This is a big, fat, unctuous Chardonnay marked by exceptional ripeness and smoky oak. Yet it never loses sight of balance. It's powerful in candied or pie-filling pineapple jam, Mandarin orange zest, apricot brûée and vanilla custard flavors that are completely dry and accented with crisp acidity. This is an amazing price for a wine of this quality. Sommeliers, buy this beauty by the case.

Matanzas Creek's 2005 Merlot is a quintessential fine California Merlot. It is properly dry, with nearly full body and soft, velvety texture of fairly soft tannins. Its aromas and flavors, medium in intensity, suggest fresh dark plum and blackberry and subtle herbal notes, with the slightest floral nuance and a definite mineral element.

The 2006 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve is also a decent value. Crisp underlying acidity focuses the plum, black cherry, and earthiness of the wine as well as the dark ruby color and soft tannins. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Absolutely brilliant, but very limited production...the 2007 Highland Estates Chardonnay Seco Highlands.

The most limited production cuvee is the 2006 Trace Ridge Proprietary Red, a spectacular offering. It's deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by notes of sweet cassis, crushed rocks, licorice, earth, and graphite. Full-bodied and deep, it is another excellent example of what Knight's Valley can produce.

A knock-out effort is the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mountain Mt. Veeder. Mt. Veeder can produce extraordinary wines, but it is apparently a tricky area in which to work. However, those who get it right seem to produce some of the finest Cabernet Sauvignons outside of the Oakville Corridor. This dense ruby/purple-colored 2006 exhibits aromas of blackberries, blueberries, cedar, incense, graphite, and spice. It is big, rich, well-balanced, long, and heady.

Absolutely brilliant, but very limited in production...the 2007 Highland Estates Chardonnay Piner Hills.

The 2007 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot Vineyard exhibits abundant amounts of pineapple, honeysuckle, and peach along with hints of brioche and caramel. It's full-bodied, luscious finish exhibits a subtle note of oak.

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Hawkeye Mountain from the Alexander Valley offers sweet blackberry, loamy soil, new oak, and spice notes. It is more concentrated as well as more tannic than the Trace Ridge Cabernet.

A brilliant 1,500-case Syrah, the 2007 Highland Estates Syrah Alisos Hills is from a hilltop vineyard with southwest facing slopes. It reveals an inky/purple color, sweet blackberry, graphite, and charcoal notes, dense, full-bodied flavors, and long, sweet tannins in the finish.

The 2006 Merlot Howell Mountain is a dense ruby/purple-tinged wine displaying notes of crushed rocks, black raspberries, cherries, and white chocolate.

Made in a modern, progressive, less classic style than its siblings, it is still very Californian in its opaque ruby/purple color, with a big, sweet kiss of toasty oak intermixed with ripe fruit, low acidity, and sweet tannin. From high elevation Napa vineyards, it is a big wine that should drink well for 10-15 years.

The serious Cabernets start with the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Trace Ridge, which demonstrates once more the high potential for Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, especially when grown on hillsides. This classic Cabernet possesses plenty of black currant, licorice, cedar and spice characteristics.

Kendall-Jackson's Highland Estates is also showcasing some very fine Pinot Noirs...The 2007 Highland Estates Pinot Noir Los Robles exhibits sweet fruit, herbs, pomegranate, and sweet and sour cherries, plenty of flavor, lush tannins, and a fleshy mouthfeel.

The seductive 2006 Merlot Taylor Peak exhibits attractive coffee bean, berry fruit, and smoky characteristics. Made from 100% estate grown fruit, and aged 17 months in 100% French oak, it is all that a Merlot should be.

Some serious vineyards' fruit is included in this wine, which no doubt explains the big, tropical fruit-scented nose, fine acidity, and medium to full-bodied flavors. It is an amazing Chardonnay for the price.

The 2007 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is entirely made from estate fruit. This cuvee seems to get better with each vintage as winemaker Randy Ullom is a virtuoso at producing such high quantity/high quality wine. Notes of melons, honeysuckle, and lemon oil along with remarkable flavor and texture are found in this wine.

The 2006 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits sweet black currant fruit intermixed with toasty oak, crushed rocks, tobacco leaf, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied with good minerality as well as a heady finish, it can be consumed over the next 10-12 years.

Kendall-Jackson's Highland Estates is also showcasing some very fine Pinot Noirs...The dark ruby-colored 2007 Highland Estates Pinot Noir Seco Highlands displays a cool climate, crisp minerality, steel black cherry and strawberry notes, and abundant structure.

Kendall-Jackson's Highland Estates is also showcasing some very fine Pinot Noirs...The 2007 Highland Estates Pinot Noir Anderson Valley reveals the blueberry and raspberry characteristics that come from this area, along with a touch of spring flowers.

There is only a small quantity of the inky/purple-colored 2006 Grand Reserve Syrah which offers chocolatey, blackberry, charcoal, pepper and earth notes.

A wine that should rekindle consumer interest in Merlot is the 2006 Grand Reserve Merlot. Plenty of seductive, chocolatey, black cherry, and berry fruit emerge from this deep ruby/purple-hued, medium to full-bodied, 100% Merlot. With good depth, a silky texture, and a heady finish, it should drink well for decade or more.

The cherry, mocha and chocolate-scented 2006 Vintner's Reserve Merlot is also quite good.

The 2006 Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest examples of this wine I have tasted. It exhibits good elegance as well as a spicy, berry, black currant, roasted herb, and spicy oak-scented nose.

We also enjoyed Kendall-Jackson Meritage, which had hints of cassis and licorice. It was bright and juicy with enough tannin at the end to work with a steak.