Ripe, moderately fruity and graced with an attractive streak of lightly toasty oak, this ripe and fairly sizeable Pinot wanders to dryness in the mouth and is betrayed at the finish by a bit more heat than it can comfortably support.

Mild yet ripe sporting a bit of cherry pie, cooked sweetness, this wine is equally open and direct on the palate. Its soft texture and rounded feel make it a wine for the present, and finding it at a discount will add to its charms.

Counting on it's ample oak for character, this bottling serves up a certain spicy sweetness in both its aromas and the flavors while remaining fairly reserved in fruit. Soft and easy on the palate to start, it tastes faintly of dried cherries beneath a more obvious measure of vanilla, and it fades away quietly to a clean and uneventful finish.

Apricot aroma; fresh on the palate; dry and clean.

Easily the richest La Crema of the crowd, this ripe and generous wine comes up long on fruit and richness, and it sports an extra sense of succulence to its accessible cherry, oak and orange-rind flavors. It is fairly full and viscous with a slightly softer feel than that of its mates, and it, too, is marked by scant touches of concluding heat and coarseness.

A wonderful wine showing lemon and green apple flavors framed by high acidity and some dusty tannins. Highlights the cool climate of the appellation. Steely and minerally on the finish.

A fresh, vibrant wine that displays lemon and tart green apple flavors and a great heap of acid. Steely and clean, it cleanses the mouth. Try cellaring for a year or two and see what happens.

A clean Chard exhibiting rich South Coast characteristics of high acidity and tropical fruit. Oak plays a supporting role and provides a creamy texture. The wine is tight, but should improve.

Berries and plums, a sweet core, and plenty of tannic grip highlight this well-made mainstream effort.

Apricot Aroma; fresh on the palate; dry and clean.

Ripe melony and fig flavors, but with good cleansing acidity. Perfect aperitif or summer food wine.

Rich and ripe. Peach, pear and citrus fruit aromas carry through in the flavors. A hint of spice. Nice, lingering finish.

Medium-deep, ruby red color, deep plum and black cherry aromas with a touch of toasty oak; rich and concentrated black cherry and plum flavors, good structure, great balance and finish. This Pinot's balance just says it all. Everything is here that you want - all in balance.

A delicate, subtle style, weaving together hints of smoke, charred wood, wet earthen floor and cherry-raspberry flavors that linger. Mild tannins.

Medium ruby red color; spicy, strawberry, cherry aromas; lighter in body, good acidity, spicy, strawberry fruit, lingering finish. Ripe, bright, light in body, this is pleasant to drink and would go with a lot of lighter foods.

Classy with some real stuff, yet quite easy to drink.

Complex and full-bodied. Integrated tannins. Rich blackberry and cherry flavors. Notes of coffee, chocolate and licorice.

Plum, berry and mocha nose flavors with nice vanillin oak. Rich and ready to drink. A great tribute to the Syrah grape.

Lush, vibrant tropical fruit flavours along with vanilla and pear.

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.

Youthful aromas of fresh pears and Gala Apples sit beneath a mild veneer of creamy oak in its attractive aromas, yet, once in the mouth, the wine is very simple, never so well defined in fruit and slightly sugary in character with crisp, slightly citric acidity stiffening its finish.

KJ's least expensive Chardonnay is a straightforward look at the varietal and features both sweet apple- and pear-like qualities with minimal intrusion from oak. It shows an edge of sugar to its soft and easy flavors, but its ultimate use is as a simple, light quaff or mealtime mate.