Edmeades, a true Mendocino pioneer, has crafted an enormously likeable Zin, deeply flavored in black currant, cherry and black raspberry-pie filling and chocolaty, spicy desirousness. But for all its size and high alcohol, the wine retains a silky, elegant mouthfeel.

Medium ruby color; light aromas of spice and strawberry; light, bit sharp, cherry and strawberry fruit; some tannin, lingering finish. Lighter, leaner style of Pinot with good fruit flavor.

Medium ruby color; light, earthy, cherry aromas; light, lean, red cherry flavors with a bit of earthy and toasty notes; lingering finish. Good middle of the road style with bright fruit and just a bit of earthy complexity.

Full credit to the winery for coming up with a solid, widely distributed, fresh and nicely ripened Syrah. It is slightly fleshy in feel and has more grip than one might expect at the price, but this is Syrah and there is nothing wrong with an intimation of the grape's power potential within an entirely drinkable and priceworthy version.

Black cherry and hints of briar highlight the aromas of this cassis-tinged wine, but the suggested tilt towards Cabernet Sauvignon is less evident in the wine's flavors than in its nose, and save for some finishing astringency, the mouth tracks like Merlot in character.

Intense, with Blackberry, lead pencil and cracked pepper aromas and tightly wound plum, bay leaf and licorice notes.

A classic Cabernet nose of cassis, with herbal notes, too. Good slightly ripe fruit, but not overly sweet, this wine is well balanced, and not an obvious New World fruit bomb. An elegant and restrained example of what California is capable of.

A Showy chardonnay. Notes of apple, pear toast and spice. Slightly sweet, with a tart finish. Medium complexity.

A pinot with a nice structure. Gamey, with notes of Strawberry, pine needles, oak and chocolate. Long flavors.

...the 2005 really shines with it's spicy cherry and strawberry flavors and firm structure. At that price, it's also a tremendous value.

A great value with melon and citrus notes dashed with exotic flavors of figs and kiwi. Blended with semillon and sauvignon musque to give it a soft mouthfeel.

This is a tremendous Cabernet-based wine. A mixture of Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and St. Helena bench grapes, it's a masterpiece of blending. Seductive now for its lush, soft and brilliant cherry, cassis and mocha flavors that are finished with the smoky vanilla and toast of 96% new French oak, the wine is decadently good.

Tremendous Cab, grown on the high slopes of this appellation where great Bordeaux reds come from. It hits the palate with hugely concentrated Cab flavors, flooding the mouth with black currants, plums, coffee, spices and gorgeously toasty French oak. Feels lavish, powerful, complex and ageworthy.

Lots of structure in this refined, polished Merlot. The tannins are strong but sweetly ripe, and with the crisp acids, they provide a rich framework to the cherry, cassis, cola and mocha flavors. Dry and elegant, this wine drinks well now should hold for five years before the fruit fades.

New oak and ripe Cabernet fruit mesh seamlessly in this 100% varietal wine, grown at very high elevations in the Mayacamas Mountains. Full-bodied and lush, it brims with blackberry tart, black cherry jam, mocha, root beer, cola, molasses and sweet vanilla oak. Enormously complex, the wine unfolds in delicious layer after layer. Best opened young to enjoy it voluptuous fruit.

Randy Ullom is crafting some of the best Cabernets in California these days, small-lot releases made from selected mountain vineyards. This one's made in the house style, offering tiers of ripe fruit wrapped into a soft, velvety wine of great style and complexity. Fully dry, this 100% varietal is instantly appealing for its plush cherry, chocolate and blackberry flavors that finish with the smoky sweetness of new oak.

Like the 2003, this is creamy and supple, but the fruit is fresher and livelier also. The result is a lovely blend of mocha, raspberry and spice accented by hints of vanilla and crushed herbs that linger elegantly on the finish.

What a great Chard. Just delicious in palate-filling tropical fruit, buttercream, pineapple jam, honeysuckle, vanilla custard and spice flavors that are so rich and refined. For all the opulence, the wine is dry, with the firm acidity the Arroyo Seco is known for.

Fresher and more floral than the 2003, with flavors that run toward mulberry while adding hints of vanilla and maple syrup. It's richer, creamier and longer than the 2003, showing the results of Seillan having full control over the property for the entire year. Drink now-2015.

This wine's black cherry and plum flavors veer dangerously toward prune-no doubt a product of the exceedingly hot summer. It's creamy and supple in texture, adding just enough tobacco, vanilla and smoke for complexity. But for all the fruit and ripeness, it finishes with great elegance and precision. Drink now-2020.

A serious Merlot. Well-oaked, it shows lots of crowd-pleasing caramel, toast, vanilla and sweet woody flavors, but the fruit, acids and tannins are fully supportive of all that oak. Cherries, black raspberries and mocha flavors are pure and refined, leading to a dry finish.

Here's a lush, soft Bordeaux blend, based on Cabernet and blended from vineyards around the county. Showing beautifully now, the wine opens with ripe cherry, blackberry, raspberry and coffee notes, surrounded by elegantly refined tannins.