floral, black pepper, licorice, black cherry jam, plum and tobacco aromas. Ripe, round, supple and grainy with good concentration and acidity. Black cherry, plum, meaty, tobacco, licorice, black pepper, black olive, vanilla and carrot top flavours. A bit astringent and youthful but has good vibrancy. Needs 3-5 years for best showing.

Big licorice, tobacco, spicy, peppery, orange, saddle leather, meaty, coffee, savoury, chocolate, mineral aromas. Round, dry, rich and supple but has some youthful, tight tannins. Black olive, licorice, coffee, vanilla, carrot, orange, plum, black cherry and resin flavours with a peppery, clove finish. Good acidity, length and potential, needs 5-7 years.

Arcanum I is cabernet franc based (75 per cent) with 25 per cent merlot. Look for a smoky, rooty, tobacco, black olive, black cherry nose with flecks of vanilla and cranberries. The entry is round and elegant but the palate is rich and full. Chocolate, coffee, black olive, tobacco leaf, peppery, cranberry, cherry, mineral, vanilla flavours with a savoury, roast beef note. It has fine acidity that will allow it to age a further three to five years to you can drink it now with roasted meats.

Spicy, floral, vanilla, tobacco leaf, black olive, peppery, cherry, cranberry aromas. Round, supple, dry, smooth palate with good concentration. Very spicy, clove, licorice, vanilla, meaty, tobacco, cranberry, cherry jam, carrot top, black olive flavours with a touch of orange peel on the finish. Good finesse and acidity, needs 3-5 years to fully integrate. Solid value from St. Émilion.

Open spicy, black pepper, leather, meaty, floral, smoky, tobacco, black olive aromas. Round, ripe, supple, grainy tannins with good mineral acidity. Spicy, black cherry, plum, peppery, leather, licorice root, smoky, meaty, black olive flavours. Good fruit with bright sangiovese expression and length, will age well for 3-7 years. Well done.

Winemaker Pierre Seillan uses the term PrimaVoce, as in the leading voice in an opera company, to describe this mini-super-Tuscan blend that mixes 85 per cent merlot with 15 per cent cabernet sauvignon. Look for a meaty, saddle leather, smoky, tobacco, cherry, earthy, black olive nose. A supple, full palate with good acidity and slightly chewy tannins. The flavours mix dried cherries, prunes and plums with spicy, floral, tobacco, smoky, mineral, leather and chocolate flavours. The finish is a bit on the earthy side but with finesse. Drink now or over the next 2-3 years.

Shows off distinct pepper, nutmeg and blackberry flavors that are full-blown, with hints of espresso and blueberry on the finish. This has firm, integrated tannins. Drink now through 2013.

Red wines $20 and over. Recommended and tasted, but no tasting note given.

This is one of the stunning array of vineyard designated Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley that Byron made in 2006. The vineyard, planted in 1974, contains a healthy proportion of mature vines that contribute to this wine's complexity and depth. Ripe black fruit flavors and succulent, not overdone, and complemented by savory, herbal notes. Despite the 14.6% stated alcohol, it's not heavy or overdone, showing you cannot judge wine solely by the numbers. Its wonderful balance and complexity persists into the long finish because of uplifting black cherry-like acidity. Not a Burgundy wannabe, it's a great Pinot Noir from California.

This is the best Pinot Noir at this price on the market. Easily. It's picture-perfect cool climate, absolutely dry and silky, with complex flavors of cherries, Mandarin orange, cola, pomegranates, licorice and cinnamon spice, made even richer by smoky oak. Just lovely, and gets even better as it breathes in the glass.

Old vines really do matter. This wine was made from fruit grown on the original 14 rows of the Nielson vineyard that were planted in 1964 (the remainder of the vineyard was planted later). It shows an incredible complexity-nuances of flavor that pour over the palate-that only old vine fruit delivers. It has a lush creaminess intertwined with hints of apple and pear-like notes. Tasted side-by-side with Byron's regular Nielson Chardonnay-a very good wine in its own right-the Historic vines bottling is not bigger, it just has an extra dimension with great length and vibrancy. An excellent buy.

Bring on the grilled salmon, ahi tuna, pork chops and smoked country ham. This gorgeous Pinot will let them shine in a supportive way, not overwhelm them. Dry, crisp and elegantly silky, it shows complex flavors of cherries, cola, rhubarb, licorice and beef jerky that finish in a swirl of dusty spice. Best now and through 2010.

Delivers lots of bang for the buck. Built like a fine French Burgundy, it's rich and intricate in smoky-oak infused tropical fruit, fig and Asian spice flavors that have an undercurent of stony minerals. Really impressive for this price.