Lush and delicious, this richly fruited wine roars from glass with a serious, yet still sexy plum, chocolate, spice and cedar nose. Plush tannins and an even mouthfeel full cherry, plum and cocoa flavors, and this impressive first release finishes long and dry. Appealing now, but has tannins to lose. Should be even better in two years. Hold until 2008.

Dark and mouthwatering, this cabernet strikes a natural balance between the juiciness of its plummy red currant fruit and the succulent richness of its tannins. The freshness of acidity plays as important a role as the tannin, creating a transparency to the earthy expression of the wine, ultimately simple but clear and true. Principally grown in Rutherford and Oakville, this cabernet's red and rusty chime of fruit will resonate...

Begins with inviting blackcurrant and cassis aromas and notes of dark chocolate, smoke and plums. There's a voluptuous, seductive texture with velvety smoothness, and the flavors are of perfectly ripened berries framed in vanilla-tinged oak. Soft and complex with a stylish finish, this beauty is ready to drink now.

These two single-vineyard selections (1999 Bench Break Vineyard Chardonnay) from Cambria are sitting in their oak right now. The quality and character of other recent releases make it more likely that the leesy flavors of barrel age and dominant scent of wood sap will yield to the soft and zesty fruit underneath. Right now, there's a touch of lemon grass and sandy elegance to the finish, ready for substantial fish like arctic char. In time, that citrus fruit may absorb some of the oak and enrich itself further.

Smells rich and chocolaty, with blackberry and plum scents framed in plush, smoky oak. You'll like the richly sweet flavors, offering layers of berries and tree fruits, and the lush structure provided by fine, dusty tannins. It's overtly soft, with low acidity, and very flattering on the palate.

Taken to super-ripeness, this robust, prune-scented cabernet blend has the grip of black tannins and the grit of black pepper. It's more about structure than fruit at this early stage, emphasizing Indian spices, cumin and darker, richer cocoa. Cellar this to let the fruit emerge.

Aromas of smoke, plum, earth , espresso and blackberry are pleasant. In the mouth, the flavors are terrifically extracted, with pronounced berry and stone-fruit notes that are very dry. It's on the soft side, with velvety tannins. The lip-smacking finish is deliciously spicy.

The wine's tropical fruit is blunted by oak; ripe as white peach, it's darkened by minerals and tree sap to disappear in the end. Place it with a veal stew to occupy the oak, and give the fruit a chance to make a comeback.

Toasty oak and cinnamon aromas team up with lovely pear, apple, citrus and spice flavors. Fleshy-textured, with a moderate finish.

From six coastal counties, a varietally true Pinot at an everyday price, which is a rare thing. Delicate aromas of beet, mushroom, hard spice, tea and black cherry precede a balanced, silky, dry wine, with good berry flavors and a sprinkling of dusty tannins.

Forward tropical fruit nose with spicy oak backnotes; crisp acidity, layered fruit; quintessential California Chardonnay.

Dusty spice, brushy herbaceousness and dried cherry notes are the essential themes of this medium-bodied Pinot Noir...the wine's flavors are quite clean...

Tasting for all the world like the inexpensive wine that it is, this soft, open, nicely rounded effort neither attempts nor achieves complexity, but it manages to convey a decent sense of varietal cherries, and, with Pinot, that is not always the easiest thing to do. No budget buster this, it comes in high on the list of values.

A California premium favorite...

Dark, earthy notes punctuate smoked-meat and bright cherry aromas. Turns leathery, spicy and meaty on the full-bodied palate, finishing with firm tannins. Structured, complex and built to age...

A step up in richness from the wine below and far more reliant on toasty oak spice, this weighty, moderately full-bodied Pinot displays a good measure of ripe cherry fruit and shows an extra bit of fleshy extract and tannic grip. It finishes on the coarse and slightly ragged side just now, but it has the fruity heart it needs for age, and it should continue to grow and soften for another four or five years.

A huge success, very ripe and concentrated, with juicy plum, blackberry, black cherry, mint, sage and spice attributes. Well-focused and firmly tannic, with a solid follow- through. Drink now through 2008.

Very complete, with ripe, supple blackberry, cedar, plum, herb, sage and dill flavors that are focused and elegant. Finishes with well-integrated tannins. Drink now through 2006.

This rich, wholly accessible Pinot holds nothing in reserve, and it leads with concentrated aromas of ripe cherries and creamy oak that are paralleled in character by its deep but open and not-so-complicated flavors. Despite a trim of tannin at the very end, the wine is biased to softness throughout, and it will likely show its very best face as a near-term partner to savory veal dishes rather than being left to age for more than a year or two.

Jammy berries - sweet and sour - and smoky oak open this even, smooth and well-structured wine. Shows nice weight without being heavy. Has good length and moderate tannins on the close, along with a reprise of jammy fruit and smoke.

Traditional viognier aromas of sweet nectarine and peach. A creamy, lighter style and yet crisp. Well balanced.

Black cherry, currant, sandalwood and fresh herb notes are wrapped within slightly green tannins.

A tremendous effort, very rich and full-bodied, with plush tannins wrapped around a complex, concentrated core of earthy currant, toasty oak, hints of sage and chocolate and rich black cherry fruit. Beautifully focused, elegant and tapered on the long, detailed finish.

Austere and tannic, yet it's a very deliberate, seamless style, with layers of rich currant, plum and black cherry fruit, plus hints of toast, anise, sage, cedar and berry, all tightly wound and sharply focused. Complex, concentrated aftertaste.

Impressive for its array of ripe plum, currant, blackberry and wild berry flavors, it offers depth, richness, concentration and length. Cedary oak and fine grained tannins are well-proportioned. Drink now through 2006.