This multivineyard blend is from Sonoma Valley and Dry Creek Valley. You really don't want to open it yet because it's too young. But it has great future ahead, to judge from the rich, softly fine tannins and cherry, red currant, cola, olive tapenade and sweet fresh herb flavors. Balanced and refined, this Cab defines the Sonoma style. Best 2008-2015.

Fog dance has wonderful, pure fruit aroma flecked with spice, vanilla and celery salt. On the palate, it mixes cranberry/cherry fruit with celery, licorice, orange peel and spice. The fruit comes off several Hartford-owned vineyards in Green Valley where the fog drifts in and out daily, literally dancing on the fruit.

Youthful ruby color. Ripe cherry and plum aromas are complicated by iron, cigar box and vanillin oak spice. Fleshy cherry compote and bitter chocolate flavors coat the palate and are energized by zesty minerality. Finishes sweet, broad and long, with suave mocha and dark berry jam qualities.

How refreshing to find such a widely available, well-priced pinot making the top match for our shrimp and grits. This easy-to-drink wine delivers vibrant black cherry and plum flavors with a touch of spice.

K-J has a terrific syrah in the full-bodied 2005 Vintner's Reserve Syrah, which is ripe with blackberry fruitiness and notes of black pepper.

Sourced from key North Coast vineyards, this Merlot is K-J taken up some notches: It has plenty of complexity, some ability to age, and richness. The nose is intense berries, black plums, anise, nutmeg and mocha. The palate has subtle tannins and good acidity to balance the fruit. It's aged in mostly French oak for eight months and is primarily made from Sonoma County fruit. Some wine know-it-alls pooh-pooh Merlot. Forget it!

Restaurant buyers love to hate K-J. Consumers love it. So do critics. Value. Quality. Flavor. I have nothing but respect for the continuing excellence of this brand. The Zin is not a blockbuster, but who can drink a blockbuster all the time? Just give me a varietally correct wine that has body, balance and flavor. This Zin from various regions of Northern California, has intense plum, raspberry and blackberry aromas, with cedar and spice to make it more interesting. The palate has soft tannins and flavors so concentrated, it's like crushing the fruit in your mouth. Just pair it with a grilled steak or burger. For $13 full markup, it's a steal.

Kendall-Jackson's 2006 Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir was soft and cherryish...

Kendall-Jackson's self-evidently stylish, full-flavoured and well-balanced 2006 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was the only white I really wanted to drink.

Jess Jackson and wife Barbara Banke teamed up with Pierre Seillan to revive Chateau Lessegue on the right bank of the Gironde River in Bordeaux. This most worthy wine is a blend of mostly Cabernet Franc and old-vines Merlot and some Cabernet Sauvignon. It's quite the taste: gorgeous silky ripe tannins, intense concentration of flavors, and a long, rich finish. The nose is licorice, herbs and vanilla; tannins coat the mouth; and flavors are cherries, cassis, dark chocolate and espresso. It's such a showy wine, it would take quite the show-stopping dish to match with it -- a thick, grilled veal chop or chateaubriand. It's a flavor experience to taste the intensity of the Caberent Franc!

Deep red purple. Slightly herbal stemmy nose, a hint of grassiness. Palate is tannin-driven, drying and savoury, with lots of oak tannin that puckers the mouth. Concentrated, dense, chewy and extracted but not bitter or harsh. Lots of cherry and plum fruit, coconut/vanilla/toasty oak and rustic. A little old-fashioned, and worth cellaring.

Deep, rich and concentrated wine with layered flavors of ripe red fruit, zesty spices and tangy bone-dry finish. In essence, it tastes like a big bowl of cherries with plenty of weight and structure on the palate.

One of the many brands in wine magnate, Jess Jackson's ever-expanding portfolio, Carmel Road produces a Chardonnay with pear and vanilla nuances.

Three stars: A stew of red fruits, a touch of oak and hint of cola. Gentle and round with a taste of wood and youthful astringency. Until 2011

Three Stars: Pure and clear red fruit aromas lead to soft, lush mid-palate with earthy flavors and a smattering of peppery tannins. Until 2010.

The first voice the entry-level bottling-from this estate owned by California's Jess Jackson is a Melot/Cabernet blend of graceful depth and sophistication. A super-bargain via international winemaker Pierre Seillan.

...or look for Kendall-Jackson's lighter, more peppery 2006 Vintner's Reserve.

Kendall-Jackson makes a very good, black cherry-inflected, single-vineyard Pinot, the 2005 Highland Estates Seco Highlands that would be perfect...

Kendall-Jackson, best known for its ubiquitous Vintner's Blend Chardonnay, makes a wide range of red and white wines, among them this aromatic, muscular Syrah.

Very few red table wines have the oomph to stand up to a dessert as sweet as this one (Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce); a full-bodied Cabernet like the cassis-rich, structured 2004 Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve is the best option.

...Kendall-Jackson's lively 2006 Vintner's Reserve Riesling, which typically has a zippy acidity that's a good complement to sharp cheese.

Few wines pair well with asparagus, but Sauvignon Blanc is an exception - the variety's grassy, herbal notes complement asparagus's strong flavor. Kendall-Jackson's 2006 Vintner's Reserve Sauvignon, with its fresh citrusy fruit, is a great partner for this springtime salad.

The creamy Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay can stand up to the gumbo's intense flavors.

Jackson is justifiably famous for his Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, which has only gotten better as the winery has shifted solely to using grapes from its own vineyards.