Wine of the Week: Willamette Valley Pinot NoirIn Willamette Valley, it’s all about location, location, location, and the Zena Crown Vineyard in the Eola-Amity appellation is the epitome of the adage. Winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash has been lucky enough to take some of the best grapes from this consistently cool climate and well-drained volcanic soil for her 2018 Penner-Ash Zena Crown Pinot Noir. The pretty bouquet sports scents of red cherry and bright red berry. Flavors of cherry, baking spices and clove feel silky smooth in the mouth. A hint of cocoa on the back of the palate really adds a delightful note to the beautiful, lush finish.

The wine has intriguing gamey aromas with mixed flavors of piquant, dried berries, and hints of ripe plum — lean, but not austere, with flavorful tannins.

Beautiful ruby color followed by notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, forest floor and leather with a hint of spicy oak in the background. The oak is completely balanced by the wine's rich fruit, medium-bodied texture, and impressive purity, length and equilibrium. This elegant Bordeaux is ready to drink now and should be drunk within the next five years. Try will grilled lamb chops or a rich beef stew.

With aromas of white flowers and pineapple, Kendall-Jackson Avant Chardonnay at 9 percent alcohol, and 85 calories, shows a hint of vanilla and hazelnut.

Rich cabernet aromas of blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate lock in an embrace with shiraz's red berry and plum flavours. Fine tannins, balanced acidity and an incredibly long finish are hallmark characters of the historic 1850 Clarendon Vineyard.

The aroma of this gorgeous, lighter-weight red wine leans heavily on distinctive Central Coast black cherry and herb elements. The entry is seductive, with soft and generous fruit flavors and a handsome and structured mid-palate in which the tannins play a very minor role. If this wine had come from a more prestigious area of California, its price point would be approximately twice as much. As it is, some discounters are carrying it for less than $20. A startling value.

Intense, brooding, concentrated, complex.

Pear and apple notes with s smooth texture and a touch of sweetness.

Crisp and lively acidity with tropical fruit and apple flavors with a dash of citrus.

Wine of the Weekend: ChardonnayFilled with sunshine from sandy Santa Barbara soils, Nielson Chardonnay leaps from the glass with vibrancy and juicy lushious layers. Slightly tropical, opening with notes of pineapple and guava, melding seamlessly with honeysuckle and and fresh citrus, leading to a palate of ripe pear, creamy lemon custard, and blanched almond. Highly affordable, this easy going wine is perfect for any day of the week.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistNaturally, the Murphy Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel 2015 and its super-friendly texture, with smoky cherry, blackberry cobbler flavors, was a fit for all four chocolates, but perhaps was best with the plain dark chocolate, as the fun-loving wine's ripe fruit flavors were all the action needed.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistCambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard Santa Maria Valley 2018 had a soft texture and tart strawberry, cherry, loamy earth and leather flavors. It was a natural for the Dark Chocolate with Tart Cherry and Cocoa Nibs.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistEach of the four featured Jackson Family Wines paired well with the Vine to Bar dark chocolate. Which was a bit of a surprise considering that the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2019 and its flavors of pineapple, green apple, cinnamon, creme brulee and a round almond note on the finish, and La Crema Rose Monterey 2019 with its snappy fruit, strawberry, melon and green herbal note, were part of the tasting.

Classic wine, chocolate pairing with a twistEach of the four featured Jackson Family Wines paired well with the Vine to Bar dark chocolate. Which was a bit of a surprise considering that the Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 2019 and its flavors of pineapple, green apple, cinnamon, creme brulee and a round almond note on the finish, and La Crema Rose Monterey 2019 with its snappy fruit, strawberry, melon and green herbal note, were part of the tasting.

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I have a soft spot for Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs. Now, one of my favorite Pinot producers has just released its first Chardonnay.Siduri, critically acclaimed for its elegant, cool-climate, single-vineyard Pinots, has only crafted a handful of white wines in its 27-year history. As a result, there’s no doubt that its 2019 Willamette Valley Chardonnay will automatically pique interest far and wide.It’s full of finesse, with the lovely fragrance of white flowers and orange blossom, plus heady notes of apple, lemon, nutmeg, and just a hint of vanilla.Cheers: If you’ve turned your back on Chardonnay of late, this one’s sure to win you back to the pleasures of this varietal.Winemaker Matt Revelette has previous experience making Chardonnay at Sonoma’s Sojourn Cellars, Sebastopol’s Kosta Browne, and Healdsburg’s Williams Selyem. The Siduri Chardonnay, of which I received a sample, is a blend of several vineyards that was divided up three ways to ferment in stainless steel tanks, concrete eggs, and 25 percent new French oak barrels. The resulting wine is the best of all worlds — velvety but without flabby richness, and bright with acidity but not overtly tangy.

Wine of the Week: Around the world with RieslingRiesling may not be the first grape variety you think of when you think of the Willamette Valley of Oregon, but the 2018 Penner-Ash Old Vine Hyland Riesling just may just change that. In the hands of founding winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash this wine is intoxicating. With aromas reminiscent of a classic Loire Valley Riesling, it features scents of citrus peel, roasted almonds, stony minerality and petrol (a good thing). On the palate, the wine sports a wonderful richness with flavors of ripe white peach, tart nectarine and a touch of green melon. The finish is expansive and lengthy, with just a hint of mineral-laden acidity to keep the wine in balance.

Top 6 in the 6ix – Rosé All Day!California knows how to party and their fabulous Rosé wines are no different! La Crema Pinot offers a beautiful bouquet of strawberries and cream alongside pink floral notes with a wonderful finish.

Bright crimson. Beautifully rich and flattering on the nose but by no means just sweet. Real combination of glowing, brilliant fruit, structure and freshness. This will clearly age well but is (just) ready to enjoy. Not heavy at all. Love this. More guts to it than many new wave Grenaches.

Mid crimson with a hint of purple. Gentle, sweet leathery nose. Good freshness and real transparency. Not at all like the McLaren Vale stereotype. Light, sweet and peppery. Tangy. Almost like Sangiovese with its fresh acidity and fine tannin - and its need for accompanying food! I wonder why they don't call this 'Old Vine' since the vines were planted the same year as those for the Old Vine Grenache?

Deep lustrous garnet. Pure Cabernet, quite leafy, notes but with a real undertow of ripe fruit. Enough acidity and very little tannin in evidence. Firm. Pretty dry finish. Very Cabernet.

Lean, high-acid, lime-fruited wine - very different from the richer, fruitier Oregon Chardonnays I have recently been tasting. Perhaps you lust after all this acidity if living in a hot climate but it strikes this British palate as just a bit demanding. Perhaps it will round out in bottle? Chablis style...?

Pale to very pale ruby with a broad, transparent rim. Very pretty nose indeed with violets and delicacy. Beautifully judged. Elegant fruit with a combination of strawberry and orange. Already very attractive fruit, sufficient acidity and very light tannin. Perhaps not a long distance runner but who cares?

Pale garnet. A bit more zest and concentration than the regular 2020 Pinot from this producer. Nicely judged. Intense with just a little bit of heat and fine tannin on the end. For current drinking I'd recommend the regular 2020. Wait until the second half of 2021 for this one.

A Stellar Season: Tasting the 2019 Vintage Through Premiere Napa ValleyLot# 66Inky, opaque purple in color, this barrel sample smells of grapey black cherry and cassis. In the mouth, plush and lush flavors of blackcurrant, black cherry, and blackberry have a bright acidity and powdery, supple tannins. There’s a nice tangy note in the finish, and the oak is very well integrated here. Still somewhat primary in quality, but going to develop into a nice wine. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the estate’s historic Howell Mountain vineyard, which dates to 1888. Native-yeast fermented, aged in French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

All the fruit here is hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, wild ferment in 500 litre French puncheons (20% new), no malo or punchdowns. The style is quite Chablis-esque, savoury, toasty notes on the nose, oyster shell, a bit more muscular in style on the palate, with a clearly defined phenolic and mineral content. Waves of citrus flavour (orange and green), intense, textural and with a real power behind the fruit (in a good not heavy-handed way).