Focused on bright, mildly melony fruit, but decked out with lots of grassiness and a deft bit of creamy oak, this very well-crafted wine is both interesting and also easy to drink. Slightly rounded in texture, yet always lively and light on its feet, it truly earns the food friendly epithet that is so often used in describing the attractions of the grape.

One cannot help but be impressed by this wine's keen focus on ripe blackberries and its solid structure. It is fairly viscous but not heavy on palate, and its somewhat brusque tannins are within reasonable expectations for the variety.

Bright, plum-berry fruit, round with light tannin; delivers fine berry flavours.

Huge and intense in every respect. Dark and extracted, high in toasty oak, dense in tannins, tingly in acidity, and most of all, enormous in fruit. Waves of plum and blackberry cascade across the palate, ending in a burst of spice and mocha. Drink now through 2010.

From a high mountain vineyard over the Alexander Valley. The wine is clearly built for the cellar. Deep down you'll find a solid core of well-ripened cherry fruit.

Here's a Chard with great interest and distinction. Strikes the mouth with a mineral and steel firmness that's sleek and streamlined, but then a rich tone of sweet tropical fruits, vanilla and buttered toast bursts on the palate. The pineapple and mango is very intense, and coats the tongue through a long finish. Nervy, balanced and quite delicious.

Round and soft, with spice, cream, pear and fig flavors framed by vanilla and lemony acidity on the finish.

Fragrant fruit and floral aromas lead to an elegant band of spicy pear, apple, tangerine and apricot flavors that are focused, complex and concentrated. Finishes with a clean, zesty aftertaste. Drink now through 2008.

Stock up on Petite Sirah. It just could be the next hot California varietal. No varietal won more regional awards...Kendall-Jackson Vineyards 2001 VR California Petite Sirah, named the best wine with a California appellation. It was made entirely with Mendocino County fruit.

Made in the wine-blessed trinity of Northern California counties, this serious wine requires the drinker's patience and attention. Structured with firm but ripe tannins, it is built to last, with powerfully focused flavors of cherry, plum, blackberry, cedar, leather and toasty oak that slowly reveal themselves in the glass. Drink it now with a sirloin and a side of sauteed wild mushrooms or leave it in the cellar to enjoy later with some of California's artisinal cheeses.

Vintner Jess Jackson owns some of Northern California's most coveted vineyards, extending from the Pacific Coast to the inland valleys. This wine serves up a complex collage that comes from vines growing in three different region: Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. Soft Napa Valley tannins make it smooth and lush, while the flavors range from blackberry, cassis and chocolate to coffee and herbs--often found in Napa and Sonoma grapes. On the finish, the wine shows a hint of bright-edged anise, surely a mark of the cooler Mendocino climate.

K-J is anything but a boutique winery, but because of its nearly unlimited resources, it has pulled out all stops to craft a wine more akin to a small-production, high-quality-oriented facility. The fruit for this blend comes from hillside vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Valleys. The wine has a deep purple/black color, a deep nose of black currants, chocolate, mint and toasty oak. On the palate it is full-bodied and creamy, with concentrated fruit, soft texture and just enough tannic structure to give it focus.

Generous toasty oak notes accent herb, olive and berry flavors, with tart tannins. Drink now through 2006.

Wash down clams or oysters with this ultra-crisp, high-acid white.

Remarkably rich and distinctive for its depth and purity of flavor. The core apple, honeydew melon and pear flavors are ripe and vibrant, with excellent concentration and length. Finishes with a hint of toasty oak, which adds a nice dimension. Drink now through 2008.

Look for a huge floral, pineapple, mango/citrus nose with honey and peach aromas and a spicy, creamy vanilla note. Rich, round and oily like most big chardonnays yet it is still elegant thanks to a mineral / citrus baked apple undercurrent. The flavours are peach, mango, honey, creamy spicy lees with a floral, creamsicle undercurrent. Long, intense and balanced with good acidity and a creamy, citrus apple finish. Great stuff.

Bright and lush with lovely, juicy fruit and bright acidity.

Rich black cherry flavors and a healthy dose of chocolate dominate this full-bodied merlot from one of California's largest wine producers. The wine fits neatly into Merlot's flavor profile and even without a lot of distinction represents a well-structured, food-friendly reserve merlot at a reasonable price.

Golden apple, lemon, ripe pineapple, fig and hint of charred oak on the nose; similar flavors plus caramel, toast and brown spice; crisp acidity; balanced; cedar/clove on the finish.

Perfumed floral and ripe pear and butterscotch flavors lead to a rich, complex wine that unfolds gracefully on the palate, gaining depth and nuance while retaining its sense of elegance and finesse. Drink now through 2007.

Dark and ripe, with juicy black cherry and blackberry flavors that are smooth and polished, picking up a touch of anise, earth and spice on the finish. Drink now through 2007.

This is an excellent value because it delivers lots of fruit from California's coastal vineyards. Forward blackberry and cassis flavors with a racy and oaky finish.

Eaglepoint has both a little petite Sirah and Syrah in the blend. It's a voluptuous wine with wild aromas of roses, mint, lavender and jammy blackberries, with tons of clean fruit flavors and good acid to keep it from being overwhelmingly fruity.