Good full bright ruby. Spicy black fruit, minerals, licorice, shoe polish, espresso and lead pencil on the nose. Dense and rather muscular; powerfully structured cabernet but already exudes an attractive restrained sweetness. Finishes with substantial but dusty tannins and very good length.

Bright, dark, red ruby. Aromas of cassis, graphite and smoky oak, plus a hint of menthol. Brooding, briary flavor of dark berries…

Good dark red. Brooding aromas of dark raspberry, cherry syrup, smoky, loam and mint. Broad, lush and quite dry; I get more texture than ripeness and depth of flavor. Fairly tannic finish calls for a year or so of patience.

Bright and earthy, with a lot of fruit sweetness balanced by plum-skin astringency. The waxy fruit and super-ripe plum-prune character will add depth to spicy lamb.

Deep red. Inviting aromas of dark chocolate, tobacco and smoky, toasty oak. Stylish and accessible but lacks real sweetness and depth. Shows good vinosity and subtle length, though.

Cherry, plum, currant, milk chocolate, menthol and spice on the nose. Fat, round and sweet; nicely integrated acids give the red-currant flavor lovely vinosity. Finishes with fairly substantial tongue-dusting tannins.

Big, with juicy fruit aromas- apple and pear predominating. Citrus and apple flavors on the medium-weight palate. Mild apple and toast on the lengthy finish, which feels a touch heavy…

medium-deep red. Floral, perfumed aromas of red cherry, raspberry, cinnamon and loam, complicated by herbal and spicy nuances. Juicy and supple in the mouth, with bright red cherry flavors complicated by earthy low tones.

Solid, with pear and buttery aromas. Fairly rich fruit with menthol oaky accents on the medium-weight palate. Toasty oak predominates on the finish. Lots of flavor, but it ends up a bit heavy.

Chocolate and berry aromas vie for the spotlight. Soft, almost sweet in the mouth, with solid berry fruit and dried herbs. Finishes with a healthy dose of buttery, chocolatey oak …

Good ruby-red. Black cherry, black plum, tobacco and an herbal nuance on the nose. Shows some density in the mouth…

Aromas of honey, lemon, butterscotch and oak. Supple, textured and fairly fat, with just enough acidity to maintain its balance.

…pretty cherry and strawberry flavors with good acid levels and a velvety texture.

A Chardonnay look-alike, with pronounced vanilla and butter notes and subtle peach flavors.

Toasty, nutty aromas, intense raspberry flavors, espresso finish.

Beautiful tropical flavors and aromas with good acidity and toasty on the finish. From Santa Maria Valley.

Elegant and flowery, with toast and a hint of lemon. Real restraint.

This wine maker handled its oaking carefully, with the poached pear, butter and apple flavors are carried through from the aroma to the finish, with the pear being most dominant. 'This is a sequential wine,' one of my experts said, meaning the flavors kept coming through one at a time. My group rated it #1 in the tasting.

One chef called this great food wine, particularly if paired with smoked quail and dried cherries.

Offers enough ripe berry and raspberry flavors to hold your interest, turning dry and austere.

...pleasant array of floral , raspberry and dried cherry…

Big and ripe, but there's a tough twinge of bitterness to the wild berry, raspberry and ripe Zinfandel fruit flavors.

Ever wanted to tasted a full blown, cool climate, reserve chardonnay after it's had time to gain weight in the bottle? Look no further than the '96 Cambria Reserve. The winery still has a bit left and it's a knockout. The nose of tropical fruit, apple, coconut and toast is dead give away that there' something special in the glass. The same flavors echo on the palate but in such a symbiotic way it's hard to pick them viscous, this chard will leave a hedonistic imprint on your brain.

Ripe and round, somewhat more cherryish in tone than one expects of Syrah, but also sporting a suggestion of ripe blackberries as well, this wine is just a bit dry and soft with slight thinness in its middle and latter palates but it should make a decent partner to grilled meats.

It delivers attractive aromas of ripe berries, oak and a proper bit of peppery spice…