A slight hint of animal and earth at first, but then a full-force blackberry fruit. Pure and layered from 96-year-old vines. Hold for six months and then up to 2006.

It's not the first time that Cambria's Katherine's has performed at the top of our chardonnay tasting - the past two vintages have both scored 90 or above. This may be a big, buttery wine, with lots of corn-silk richness, but it is also remarkably fresh, continuing to express a lively, honeyed ocean-coast minerality the day after it's first opened. The firm, compact structure is all seashells, layered in white. That contrasts the earthier elements of mushrooms, ferns and dried honeycomb. In balance, it stays cool for all its size and alcohol, a zesty, substantial white for pork or turkey long-brined then roasted.

Presented in a clean, mineral-scented, Chablis style, this youthfully austere wine should develop well. The oak influence is subdued, just hinting at caramel and toast, while the lees character yields a beeswax texture, dried honey and the scent of herbs and scrub along the Pacific Coast. Stone Côte is a small block of the Durell vineyard planted on an ancient riverbed, windswept and cool, and it's grown a firm and lasting wine, one to pull from the cellar several years from now for a plateau des fruits de mer.

Clean as a Pacific rain, when you open this bottle, the wine has virtually no aroma but for a hint of dust on grape skins. Still, at that first moment, it feels clean and wholesome, the texture supple and composed. With air, it develops through scents of pistachio toward orange zest and kiwi, holding onto that fresh and natural ozone character of the coastal rain.

Clean as a Pacific rain, when you open this bottle, the wine has virtually no aroma but for a hint of the dust on grape skins. Still, at that first moment it feels clean and wholesome, the texture is supple and composed. With air, it develops through scents of pistachio toward orange zest and kiwi, holding onto that fresh and natural ozone character of the coastal rain. A steal at $16, buy this one by the case.

Fresh tangerine and light citrus fruit casts a lively sheen across the palate, the contrast of oak and ocean giving a dry, saline finish. A light, clean chardonnay, great with oysters.

Smelling of sweet oak, pineapples and a hint of cream, this rich and nicely balanced bottling delivers a good dose of immediate fruit in the mouth and sports a lovely counterpoint of oak spice. Medium-full-bodied, slightly rounded in feel and bright without being unduly beholden to acidity, it progresses cleanly to a long and well-focused finish and should hold up nicely over the next two or three years.

Bright, nicely oaked, ripe-apple fruit is the shining star of this juicy, slightly frontal and eminently likeable Chardonnay, and the wine's minor flirtations with sweetness are countered by a finely fit measure on lively acidity. Wholly enjoyable now, the wine nevertheless has the careful balance for further keeping and may well improve in bottle for another year or two.

An extra dollop of vanilla and toast. Plenty of big, balanced fruit, with true varietal character.

Round and rich, with tangy orange/pineapple fruit and a hint of sweetness.

Simple, varietal flavors dominate this pleasant, quaffable alternative to chardonnay. It is blended with semillon, viognier, pinot blanc and malvasia to give it broad dimension.

Fine, complex, slightly honeyed bouquet, lots of class. Excellent weight and lots of clear flavours and complexity, finely made.

Thinly fit with a bit of mild, cherryish fruit, this firm, unexpansive offering is underlain by stiff acidity, a note of stemmy bitterness and a touch of black-tea astringency. Always clean, but never rounded in the manner of first-rate Merlot, it makes no promise to grow into better but does have at least the minimum of fruit to hold up well for a few years yet.

Attuned to the ripe, lush side of Merlot's varietal character, this wine is among those that hue to the juicy, succulent side of the Merlot potential. It is open, ripe, fruity and enriched by a note of cocoa. Only nominally tannic, its willingness to be Merlot instead of Cabernet imitation is appreciated.

Simple, varietal flavors dominate this pleasant, quaffable alternative to chardonnay. It is blended with semillon, viognier, pinot blanc and malvasia to give it a broad dimension.

"This Monterey County pinot has deep, bold flavors of ripe black cherries and oak. It's big enough to serve with grilled food.

Fewer than 2000 cases of this excellent wine are produced annually by Pierre Seillan. It is tipped to become the next Harlan or Bryant Family, both of which retail at more than $300 per bottle. This costs just $95 a bottle or $1140 a case and should last 20-30 years.

Lots of very solid appley fruit sets this engaging effort firmly on the varietal track, and, in both aroma and flavor, sweet oak is a well-placed comlement rather than a potential scene stealer. Medium-full-bodied and as graceful in its balanced construction as it is composed in its inviting mix of fruit and oak, this finely crafted wine favors brightness over unbridled extract and will drink beautifully over the next several years with any number of meaty dishes ranging from salmon to sea bass.

This attractive, keenly focused offering reminds me that Syrah need not always key on runaway ripeness and heavy-handed extracts to achieve richness, and its precise, carefully composed display of berries, violets, pepper cream and spice is both complex and deceptively potent without ever being overblown. Moderately full-bodied, nominally tannic and firmed by a streak of nicely fit acidity, it steers clear of any undue heat or finishing toughness and should reach its peak in four or five years.

Apple and cherry orchard scents drive this broad, full-bodied Pinot, a solid expression of the Anderson Valley in clean, direct fruit and hints of oceanic iodine. Potent tannins come up with air, balancing the aromatic fruit, ending with the scent of apple-blossom honey. A formidable pinot for a crown roast of pork stuffed with apples.

This is the wine that started Jess Jackson's wine empire. It's hard to believe it has been around for 20 years. We remember this wine clobbering a nice batch of expensive white burgundies in a blind tasting 18 years ago. It's still fun to drink with its tropical fruit flavors and hint of citrus and toasty oak. We're sure to see this in another 20 years.

Rich cherry and blackberry fruit flavors, with notes of leather and licorice.