Good bright ruby-red. Sexy aromas and flavors of black cherry, licorice, herbs and flowers. Juicy on entry, then tight in the middle, with firm acidity giving the finish a slightly tart quality. I find this only moderately ripe.

Deep ruby. Aromas of blackberry, licorice and bitter chocolate. Sweet black fruit flavors are complicated by mocha, tobacco and pepper, with oakiness growing as the wine opened in the glass. I find this a bit overripe/underripe in character. Boasts good stuffing but finishes with slightly gritty tannins and a faint greenness.

Saturated ruby. Aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice, graphite, bitter chocolate and smoky oak. Juicy, minerally and firmly built, with lively acids leavening its sweetness. But this has excellent flavor intensity, and the dusty tannins avoid dryness.

Good deep ruby-red. Superripe aromas of smoked meat, mocha, licorice and game. Fat, round and sweet, with a slightly rustic texture to the vinous black cherry, licorice and bitter chocolate flavors. Just this side of heavy. Finishes with substantial tongue-dusting tannins and very good lingering sweetness.

Good deep ruby-red. Superripe aromas of smoked meat, mocha, licorice and game. Fat, round and sweet, with a slightly rustic texture to the vinous black cherry, licorice and bitter chocolate flavors. Just this side of heavy. Finishes with substantial tongue-dusting tannins and very good lingering sweetness.

Full medium ruby. Aromas of black fruits, licorice and bitter chocolate. Supple and juicy, with a saline quality adding interest to the black fruit and licorice flavors. Finishes fresh and fairly suave, with finer-grained tannins than past vintages of this wine.

(produced at Chateau Lassègue, from the lower portion of this property) Full medium ruby. Aromas of black fruits, licorice and bitter chocolate. Supple and juicy, with a saline quality adding interest to the black fruit and licorice flavors. Finishes fresh and fairly suave, with finer-grained tannins than past vintages of this wine.

Sumptuous, with coffee'd oak aromas. Dark and smoky oak flavors dominate to complement black plum fruit.

Crisp and tart with maraschino cherry flavors and a hint of tannin.

Concentrated, intense black cherry liqueur flavors, opulent and smooth and rich.

Ripe black cherry and bittersweet chocolate flavors, ripe, soft tannins, smooth.

Hint of oak, very rich black cherry and mocha flavors, smooth, ripe, tannins.

Peaches, minerals and spice, crisp and lean.

The Kendall-Jackson 2006 California Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, still sweetly fruity and characteristically oaky but slimmed down a bit from earlier incarnations and thus more refreshing.

Unlike the 2004, this wine is mostly cabernet sauvignon with only 5 percent blended with cabernet franc. The fruit is bright and redolent of blackberry and cherry flavors with hints of cedar and mocha. The 2005 won't be on the market for a couple of months.

This blend of Bordeaux grapes is a charmer. Using grapes planted 2,400 feet up, it has good complexity with a voluptuous mouthfeel. Ripe plums, dark chocolate, cherries and pure fruit flavors.

Wow, what a mouthful of complex fruit. Made in great years, this reserve wine is named after Mr. Jackson's son. Both are something for him to be proud of. It is a huge wine with firm tannins, cedar, mint and currant notes stand behind the layered black cherry, cassis flavors. Only 250 cases made, so it may be hard to find.

This is one of the best chardonnays we have tasted in a long time. The oldest vineyard in the estate collection. Upper Barn straddles a 1,800-foot ridge. Its gravelly soil yields low quantities of grapes, but the fruit produces complex wines with a mineral thread. Orange peel aromas introduce a layered wine with flavors of pineapples, peaches and great spice from the French oak it is aged in.

Sixty-five percent of this wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in French oak to tame the acidity. The result is a creamy citrus flavor with plenty of apple and mineral notes. A complex wine for the price.

The 2005 Murphy-Goode Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend dominated by cabernet sauvignon (91 percent) with added petit verdot (for depth), merlot (for sweetness) and malbec (for a hint of blueberry flavor). Its deep blackberry and plum fruitiness has dried-herb notes and is well balanced by acidity and soft tannins.

Rich and satisfying, this opulent Chardonnay dazzles with sheer deliciousness. Master winemaker, Richard Arrowood has pulled out all the stops on this Burgundian-style wine. The flavors, of pineapple custard, lemon meringue, green apple butter, crème brulée and gingersnap cookie, are balanced by perfect acidity. This is by far Arrowood's greatest Chardonnay in recent memory.