Well-balanced, elegant and understated, with pleasant green apple, citrus and honeydew melon flavors that turn simple.

There's good depth to bright lemon, pear, apple and toasty oak flavors that linger through the finish.

Has faint matchstick aromas and is a touch coarse; flinty, mineral, citrus and pear flavors should soften a bit with short-term cellaring. Drink now through 2006.

Good intensity, with smoky orange peel, dried cherry, raspberry and spice. Lively acidity and well-integrated tannins.

Nicely focused apple, vanilla, quince, and fig flavors integrate with toasty oak character turn ample on the finish. Drink now.

Sturdy, pleasant red offers a nice core of blackberry fruit and a touch of vanilla to make it gentle on the finish.

Light, fruity, supple, appealing for its pretty cherry and strawberry flavors.

A stunning wine that could pass for a top Batard-Montrachet from Burgundy. Rich and deeply flavored, but also fresh and well-defined, thanks to excellent acidity.

One of the best American Pinots I've ever tasted - and at a very reasonable price - this features sweet black cherry fruit with subtle herbal undertones and just the right touch of smoky oak.

Strong flavors of peaches and baked apples, with fresh acidity effectively balancing the wine's full ripeness.

Hartford Family Winery 2000 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($22.00):

A big jammy zinfandel, with blueberry and blackberry fruit flavors. Bright and tart, full-bodied and balanced. Notes of oak and chocolate. Nice finish.

...the intense, impressively filled Edmeades 2000 Anderson Valley warrants inclusion on your shopping list.

The juicy, abundantly fruity La Crema 1999 Russian River Valley remains a highly recommended favorite...

Hartford's blended Zin is filled with exuberant aromas of jammy Zinberry fruit, baking spices like cinnamon and clove, bittersweet chocolate and black pepper. The vibrant mixed-berry flavors are rich and satisfying , finishing with a touch of warmth and softness.

This wine from Kendall-Jackson's Australian outpost offers aromas of butter, clove and tropical and citrus fruits. Dried spice flavors accent soft peach and vanilla, finishing with a touch of tangerine.

Nicely focused apple, vanilla, quince, and fig flavors integrate with toasty oak character turn ample on the finish. Drink now.

Light and brightly fruity, relatively firm in support of its berry and mineral flavors, which echo nicely.

Packs in lots of ripe, rich, complex flavors, with buttery pear, fig, apricot and earthy citrus, finishing with pretty, toasty oak and a long, complex aftertaste.

Firm, with modest pear, fig and butterscotch flavors that pick up anise and smoky notes on a medium-bodied frame.

A breezy, buttery offering, it boasts hazelnut and tropical fruit flavors, plenty of fat and lushness, and a smoky, Meursault-like character. Drink this sexy, opulent, full-flavored Chardonnay over the next several years.

The dark plum-colored, 2000 Pinot Noir Bench Break Vineyard exhibits a complex floral, currant, cherry, and blueberry characteristics. Medium-bodied, with well-integrated acidity, wood and tannin, this beautiful effort is nearly exceptional. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. Lacking the texture of the Benchbreak as well as the super-friendly style of the Julia's.

...offers up big, sweet, black cherry and berry aromas along with hints of asphalt, smoke and earth. Nicely-textured, medium to full-bodied, and soft...

…rustic tannin, abundant quantities of earthy notes, crisp, tangy acidity, and medium body.