Deep ruby. Brooding aromas of blackberry, licorice, espresso and earth, along with some meaty reduction. Juicy and penetrating but smooth in the mouth, with cassis and smoked meat flavors firmed by the bright acids and complicated by nutty oak, smoke and flint. Finishes with dusty tannins and an enticing floral note. Very syrah.

Medium yellow. Tropical fruits, apricot and truffle on the nose, with meaty, smoky and gamey nuances.

From Kendall-Jackson, this Merlot is warm and toasty, with aromas of popcorn, roasted plum and leather. The palate is a bit more settled, and it's where you'll find dark cherry flavors resting on a bed of rubbery, lively tannins. Finishes with toast, vanilla and char, along with another dose of spiky tannins.

If a little bit on the quiet side in its aromas, the wine does offer pleasant suggestions of vanilla, citrus and melons with a hint of Meyer lemon sweetness...

With burnt popcorn as the lead scent and an herbal streak that can't be denied, Kendall-Jackson's attempt at Tuscan Cabernet Franc (with 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiove) requires too much sacrifice. The flavors are of rhubarb and raspberry, with spice and tomato sauce along for the ride. Has size and potency, but not much charm.

A sturdy style of Grenache, generous, but not as opulent as shiraz, burying its ripe cherry and pomegranate fruit under a light blanket of dusky spices and superfine tannins. Drink now through 2014. -H.S.

2004 CAMBRIA PINOT NOIR, SANTA MARIA VALLEY, JULIA'S VINEYARD -- Black cherry, tea leaves, clove and a trace of dried thyme - and a succulence that makes the wine superb with grilled salmon. Yet another example of a Jess Jackson winner, from another of his estates.

Jess Jackson picked a difficult vintage to make his first Saint Emilion but his new chateau has yielded a lovely, ripe (but not too ripe) wine bursting with clean plum and fresh acidity; it is long, pure and beautifully balanced and showing rich fruit, soft oak and excellent breeding. An auspicious debut. Gorgeous package.

Spicy aromas, with red raspberry flavors. Moderate oak. Medium-complexity. Medium-bodied. Soft, easy texture.

Red delicately balanced, elegant and graceful, with a firm, supple beam of black cherry, mineral, mushroom and forest floor. The tannins and acidity give it a great backbone, making it tempting to drink now. Drink now through 2011.

Murphy-Goode, Alexander Valley (Sonoma county, California) Cabernet Sauvignon Murphy Ranch, Sarah Block 2002: If you wanted to find a textbook Cabernet Sauvignon, this would be a prime candidate. It has aromas and flavors of black currants and blackberries, very concentrated, very ripe and yet fresh. The wine's firm oak tannin on the rear palate is ably balanced by the wine's concentrated fruit character on the fore palate. Concentrated fruit on the finish indicates a potential for aging. A splendid Cabernet. 90 POINTS> Mary Ewing-Mulligan

Murphy-Goode, Alexander Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2002: I am keenly searching for California wines that offer distinctive character and competitive value in the world marketplace, and this is one of them. It offers fresh, flavorful, fleshy berry fruit that really shows the signature of Alexander valley, with very soft tannins and a juicy core of the fruit that could enable this to work well in all sorts of applications. As an aside, I don't care to drink red wine as a cocktail, but it is quite evidently the case that many people do, and this is a Cabernet that can be enjoyed in this mode while also being up to the challenge of pairing with serious food. 89 POINTS. Michael Franz

Good as ever, this vintage of the Yangarra Shiraz doles out plenty of juicy blackberry and blue berry fruit accented with fresh but subtle vanilla bean notes. Full and bouncy on the palate, and long on the finish. Winemaker Peter Fraser just doesn't know how to make bad wine.

Pierre Seillan made five different blends at Arceno in 2003; this one, based on cabernet franc, is the most elegant and impressive (the blend also includes 24 percent cabernet sauvignon and 17 percent merlot). Franc seems to pick up on the same kind of Tuscan tannin that well-grown sangiovese can, staunch and spicy with the feel of the earth. The fruit has a green peppercorn edge and a crushed stone minerality. Give this a few years to absorb some of the oak, then decant it for pepper steak.

Harvested from bush vines planted in 1946, this grenache has a range of fruit flavors. It starts off bright with wild strawberry scents, then darkens to black cherry and fig. The deep, savory finish tastes rich and ripe. A smooth grenache for rustic sausages or other fatty meats

Sleek and smoky, this wine has a rich velvet feel that draws out the sweetness of the tannins. A classic California style based on clean, ripe fruit, this is built for a New York steakhouse.

This 70-30 Grenache-Shiraz blend is full but very dry. Yangarra's first Rose has a strong core of minerality, dressed up with blackberry and raspberry fruit and a light orange-peel accent. Roses have reputations for being fun wines, and this one is too, but in this case, fun and serious aren't mutually exclusive.

This blend of grenache and shiraz with mourvedre is thick with black cherry flavor. An edge of tannin cuts the density, and brisk acidity cleans up the finish. For grilled lamb chops.

Smooth, black, herbal cabernet sauvignon dominates this blend with small amounts of merlot (10 percent) and syrah (5 percent). It's rich and simple, the flavors of new oak and blackened fruit lasting in the end. For chopped sirloin with a char off the grill.

Warm, smoky oak and cherry skin flavors meld with tannin to give a bitter chocolate flavor. Give this a few years for the fruit to come forward.

A vivid red, rich and velvety, brimming with plum, blackberry and cherry flavors wrapped in a veil of very fine tannins, weaving a dark chocolate note through the long, generous finish. Best from 2008 through 2015.

88 POINTS Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc Alexander Valley Reserve 2002; Ripe, with very good concentration to fig, pear, peach, tangy quince and honeysuckle tones. Refreshing lemony acidity folds into subtle vanilla tones on the finish. Drink now.