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…

Although clean, mildly fruity and dressed up in a bit of sweet oak, this slightly thin middleweight says little about Syrah and lacks the spice, the size and grip expected of the variety.

Saturated ruby. Knockout musky nose combines cassis, red currant, Cuban tobacco and mocha. Suave and dense in the mouth, with bright, harmonious acidity framing the primary dark berry flavors. Still extremely young but deep and very long. A cabernet with impressive potential.

Exhibits common California Pinot aromas of beets and root beer, alone with spiced strawberries. Fairly full and rich, it's a plump rendition that shows a touch of alcoholic heat in the finish.

Talk about size. Ultra-rich, ultra-ripe fruit - you can literally taste the sun in the rich, sweet, pure berry flavors. Feels rich and thick in the mouth; jammy viscous, with outsized fruit. But has the tannic and acid structure to pull it off.

Zin does not get much riper or bolder than this late-harvest style version. Bursting with fruit, it's not for the faint-hearted. Winemaker Van Williamson says it's dry, but it sure tastes as if it has a healthy dose of residual sugar.

Smells very ripe and fruity. A dark wine that's fairly heavy-bodied. Tastes thick and jammy on the palate, with the flavors and texture of berry marmalade; sweet and full.

Very ripe and a touch jammy, with spicy cherry, licorice, cedar, sage and wild berry turning smooth and polished.

This winery's '99 pinot gris is a real mouthful of peach, apricot and melon flavors that are dry and elegant but also impressive in texture and length.

Very ripe cherry and plum aromas, spicy-oak notes; high acidity, layered fruit, tart cherry, hints of anise, long lean finish. Good with grilled salmon, veal chops and rosemary.

Dark cherries and plums, toasted oak, and tobacco-leaf notes; soft tannins, ripe fruit, oak accents; long finish. Value.

A warm chardonnay wit tropical fruit flavor of sweet pineapple associated with this region. The finish is a little gruff, and would be smoothed by glazed ham.

Flavors are very rich, complex and oaky. Has a wonderfully creamy texture, with lively acidity and a long, rich finish.