Grand Reserve Merlot comes primarily from Kendall-Jackson's premium hillside vineyards in Sonoma. The red berry fruit is lush and layered, with a finishing sheen of vanilla from aging in new oak barrels. Medium in body, it will match well with poultry and salmon but has sufficient structure to handle red meat.

A medium-bodied white wine such as Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay has citrus notes, ripe apple flavors, and a smooth creamy texture.

Soft and smooth, with a hint of cocoa that underscores the ripe fruit, this Merlot also imparts a suggestion of toasted bread

Blacksih purple. Tarry, inky aromas and a suggestion of over-ripeness on the palate. Lots of quite aggressive tannin, but I'd like to see a little more acidity and freshness of fruit, especially on the rather heavy finish. Picked 26 sept to 11 oct apparently with a record long post fermentation maceration of up to five weeks. Drink 2012-2018. 15.5/20 pts.

Elegant, subtle aromas. Juicy, ripe, rich palate. Tannins provide structure with acidity carrying flavours to long length. Up to five years.

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll

17th Annual Restaurant Wine Poll

Possibly the most famous and probably the most popular California Chardonnay, this rich wine is sourced from Kendall-Jackson's own vineyards around the state, including Santa Barbara and Mendocino.

Grown on a ridge-top west of Occidental, this wine develops into a beauty with long exposure to air. At first, new oak masks the fruit, and then clean flavors of fresh strawberry build their fragrance into a midpalate punch of brightness. It grows increasingly generous, the red fruit lasting into a finish that contrasts saline tannins with the chocolate richness of oak. The impression is cool, clean and luxurious, the wine needing three to six years' more bottle age to reach optimal maturity.

A little softer than Kendall-Jackson's Camelot Highlands, but no less delicious, with similar lemon drop and custard flavors and a tinge of sweet, ripe pear. The mouthfeel is round, creamy and full-bodied, with a complex veneer of toasty oak.

A first-rate Merlot at a good price for the quality. Dry and complex with a soft, velvety texture, this supple wine features blackberry, red cherry, cocoa and sweet dried herb flowers, finished with toasty oak.

2 Puffs, 91 Points Hartford Court Stone Côte Vineyard 2004 Sonoma Coast. Deep, ripe and rich with a handsomely balanced blend of obviously stated but never overdone apples, pears and creamy oak in its outgoing aromas, this wine has a plush, viscous feel at entry and sports a much appreciated stratum of buoyant acidity that uplifts its juicy, tasty, showy flavors across the palate and all the way into a very long and broad finish. It delivers a lot to like today, yet the wine has the depth and balance to grow a bit with a few years of bottle age.

This tannic, backward, structured, sizeable St.-Emilion exhibits a steely backbone, huge tannins, and equally huge extract. Reserved, weighty, and rich on the palate, it is a good choice for young readers who have the time to wait for it to come into focus and shed some of its tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030. P.S. This is the St.-Emilion estate of California visionary, Jess Jackson.

A huge, complex wine that flatters the palate with enormously rich, layered flavors of lemon drop, vanilla custard and butterscotch flavors. Fortunately, there's a crisp Central Coast acidity.

A savory, earthbound style of pinot, this yields a range of flavors beyond its youthful oak. Spicy tones of roasted root vegetables and darker elements, like black mushroom, combine with edgy acidity, all needing several years to meld.

Gentle and round with soft flavors of baked red cherries, this wine has a meaty texture and enough bloody tannin for roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.

A good dose of well-defined currants and lots of rich oak come together nicely in the nose and generous flavors of this precisely drawn young Cabernet, and, while never less than fully ripe, it is firmed by a fine spine of tannin that counters a brief sensation of softness to start. A big wine, but never an unrestrained blunderbuss, it is built for improvement and looks good to go for another four or five years of age.

Sweet scents of cherry and peppermint form a rustic balance with the earthy grit of tannin. Match the sweet flavor with roasted eggplant stuffed with pork.

This is young, sharp, jammy wine but has a depth of fruit and a rich structure that make it awfully likeable. Blackberries, cherries, blueberries, cocoa, coffee, it all adds up to a palate sensation.