Lightly fruity, with elegant cherry and wild berry flavors, a touch of pretty oak and modest tannins.

Very deep color; dark spicy-jammy aromas; textured flavors, firm tannins, jammy fruit, plums and spicy oak; long finish.

Full ruby-red. Bordeaux-like aromas of roasted plum, currant, smoke and tobacco. Lush, pliant and expressive…Finishes with fine tannins and very good length.

Good full red. Reticent but complex aromas of raspberry, nutmeg, licorice and orange peel. Intense red berry and spice flavors are firm but still reined in. Spicy, peppery and long; this also shows a slight hardness on the back end but appears to have enough middle-palate material to harmonize with a year or so of additional bottle aging.

Good medium red. Red fruit, smoke, nutmeg, earth and gunpowder on the nose. Pungent but supple red fruit flavors in the middle palate; then turns a bit hard-edged on the finish.

Forward tropical-fruit aroma, mangoes and bananas, spicy accent; lively tropical flavors, creamy texture, cinnamon note.

A ripe, somewhat fruity and very will-scrubbed wine, this slightly rounded, soft-edged effort is a safe, middle-of-the-road rendition that takes few chances, but fails at nothing. Easy to drink now and perfectly serviceable with dishes ranging from beef to lamb to well-season pork roasts…

Deep yellow straw with ripe melon, honey and vanilla nose. Mouthfilling intense tropical fruit with layers of toasty oak Classic California. A pure pleasure wine.

Here is an other wine that bears all the attractive hallmarks of Santa Barbara Chardonnay. Its aroma suggests tropical fruits, and it is rounded and softly inviting at entry, bright, and firm in the finish.

Closed nose, but you can pick up the faint smoke and fragrances that will develop in time. Full bodied and loaded with raspberries, blueberries, anise and structured with firm tannins, this one is there for the distance.

The bouquets of the Ciapusci Vineyard is loaded with black pepper, anise and berries. The berry flavors are intensely rich and are complemented by spice and oak and held together by strong tannins.

A full-bodied, woody chardonnay that has much fruit and a buttery finish.

Spicy, ripe fruit; balanced.

Thick, sweet fruit; tannic.

Intriguing aromas of black cherries, vanilla, olive and sweet coffee make for a fine start here, and much of the richness and complexity of the nose is echoed by the wine's ripe and open flavors.

Rich and loaded with winemaking complexities on top of its evident fruit, this one is memorable for its high toast and loads of leesey tones. Fairly full-bodied and a bit alcoholic, this big, toasty wine has oak and roasted grain flavors galore. It is rounded at entry and carries a very respectable center of fruit yet is not at all a fruity version of Chardonnay. Nicely developed, it will serve as an appealing offering with foods like roast chicken.

Bright, youthful aromas show lemon, lees and sweet oak tones in a light yet fairly intense nose. Rounded with a slightly viscous texture, the wine has a very pleasant palatal feel and shows only moderate length but will be quite enjoyable with fish like Orange Roughy.

This is a grape that is difficult to make well and sell at a price less than $30, but the boys at K-J have done their homework. At $14.50, this is a good example of how tasty and fruity (but not sweet) a pinot can be, clean cherry/cigar box nose that has great fruit-to-acid balance.

Soft but austere berry fruit

Ripe fruit, spice and balance.

Deep ruby cast. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Mildly tannic. Spice, minerals, tomato. Quite aromatic with real complexity. Generous yet firm in the mouth with an angular spicy finish. Shows fine persistence and intensity.

Smoky, oaky, blackberry nose. Fruity, complex... velvety in the mouth, black fruits, black pepper and spices, very firm, very high-toned.

Deep cherry red with a subtle garnet rim. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly tannic. Brown spice, red fruits. Rich gamey aromas follow through on the palate with sweet red-fruit flavors and a delicate earthy persistence. Finely wrought and generous, with a spicy finish.

Pale violet-red. Moderately light-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly tannic. Vanilla, berry fruits, cherry. Bright berry and vanilla aromas lead to a supple, fruity palate and a clean, crisp finish.