An elegant, sweet nose of espresso roast, chocolate, berries, kirsch, smoke, incense, and roasted meats is followed by a full-bodied, unctuously-textured wine with superb fruit, richness, complexity, and length. Its sweet tannin and heady personality suggest current accessibility as well as the ability to age for 15-20 years.

Possesses elegant citrus oil, orange and lemon blossom notes, a beautifully textured, full-bodied mouthfeel, tremendous purity, and a long finish with well-integrated wood.

Smoky, plum, black raspberry, sandalwood, celery salt, barnyard, compost aromas. Rich, round, supple and intense with good acidity and balance. Ripe cherry, vanilla, licorice, orange pekoe, and cardamom flavours. Long, warm and intense with great fruit.

This gorgeously rich effort reveals a Pinot Noir-like sensitivity along with a seductive, fragrant nose of black raspberries, cherries, spice box, pepper, and earth. In the mouth, it's a flamboyant, seductive, expansive, full-bodied, savory wine with beautifully integrated acidity, wood, alcohol, and tannin. Drink this decadent Zin over the next 5-6 years.

Exhibits a deep ruby/purple color, more structure and tannin than its sibling, along with abundant amounts of creme de cassis fruit intermixed with notions of licorice and flowers. Structured with good minerality as well as a spicy, full-bodied finish, it should be at its peak between 2007-2018+.

An abyss of black pepper on the nose, with some whiffs of white cotton. Imagine strapping an eight-cylinder engine to a basket full of berries and black peppercorns and watching it go: That’s what this wine tastes like. It’s full-throttle and fruit-ripe, with lifted fruit, spice and black pepper on the finish. Imported by Yangarra Estate Vineyard.

An intriguing honeysuckle, orange rind, nectarine, and lemon butter-scented and flavored effort. The fleshy, full-bodied, rich, well-textured Chardonnay to drink over the next 2-3 years.

The softest, most flamboyant of this trio. It possesses a plump, seductive perfume of black currants, cherry liqueur, raspberries, plums, and figs, great ripeness, sweet tannin, full-bodied, powerful flavors, a silky palate, and an alluring voluptuousness. Drink it over the next 15+ years.

A contrast of plump, succulent fruit and hard, stony tannin, this gives a clear taste of Howell Mountain intensity while remaining floral and fine. The violet scents and the dark earthiness should grow into deeper complexity as it ages. Cellar through 2012 or '14.

Ironically, already out of stock because of the movie Sideways that never made it up to the spectacular Santa Maria Bench. Look for notes of dill and strawberry mixed with black cherry and rhubarb textures preview bits of cinnamon game and black fruit flavours. Stylish, intense pinot.

The Russian River pinot is hedonistic in style sporting plenty of mixed black fruits on the nose with streaks of barnyard in the background. Rich and supple, it is mouth-filling without too much sweetness. The finish is balanced with earthy strawberry notes. Delicious drinking pinot to accompany the turkey.

Offers up scents of kirsch liqueur, raspberries, roasted meats, and herbs, a sweet attack and mid-palate, stunning purity, and a long concentrated finish. This beauty should drink well for decade.

Boasts copious quantities of blackberry, licorice, peppery, fiery fruit and spice, good underlying acidity, and a full-throttle, blockbuster finish. Consume it over the next 7-8 years.

Reveals a dark ruby/purple color along with an elegant, Pinot Noir-like nose of crushed rocks, raspberries, and briery boysenberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, ripe, extraordinarily well-balanced, and elegant, it should drink well for 5-7 years.

Displays a dense purple color along with huge flavor intensity, but its extremely high acidity is almost painful. I really do not know what to make of this wine. I suspect the high acid will allow it to age well past ten years, but whether it will ever completely open and be totally balanced is questionable.

Notions of peaches, honeysuckle, and pineapple are followed by a medium-bodied, elegant, crisp, stony style. IT could pass for a California version of a grand cru Chablis.

A suave pinot noir that your boss can drink now or cellar. Look for a fresh cherry/berry nose with super bright fruit flavours. Likely and supple with silky tannins and a touch of tea leaves in the finish. Excellent. Should be a restaurant standard. Pair with turkey or salmon.

Displays more orange marmalade, honeysuckle, concentrated citrus oil, and lemon butter characteristics. Spicy, rich, and full-bodied, it is an outstanding Chardonnay to enjoy over the next 1-2 years.

This sleek cabernet has a soft texture and a green peppercorn flavor has a soft texture and a green peppercorn flavor that feels hard edged at first, needing air to meld into the wine. When it does it makes the wine feel rounder, still edgy enough for pepper steak.

Black and tannic, this wine is dominated by its oak for now, providing a range of exotic spices over the fruit. Underneath, there's a red cherry and black pepper flavor that should absorb those spicy wood tannins as the wine ages. The wine has plenty of energy to go the distance.

Exhibits a medium dark ruby color as well as a big, sweet nose of raspberries, pomegranate, cranberries, and allspice. Round, rich, and elegant with a hint of sassafras, it should be drunk over the next 5-7 years.

Appears less concentrated, but more front-end loaded and superficial. Its dense ruby/purple color is followed by sweet, concentrated black fruits intermixed with charcoal and floral notes.

Dark, ruby color, significant structure, tannin, weight, and flesh, its dominant flavor characteristic is spicy black cherries dripping with oak. It will benefit from another year of bottle are, and work well for 4-5 years.