It is a full-bodied, unctiously-textured effort revealing notes of tangerine oil, honeyed grapefruit, peaches, and a hint of cloves. This pure, ripe, lusty Chardonnay should be drunk over the next 1-2 years.

The inky/purple-colored 2001 Stature Meritage exhibits aromas of lead pencil shavings, licorice, black currants, smoke, and minerals. This closed but medium to full-bodied red boasts outstanding richness, sweet, well-integrated tannin, and a serious finish that lasts 40+ seconds. This impressive 2001 needs 2-3 years of cellaring, and should keep for 15+.

Reveals the potential of some of the Jackson vineyards on higher elevations in Knight's Valley. Deep, rich, chunky, and full-bodied, it exhibits loads of black fruits intermixed with licorice, smoke, espresso, and a hint of chocolate. This could be an outstanding offering when released. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2016.

The fragrant bouquet reveals plenty of honeysuckle, macerated white fruits (especially peaches), spice oak, and caramel aromas. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, and good vigor, it will drink well for 12-18 months.

Another excellent offering is the 2001 Chardonnay Camelot Bench. There are 23,000 cases of this rich, ripe white. It offers abundant amounts of tropical fruits, a hint of honeysuckle, and well-integrated spicy oak.

More serious with an inky/purple color, full body, and impressive volume....reveals excellent to outstanding potential.

The finest of this quartet, the expansive 2002 Pinot Noir Russian River offer aromas of black cherry, earth, allspice, smoke, and a hint of white chocolate. This nicely-textured, rich, slightly tart, but authentic Pinot Noir will drink well foe 3-5 years.

Offers elegant cranberry strawberry, and currant flavors with notions of crushed rocks in the background. Medium-bodied and clean, it is best drunk over the next 3-4 years.

It offers attractive notes of black currants, cedar, spice box, licorice and toasty oak.

from a 2,000 foot altitude vineyard in cool Mendocino. Dense purple-colored, with sweet blue and black fruits intermixed with a touch of licorice as well as toast, this medium-bodied, fruit driven Merlot reveals surprising length in addition to a deep mid-palate. It should drink well young, yet keep for a decade.

The 2001 Pinot Noir Estate Carneros exhibits more underbrush, forest floor and cinnamon characteristics along with straightforward cherry and strawberry fruit. This medium-bodied Pinot is meant for immediate consumption.

The attractively priced 2001 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley is an elegant, dark ruby-colored Pinot offering a sweet perfume of herb-tinged black cherries, strawberries, and a notion of cranberries. Enjoy this lush, medium-bodied 2001 over the next 1-2 years.

The limited production 2001 Pinot Noir Nine Barrels was dominated by oak. The fruit quality is very good, offering notes of black cherries, strawberries and pomegranate. The oak should become more subdued with time, but Pinot Noir loses its fruit quickly.

Lastly, readers should check out the 1,400-case 2001 Syrah, a cool-climate offering revealing crisp underlying acidity as well as good sweet blackberry and black currant fruit. This medium bodied, superficial but tasty, easy going Syrah will drink well for 2-3 years.

The 2002 Vintner's Reserve Riesling is a classic example of this varietal, offering up aromas of peaches, apricots, and apple skins in a light-bodied, off-dry style. With good acidity as well as fresh, lively fruit, consumers can not ask for much more for $10. However, it needs to be consumed over the next year.

Also delicious, is the even less expensive 2002 Vintner's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. A crisp, elegant, fresh white, it reveals classic notes of melons, figs and dried herbs in a light-bodied, fruit-driven style.

The 2002 Grand Reserve Chardonnay exhibits a better balance between its fruit and oak. It offers notes of tropical fruits and orange marmalade along with medium body as well as good purity and ripeness.

Delicious...exhibits copious quantities of tropical fruits, subtle wood, medium body, underlying crisp acidity, and admirable purity. It is one of the two finest Chardonnay values in the marketplace.

Moving up a few dollars in price is the 2001 Grand Reserve Chardonnay, which is produced from Jess Jackson's vineyards on Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Sonoma. It possesses plenty of ripe tropical fruit, medium body, more oak but less charm than the Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, largely because of the wood component.

The 2002 Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir is a blend of equal parts fruit from Monterey, Santa Barbara, and the North Coast. It offers pleasant currant, plum, and dried herb characteristics in addition to a pleasant, open-knit style, good fruit, and medium body. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

Leaner, more muscular.

Another brilliant effort...a blend of primarily Mt. Veeder fruit as well as a bit from Howell Mountain. Made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, it is an impressively built red exhibiting an inky/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of creosote, blue and black fruits, and mineral characteristics. It is extracted, rich, layered, and long with high tannin that suggests 4-5 years of cellaring is required. It should keep for two decades

a brawny, muscular, full-sized Cabernet revealing plenty of intensity, beef, and muscle. This chewy, thick 2002 possesses a lot of tannin, but also impressive levels of extract as well as intensity. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 15-18.

reveals honeyed tropical fruit, medium to full body, gorgeous freshness, and a lively, long finish. Drink this lovely white over the next 2-3 years.

This excellent effort reveals a deep purple color as well as big, sweet, black cherry and berry aromas with hints of earth, toasty oak, and chocolate in the background. Ripe and medium-bodied, with broad flavor penetration, it should drink well for 7-8 years.