This red wine blend offers impressive complexity for the price and is widely distributed by K-J, which may lack in snob factor but makes quite reliable wines. The winery calls this wine a renegade because the blend includes both Bordeaux varieties and other grapes, including zinfandel, syrah and petite sirah. I'm not sure that makes it all that revolutionary - California produces lots of offbeat blends - but it's very tasty. It offers pure, penetrating black cherry, black currant and herb flavors and is smooth, balanced and ready to drink.

...black cherries and milk chocolate, very rich and smooth, with soft tannins.

There are at least six grape varieties from four counties that go into this eclectic blend, although about half of the wine is merlot. With that motley collection, it is defined by location, terroir or even grape variety. But it does have some nice flavors: cherry, currants, chocolate and mocha.

The 2005 Grand Reserve Meritage is lush and layered, and has such purity of fruit.

Deep, rich cherry flavors, with notes of roasted coffee, chocolate and a hint of rhubarb. Great acid. Complex.

We also enjoyed Kendall-Jackson Meritage, which had hints of cassis and licorice. It was bright and juicy with enough tannin at the end to work with a steak.

Very rich and deep and sweet but infantile. Quite aggressive and punchy. Not quite knit. Chewy.

Not bad, a little sharp and tannic, but it gets the basic Bordeaux job done. With blackberry and tobacco flavors, it's a five-county coastal blend.

The inaugural 2003 Meritage, which blends cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, is surprisingly complex.

Luscious and well balanced on the nose. Very rich and sweet and readier than the 2001 - supple tannins. Dark chocolate and velvet. Long. Slightly astringent finish.

Cedar smoke nose, concentrated black fruit flavours, complex finish. Fruit sourced from Napa's To Kalon and Oak Knoll vineyards.

One other new Kendall-Jackson wine deserves attention, the 2001 Stature, the winery's aromatic, complex and long entry in the Napa Valley's cult-wine sweepstakes. It shows here that it can turn out a meritage wine as deep and layered and with even better balance than some cult wines with higher profiles. The fruit is from several of the finer vineyards in Napa Valley, including To Kalon, Oak Knoll and Stagecoach.

Slight evolution of color on the rim. Highly aromatic...

When one thinks of the Kendall-Jackson label, one usually thinks of decent, value-priced wines in quantity. But K-J, as it's known in California, also makes a $95 Meritage called Stature that drinks well young but has the qualities to age for many years.

In just 20 years of existence, Kendall-Jackson has become one of the California wine industry's most amazing success stories, with dozens of brands at all price levels. But the quality remains high, and its Great Estates wines are made from some of the winery's best vineyards. Try the 1999 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and the 1999 Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon.

In just 20 years of existence, Kendall-Jackson has become one of the California wine industry's most amazing success stories, with dozens of brands at all price levels. But the quality remains high, and its Great Estates wines are made from some of the winery's best vineyards. Try the 1999 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and the 1999 Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon.

Full Body, Dry, Nose of blueberry, herb, toast, eucalpytus and barnyard: cherry bittersweet chocolate and dill flavors; a huge wine with big fruit and big tannins. Limited production

Appealing fruit flavors of blackberry and cherry. Port and root beer aromas. Some depth, Grippy tannins.

Sweet, creamy and so very polished in both its richly oaked nose and rounded, slightly juicy flavors, this up-front offering is very easy to like, yet its fruit comes up a touch short on energy and its finish fades to heat and dryness.

The Cabernet may define K-J's red wine portfolio. This is an excellent wine, made almost entirely of cabernet sauvignon grown in Napa, Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. Good complexity and depth of flavors, broad mouthfeel with soft tannins and layers of blackberries, plums, cassis and cedar.

Full-bodied with a velvety core of black fruits and cocoa, supple tannins and a modest prick of acid on the finish. Approachable now, it could probably cellar nicely for 10 years.

Black currant and cranberry nose, richly textured flavors, tobacco notes, sweet fruit finish