There's a reason K-J's V.R. wines sell like hotcakes, and this wine is a primo example. It's dry and very crisp and tart, just like a good SB should be. The lemon, lime, grapefruit, and peppery-fig flavors are savory and rich.

A Burgundian style. Earthy with notes of cherry and smoke.

Vibrant. Loaded with fruit. Toasty, with notes of red clay and tobacco. Drink now or hold for five to 10 years.

2003 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon Arrowood Vineyards produces a powerful yet elegant Monte Rosso Cab; the 2003 offers firm structure and ripe black cherry flavors accented by cedar and spice.

Yangarra's 2006 Shiraz Grenache Rosé was a cooling compliment to an alfresco lunch of tuna tartare.

Dry and lovely. Notes of rose petal, cherry and raspberry. Showy. Medium complexity. Medium-bodied. Vibrant.

Rhone-like, with earthy, smoky notes. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, plum, cola and spice. Has good depth.

25 years after its birth Kendall-Jackson is still a family-run winery. This is not all about super-ripe fruit and high sugar levels - far from it. There is an attractive herbaceous base supporting the black currant leaf flavours that dominate the palate, although there are also hints of chocolate and spice.

Bordeaux-like. Elegant, with red and black fruit. Plenty of spice. Drink now or hold five to seven years.

Long and bright; complex and delicious.

Bursts with cherry, toasty oak and coffee aromas and offers pretty and layered wild berry, spice and caramel flavors that build richness on the finish. Drink now.

A good food zin on the lighter side. Brambly, with notes of black cherry, strawberry, cherry and plum.

The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Syrah, Saralee's Vineyard boasts notions of camphor, smoke, charcoal, blackberry liqueur, and acacia flowers. The complex aromas are matched by a deep, full-bodied, opulent wine with superb density and richness, low to moderate acidity, sweet tannins, and impressive depth.

Elegant and showy with lovely floral aromas. Expressive with notes of peach, apple and melon. Slightly grassy.

Ripe and round, clean and crisp. Aromas and flavors of apple, melon, pear, kiwi and grapefruit. A bit chardonnay-like. Medium complexity. Good mouth-feel.

Fog off of Monterey bay glides up the Salinas valley each night, helping to cool grapes throughout the Monterey appellation, resulting in graceful whites like this one, with delicate notes of pear and orange.

Fresh, fruity white. Crisp green apple, citrus, peach skin, pear and buttery lees flavours.

Extraordinary wines produced by Jackson Family from three mountain vineyards. Big, intense but beautifully balanced.

Extraordinary wines produced by Jackson Family from three mountain vineyards. Big, intense but beautifully balanced.

Extraordinary wines produced by Jackson Family from three mountain vineyards. Big, intense but beautifully balanced.

Well-defined, mildly melony fruit, a light kiss of fresh grass and a smooth palatal feel make this easy-drinking Sauvignon a most friendly wine, and, if hardly among the more expressive of this month's contenders, it is a dyed-in-the-wool bargain and comes with a very real bonus of wide availability.

Unusually grassy and green for a west coast Chard, this is zesty on the nose but then the full unctuous mango and passion fruit works show through the palate.