Complex, with a pretty, focused array of black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, spice, cola and tea, finishing with crisp, well-integrated tannins.

Tight, with firm tannins, hints of cola and black cherry, sage, and spice, finishing with a spicy blackberry flavor.

Firm, ripe and marked by plummy cherry and raspberry flavors, this wine combines ripe, rich, supple fruit with firm, structured tannins that turn soft and fleshy.

One of the better Vintner's Reserves of late smooth, ripe, and creamy, with complex pear, apple and spice notes that are supple and tender.

Folds together lots of ripe cherry, plum, and blackberry flavor and finishes with dashes of cedar and spice. Firms up on the finish, so allow some time for the tannins to recede.

Its ripe, oaky, fruity, will-rounded flavors and slightly sweet finish appeal to many people who probably wouldn't care for flinty, Chablis-style wines or leaner California bottlings.

Something wonderful is going on at Edmeades, and this heritage bottling captures the magic. Ninety-year-old vines yield tiny quantities of complex fruit, layered with dried cherries and plums, tobacco, violets, and sweet spice. Zinfandel this elegant, balanced, and textured is worth every nickel.

In typical California coastal style, this wine serves up lots of wonderful fruit in the nose and mouth. You name it and it is probably here - citrus, apple, pear, melon - all accompanied by well-balanced amounts of oak and a very pleasant finish. One of the best values in this price range.

Deep purple. Flavors running from blackberry into cassis, with streaks of licorice, coffee, and toast. Hartford Court, part of Kendall -Jackson's Artisans & Estates portfolio, specializes in small lots of old-vine Zin and delicious Pinot Noirs. Good now, with the heft and tannins for cellaring.

…is a nice marriage of vanilla and cherry/berry fruit flavors. Medium bodied and well balanced, it's not lavish or overdone. The silky mouthfeel helps give it a fine sustained finish.

A big, sweet, candied nose jumps out of the glass. Delightful flavors of peach, apricot and nectarine skin are embellished with vanilla, while the finish is resilient and lasting.

Black cherries and currants dominate this wine from another big California house. Additional flavors of chocolate and raspberries make it a wine that shows well now, but underneath is good evidence that it will get even better in seven or eight years.

Brightly focused with fine fruit, medium body and a long subtle finish, this is an excellent example of the pinots which are bringing Russian River Valley to the forefront for the variety.

Stonestreet's '95 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon holds true to form, intense and brooding, yet sculpted with even greater elegance than past editions.

…with its ripe lemon an fig fruit and pungent acid. Here, intense mountain fruit adds depth, weight and character.

…the impressively fruited and widely available Kendall-Jackson 1997 prove that fine quality and low-price tags need not be mutually exclusive.

This is a seductive and delicious California red, ripe and juicy, fruit-driven, with luscious currant, black cherry, wild berry and plummy Cabernet flavors that are sharply focused and long, complex and concentrated on the finish. A classic.

A big, ripe and firmly tannic style, dense, chunky, and chewy, but wade past the tannins and you'll get a glimpse of a complex, concentrated wine. Definitely needs time. (also appeared in 12/15/98 issue)

Tight, rich and concentrated, with tiers of coffee, currant, anise, sage, and berry, it slowly unfolds to reveal its treasures. Finishes with will-integrated tannins and fine length.

A complex, well structured, intensely flavored wine, with layer of currant, plum, black cherry and wild berry. Finishes with ripe, well-integrated tannins.

Smooth and supple, with ripe wild berry, cola and cherry flavors…

Firm texture and pretty fruit flavors promise much in this well-modulated wine, which echoes its plum and black cherry flavors enticingly on the chewy finish.

Firm and crisp, with austere tannins…" "Offers hints of currant and black cherry.

Well-integrated with overwhelming flavors of concentrated blackberry. Sweet, deep, long and balanced. A very drinkable wine with a straightforward style.