Here are two things to know about Kendall-Jackson's Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay: More than two million cases are made each year, and every single grape that goes into those bottles comes from vineyards owned by Kendall-Jackson. Vineyard ownership means control over viticultural practices, and that's why this wine-despite its vast production-remains so delicious: rich but finely focused, its flavors suggesting ripe mangoes and pears.

Interesting nose of elderflower and baked apples with oak playing its part but not too dominant. The palate is a replica of the nose in many ways with all its parts dovetailing nicely. A touch of sweetness on the finish.

This isn't one of Hartford's single vineyard Chards, but a blend from around RRV. It's a very elegant, balanced wine, with complexity and charm; 100% barrel fermented, it shows oak-influenced flavors of Meyer lemons, pineapple sorbet and rich Gravenstein apple butter

A big Pinot packed with berry flavor, robust, smoky. It's as rich as a flour-less chocolate cake with a thin layer of raspberry jam in the middle. Built for a steakhouse and rare filet mignon.

Jess Jackson’s new St.-Emilion estate, which includes some impressively old vines, is still a work in progress, but he is achieving higher and higher quality in each vintage. The 2006 reveals slightly too much new oak, but it is a medium to full-bodied effort with powerful tannin, impressive concentration, and a backward style. Pierre Seillan, the Bordelais winemaker responsible for such brilliant wines as Verite, is also overseeing the production of Lassegue. The winemaking team is clearly aiming for a St.-Emilion that will last 2-3 decades. The 2006 should be at its finest between 2014-2025.

Medium-deep ruby color; earthy, stewed cherry aromas; ripe, earthy stewed cherry flavors, sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. Nice, balanced Pinot with complex cherry flavors.

Medium ruby color; earthy, some cherry aromas; ripe, cherry flavors with earthy, slightly toasty notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Good medium bodied Pinot with pleasing flavors that will work well with most foods.

Lightly herbal and modestly fruited with a quick glimpse of sweet oak to the side of its mild hints of cherries, this slightly supple, cleanly made middleweight is both a bit lean and a bit tannic...

Aromas and flavors of cherry, loganberry, blueberry and toasty oak. Nice core of fruit. Medium complexity.

World-Class Family Wineries Its body, richness, and sweet ripeness of flavor also bring to mind the Pinots of Russian River Valley.

Intensely colored and shy at first, then opening up to show tightly wound blackberry, cassis, gravel dust, coffee aromas, nice red currant and raspberry flavors, a bit of cola and licorice and lots of rocky minerality and stiff muscular structure.

Dynamic and layered with rich blackberry compote, pound cake, cinnamon, cassis and coriander aromas. Loaded with ripe fruit but focused thanks to plenty of acidity and lots of mountain tannin.

This vast estate- 1,405 acres located in California's Santa Maria Valley- is a reliable source for Pinot that tastes expensive but isn't. This medium-bodied wine offers strawberry fruit, zippy acidity and a hint of sassafras.

Real nice, real smooth Cab. It's almost like a good single-malt scotch, with that light-heavy, rich, velvety mouthfeel and a tangy, iodine and peat tinge to the cherries and oak. Dry and polished.

This wine is similarly showy, with a cornucopia of ripe fruit: Think sweet and tart apples, bananas, honey, tangerines and just a bit of durian (the custardy texture and flavor, not the dismaying aroma). there is also just a hint of something resembling fresh chilies on the wine's finish.

An elegant Zin true to its varietal. lovely, ripe, jammy raspberry fruit. herbal note. Slightly short on the finish.

Medium-deep ruby color;deep, spicy, earthy red cherry aromas; rich ripe, tasty red cherry fruit; silky mouth feel, spicy, sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. This is a delicious, middle of the road Pinot that will really work with a lot of different meal choices.

Vibrant, spicy, with lovely flavors of cranberry, dried berries, herbs and white pepper. A great food wine. Balanced

A vibrant wine, notes of black cherry, cassis, herbs, cedar and rose petal. Integrated tannins. Elegant.

...the Kendall-Jackson is one gorgeous zinfandel, layered with rich berry flavors, peppery spice and caressing oak, but not so much wood to keep the fresh fruit from playing the leading role.

Kendall-Jackson's $10 Riesling comes in at just under 2 percent residual sugar--at the high end of off-dry--and the winery sells 180,000 cases a year, making it the state's largest producer of Riesling in 750-milliliter bottles.