Deep, dark ruby purple color; slightly closed cassis, blackberry notes on nose; big and tannic, there is ample blackberry and cassis fruit underneath, great structure and a finish that goes on and on. This Pinot is huge and tannic, but there's no doubt that this is a Pinot of character, I think the fruit is there to reward some patience in the cellar.

Form acidity is wrapped around a core of earthy, leesy, pear and citrus flavors, gaining complexity on the finish. A little time in the bottle may help.

Quite austere, with citrusy, appley, minerally flavors and tart acids. This is not your usual fruit monster, although oak and lees do their best to add nuance and complexity. A good wine that is versatile at the table.

From coastal counties between Mendocino and Santa Barbara, a nice, supple wine that has plenty of Pinot character. Don't expect depth or ageability, but this black raspberry-flavored wine has a soft, silky tannins and a spicy finish.

Simple and innocent, a small Sauvignon with hints of citrus fruits and figs. Very dry, with crisp acidity and a clean, peppery finish.

Expressive black cherry licorice cola compost aromas waft out of the glass. Definitely cherry plum and vanilla flavours with creamy smoke and just a dusting of tannin. Quite a spicy aftertaste. Despite an open top fermentation regime with punch downs four times a day and nine months barrel ageing in 44 per cent French oak barrels this unfiltered and unfined pinot is extremely elegant.

A very good wine for the price and a panel favorite. Supple with black pepper, mocha, blueberry, menthol, black fruit, spice and toasty aromas and flavors, soft yet complex.

A core of cherry fruit with a good dollop of oak. Notes of ginger and orange peel.

Smooth as a politician's promise.

Really good fruit, ripe and tasty. Plenty of nutmeg, but well-balanced, with nice restraint.

Orange blossom character atop sweet vanilla, toast, lime, baking spice and baked apples; flavors of mango, banana, pear and tropical fruit; round and full with decent acidity on the finish that shows some citrus and more toasty oak.

Rich and buttery - a big wine with sweetness on entry. Clean, bright aromas and flavors of vanilla, orange zest, papaya, fresh pineapple with toast and toffee. Nice balance of oak and malolactic characteristics.

A truly expressive take on merlot, its lush cherry-berry fruit punctuated with a note of eucalyptus.

Despite its marked alcohol of 14.1%, this wine smells of dried grapes with a bent to late harvest concentration. What it lacks in aroma, and does not find on the palate either, is a strong center of fruitiness. Its tannins remain robust, and there is no evidence of early senescence here, yet, for all of its sinew, it is a wine that seems to us to have arrived at its showy best. Further aging may bring additional softness, but there is no guarantee that its fruit will maintain.

Buttery and almondy, really very sweet. Ripe and full and really good, balance after sweet ripe fruit. Well made.

Ripe, lemony nose. Quite rich, juicy, fair acidity, reasonably concentrated and bright, not complex but balanced and persistent.

An all around lighter look at Zinfandel, this ripe, rounded, nicely balanced bottling brings together a bit of varietal berries with a modest sprinkling of vanillin oak. Hardly memorable but entirely useful, it makes the grade as an affordable foil to highly-piled platters of barbecued ribs.

Celebrating 20 years as one of California's most popular chardonnay producers, this is a blend sourced from six different coastal appellations, barrel fermented and aged seven months in French oak. It's a typically soft, easy yet complex and very tasty K-J chardonnay, with generous butterscotch, spice and pineapple-banana fruit. Warm, creamy and sweetish on the finish, with very good to excellent length.

Like others in this tasting, the wine shows its ripeness as the first order of business, and while that trait night ordinarily put us off a bit, this wine has made a virtue of its intensity, its depth, its mix of berry concentrate and dark chocolate and its incredible richness. It will lose fruit as it ages further, yet it promises to retain richness and its inviting early texture, even as it also loses tannin.

Massive concentration and depth. Classic style. New oak but balanced. Still youthful but pronounced fruit. Fantastic weight, depth, and flavour. Long finish.

Saturated medium ruby. Great super-ripe aromas of blackberry, violet, roast coffee, chicory and minerals. A huge, mouthfilling wine that coats every square millimeter of the mouth. Offers great sweetness and flavor intensity without any excess weight, thanks to the perfectly integrated acidity. Finishes with big toothdusting tannins and great persistence and thrust. I'd love to slip a sample of this in a tasting of St. Emilion wines.

Saturated medium ruby. Roasted blackberry and blueberry, bitter chocolate and black pepper on the nose. Urgent and vinous, with syrupy sweetness of fruit, superb concentration and a strong suggestion of wet slate. Very much like tasting a barrel sample, but with the clarity of flavor of a finished wine. Ends with serious, firm tannins and outstanding lingering sweetness of fruit.

Medium ruby-red. Superripe aromas of red berries, coffee, tar and tobacco, with an exotic hint of blackberry liqueur. Rich, dense, large-scaled and chewy but quite dry, with very ripe berry, chocolate and licorice flavors. Lush, seamless and sophisticated. Finishes very long and ripe, with smooth, melting tannins.