Bordeaux Right Bank + Sea BassIf you're familiar with France's iconic Bordeaux wine region, you'll know Saint-Émilion AOC on the right bank is established for its Merlot-dominant red blends. Nicolas Seillan is a seventh-generation vigneron and the general manager of Château Lassègue. "[My wife, Christina, and I] suggest our Saint-Émilion Grand Cru with a grilled sea bass and a side of oven-roasted chanterelle mushrooms," he says. Though most people think of pairing a red Bordeaux with meat, he notes a hearty fish is also excellent. "And in a way, Saint-Émilion with fish is going back to our roots, as the region was actually once covered by an ancient shallow sea," he shares. "The limestone with fossilized shellfish that was left behind when the sea retreated gives freshness to our wines sourced from the limestone and clay hillsides."

Sauvignon Blanc + Pork LoinThis white wine is well known for its crisp acidity, making it a versatile pairing just about any time of year. "Originating in the Loire Valley of France, Sauvignon Blanc…is an ideal wine for autumn as we transition from light summer fare to heartier fall meals," La Crema chef Tracey Shepos Cenami says. Right now, she's craving pork loin. "While many think of Pinot Noir as the go-to pairing for pork, the signature acidity of Sauvignon Blanc balances the fattiness of the pork, and the herbs in this dish harmonize with the zesty nature of the wine."

A tasty merlot with notes of blackberry, boysenberry and forest floor. Seamless texture. Lovely.

Those looking for a healthier way to imbibe this Labor Day Weekend will enjoy Kendall-Jackson’s new Lower Calorie Chardonnay. With only 85 calories, no sugar, and 3 grams of carbs per serving, compared to about 120 calories for a typical Chardonnay, this vegan-friendly wine boasts bright flavors of grapefruit, pineapple and creamy lemon meringue that pair deliciously with leaner Labor Day recipes, such as grilled scallops with seasonal vegetables.

Impressive California Chardonnay from Anderson Valley about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Black cherry meets black tea in this mouth-watering wine. The tannins are polished and round and the finish has a savory edge that begs for a grilled lamb chop. Founder and winemaker Greg Brewer was awarded Winemaker of the Year for 2020 (Wine Enthusiast) and his work with Pinot Noir is legendary—this bottling is a great entry point for exploring his wines.

Derived from one of Santa Lucia Highlands most prominent sites, the Siduri Wines Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017 displays a transparent medium ruby-magenta hue and the whole array of qualities I associate with the vineyard — bright red and black cherry and currant fruit; exotic notes of sandalwood and crushed cumin seed, pomegranate and sassafras; hints of rose petals and violets; a background of loam and graphite-infused tannins provides grounding, while the other elements contribute to an elevating and balletic character; add subtle touches of cedar and tobacco and racy acidity, and the entire package delivers lovely balance and integrity (plus a silken texture), despite the 14.8 percent alcohol, a trifle high theoretically but merely contributing to a feeling of fullness and headiness. A beautiful drink, now through 2024 or ’25. Adam Lee was winemaker. Founded in 1994 by Adam Lee and his wife, Siduri Wines is now owned by Jackson Family Wines. Excellent.

For a lesson in indulgence, it would be remiss of us not to try an American wine. The 2017 Brewer Clifton Sta Rita Hills has it all. If you want hedonistic pleasure from your wine, this is the bottle you should take home. It’s generous on the palate, with lashings of sun-soaked tropical fruit, a delicate nuttiness and wafts of baked brioche. All these flavours come through on the palate, but there is plenty of refreshing acidity which keeps you grounded as your taste buds are delighted.

Pale translucent garnet in colour. Light red fruit and dill aromas. Dry with light acidity and tannins. Overall light bodied. Red fruit and dill on the palate. An understated Pinot.

Pale intensity, bright orange rose coloured in the glass. A very light tart red fruit nose. Medium body, lean with medium plus acidity. Mineral. Dry. Tart, fragrant, fresh red fruit flavour. A GREAT wine.

La Joie is the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant cuvée of Vérité’s trio of La-La’s. Seillan’s “micro-cru” philosophy guides meticulous vineyard work in crafting this Sonoma County blend. Sourced from the Jackson Family’s vineyards in Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, and Chalk Hill, the 2018 La Joie is powerful and structured but also gives an impression of weightlessness in its expansive mouthfeel and pillowy tannin. Dried violet, cassis, sweet tobacco, bay leaf, and crushed stone aromas and flavors make for a remarkably long and serious wine that will continue to reveal itself over the course of several decades.

The Anakota wines are made by father-daughter duo Pierre and Hélène Seillan exclusively from a Knights Valley property, as part of the Jackson Family’s Spire Collection. It includes two wines: Helena Montana and Helena Dakota. The former is softer, and the 2018 exudes a gorgeous floral perfume of potpourri, dried rose, and anise. On the palate, sweet spices meld with chewier black fruit flavors, supported by broad, plush tannins.

The Jackson Family’s premium Stonestreet label draws from its Alexander Mountain Estate. Christopher’s Vineyard is the highest-elevation plot on the property and in the Alexander Valley at large. The wine displays the classic rocky density of California mountain Cabernet Sauvignon—concentrated and plummy, with gripping tannin. Slick blue tones and violet lift give further dimension to this brooding Cabernet.

Don’t let the pale pink color fool you. This highly rated wine is more of a red wine lover’s rosé. It comes from La Crema, known for its small lot, Burgundian-style chardonnay and pinot noir. The La Crema rosé, which is made from 100% pinot noir and fermented in stainless steel, is made in a rich style that’s bigger in body and complexity than the Diora. It’s a very flavorful wine that’s lightly tannic and tastes of strawberries, watermelon and citrus. It would go well with paella, salmon and chicken.

Oregon pinot noir has commanded a voice at the varietals table, as well. WillaKenzie Estate Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir 2018 had bright cherry flavors that yielded to a spicy olive tapenade and wet earth note on the finish. It was medium-bodied, and had a snappy acidity.

The John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 delved into blackberry and blueberry fruits - rich with some compelling tobacco pipe spice.

Unearthed at my local wine store, the Siduri Pisoni Vineyard 2014, made by Siduri founder Adam Lee, had aged gracefully with black cherry, blood orange and some forest floor sweeping in at the finish.

The Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2019 had Christmas spice, nutmeg and black cherry aromas. Black cherry flavors mingled with a fruitcake spice on the finish that has a supple mouthfeel.

Also using the coastal influence of the Pacific Ocean are pinot noir from California's Sonoma Coast. A blend of two vineyards four miles from the ocean and planted at 1,000 feet above sea level, the Hartford Court "Land's Edge Vineyards" Pinot Noir 2018 captured the many facets of the AVA in one bottle. Far Coast Vineyard near Annapolis is at the north end of the coast, on a second coastal ridge that softens the impact of the frigid Pacific air and thus ripens three to four weeks before its counterpart Seascape. Located on the first coastal ridge, Seascape is at the southern edge of the coast and stares down at Bodega Bay. It is shrouded in fog and high humidity throughout the growing season. Harvest in Seascape can happen as late as mid-October. Red fruit, eucalyptus, bacon fat, mushroom, ground cloves and baking spice-rack aromas rose from the glass. Flavors of cranberry, cherry and spice built layers of character into silky tannins and a great mouthfeel.

The Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 is sublime. There's sweet cranberry, cherry, raspberry, tobacco and clove flavors. There's red and black fruit in a duel for attention on the nose. Fine tannins frame the fruit, yet there's an alluringly silky mouthfeel. A loamy earth scent is the aromatic lift that transports your senses right to the green hills, cold, windy days and ocean smell that permeate the AVA. Featured in the bottle are 3D, Hapgood and Machado vineyards: a snapshot of the entire appellation in one bottle.

Napa Valley's Top Winemakers on Why You Shouldn't Turn Your Nose Up at Red BlendsChris Carpenter, winemaker for the much-awarded Cardinale Cabernet blend, as well as single-vineyard wines under other widely acclaimed labels, gives the music analogy even more layers in terms of the understanding and skill necessary to make a delicious composite. “Great composers and song writers understand the highs, lows, timber, tonality, dynamics, and rhythm of sound. Flavor has a lot of those same characters, and blending wine for me is a way to bring the individual aspects of the singular wines together. Think of a great orchestra, with its different sections—the brass, the strings, percussion, winds. Each is playing and contributing a unique sound to the overall piece of music. And you as the listener enjoy that for the complexity of sound, the emotion it sparks, the memories it unearths and the shared experience with the audience.” (Pause here, just to appreciate the poetry and metaphorical acrobatics from Carpenter.)“Wine is exactly the same,” he concludes, “except you’re experiencing it as flavor combinations by way of the blending process.” And indeed, the seamless power and complex layers of minerality, dark chocolate, and dark fruit in his 2018 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon—which, according to Carpenter, includes 7 appellations and 32 individual wine lots—seem easily capable of inspiring profound emotion and memories.

Made with grapes grown in the cool-climate vineyards in Monterey Bay where the cold winds whip off the Pacific Ocean, this fragrant 100% Pinot Noir rosé possesses vivid aromas of strawberry and Mandarin orange, flavors of raspberry and blood orange, and an underlying flinty minerality.

Bargain BordeauxThe second wine of the noted Château Lassègue in Saint-Émilion, this red offers elegant restraint along with its ripe red fruit and baking spice notes.

The best deal of the summer. Simply sit poolside and sip this amazing bargain. Look for a future column on a wine loaded with interesting spice, earth, and black cherry on the nose. The tobacco and spice rack flavors play off the loamy earth notes. Black cherry and sweet raspberry swoop in on the finish.

The Upper Barn Chardonnay 2016 and ‘17 were highly touted by RP. They are selling around $100 and worth it for those who enjoy complex, buttery chardonnay from Sonoma’s North Coast Alexander Valley. If possible, buy the ‘16.