Easy drinking and balanced, this food-friendly Zin has pleasant cherry and berry flavors and a hint of peppery spice in the finish. It's nice and dry, with a polished mouthfeel.

Here's a Merlot that is wonderfully complex, with an intriguing mix of black plum, black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, eucalyptus and espresso. It should soften with time.

Here's a Merlot that is wonderfully complex, with an intriguing mix of black plum, black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, eucalyptus and espresso. It should soften with time.

captures the floral freshness of Riesling, then rounds it out with dashes of Gewurztraminer and Viognier. Most of the fruit comes from cooler Monterey County, where long sunny days and cool nights help develop flavors while maintaining acidity. Off-dry with peachy fruit notes, it's a wine to enjoy as a cocktail or sip with sushi.

This is one of the better wines produced by Kendall-Jackson, a winery that focuses on wines with broad appeal. Although the aromas are a bit light, the flavors are medium-strong, well-balanced and refined. Enjoy the wine's deliciously smooth texture with light-flavored meats such as pork.

Well-defined as Syrah with glints of peppery spice and nominal oak seasonings scattered throughout its length. Gets the job done at a very fair price.

hints quietly at varietal cherries and a splash of oaky spice.

Classic regional style; sumptuous, rich, black fruits in an envelope of dark chocolate; alcohol (for better or worse), part of the style.

Strong red-purple; sweet, luscious, juicy berry grenache varietal character; soft tannins and subtle oak.

This mild and rather minimalist wine is drawn along slightly smaller lines in most respects, but it is clean, flirts with a bit of green apples and is reasonably crisp in basic balance.

Really good for 'buttery' people, with spice, nutmeg, tangerine and a little bite at the end.

This is a very toasty style with a hint of new shoe leather on the nose, yet the ripe black cherry and raspberry fruit shines through, with hints of spice and tar. It finishes with coating tannins and racy acidity.

Fairly showy, although on the tart side. Black fruit flavors, with notes of herbs and licorice.

Expect tannins of this youngster to round out with time in the bottle. For the impatient, it offers juicy pomegranate, black cherry and blackberry fruit, plus hints of pine, toast and tobacco. The lingering finish has refreshing acidity.

The medium-bodied, crisp 2004 Sauvignon Blanc possesses pleasant lemon zest, honey, fig, melon, and stone fruit notes. Drink it over the next year.

Rich and elegant. A big, juicy pinot. Aromas and flavors of cherry, chocolate and coffee. A toasty finish.

Brambly berry character, pepper and spice that first attracted me to zinfandel.

Good intensity. Medium-bodied. Aromas and flavors of blackberry and black currant. Nice mouth-feel. Balanced.

This chardonnay feels gentle and sure. The flavors follow an elegant line, nothing overstated. It's cool and generously long, the fruit and acidity incorporated in a flavor of lemon and kumquat, the oak reading as light spice, cinnamon and caraway. Suited to age, or to grilled bluenose bass,

This single-vineyard beauty is made in the full-bodied, oaky-leesy style that California wines labeled Gris usually are. With time, it has mellowed into something marvelous, a totally dry, acidic wine of unusual finesse and balance

This fragrant young grenache has sweet berry flavors that end light and brisk. A touch of gaminess in the aroma gives it some extra weight. For grilled burgers.

Clean flavors of lychee nut balance a fresh, mineral acidity, placing this wine with Sole Veronique

...ripe melon fruitiness leading the way.

Even better is the super-complex 2005 Highland Estates Chardonnay Seco form estate vineyards in Monterey. Made from both the Dijon and Rued Chardonnay clones, it offers up exotic aromas of tropical fruits, spring flowers, and a hint of litchi. Full-bodied with admirable fruit purity and presence as well as a striking minerality, this cuvee saw 35% new oak in its upbringing. However, the oak component in all of these Chardonnays is minimal.