The Gran Moraine Brut Rosé nv, Yamhill-Carlton District, is a blend of 57 percent chardonnay and 43 percent pinot noir that aged two years in bottle on the lees. The color is palest of pale onion skin enlivened by a steady upward stream of tiny bubbles; boy, this one is steely and elegant, characterized by ethereal notes of strawberries and melon, limestone and smoke; even more tantalizing are hints of acacia, lightly buttered cinnamon toast and lime peel; sparkling wine doesn’t come much more crisp and energetic than this model nor as sleek and spare; you feel as if you ought to be well-dressed to sip this high-toned sparkler; what you sniff in the glass comes through on the palate in delicate, nicely balanced manner though the entire enterprise is filtered through glittering layers of limestone and chalk minerality. 12.6 percent alcohol. Beautiful stuff; I could drink it every day.

Transparent ruby. Fresh and grainy on the nose. Round and spicy. Lots of character. A little bit too sweet for my palate but it does have personality and is not too heavy.

Transparent ruby. Damp rope again. And quite a skein of sweetness but the balance is good – acid and tannin at the right levels. Not that concentrated but that’s OK.

Bright garnet. Complex nose that speaks of much more than sweet fruit. Very bright in every way with just a (non-fatal) hint of cappuccino. There is freshness (tick) though quite a lot of sweetness. It has admittedly lasted well.

Deep orangey gold. Pretty mature on the nose. Savoury finish. Interesting! Cool and fresh. Lots of green grassy character. Quite long.

Deep gold. Rich nose but very lively on the palate. A great California archetypal Chardonnay. Racy and round. At peak but not losing it.

Another deep-gold wine. Not much nose. Monterey coolness on the palate but not enough fruit grip in the middle.

Not that deep gold. Lively, green-vegetation nose. Much, much fresher than the average California Chardonnay! Though there is still a bit of sweetness there. But it’s a good example of where it comes from. Funnily enough, without connecting any dots, tasting this immediately reminded me of their neighbours Au Bon Climat. Power to both their elbows…

The Best Wines to Drink This Spring (and What to Serve Them With)Put away your winter coats (and heavy winter wines). This spring, give your at-home wine list a spring cleaning and take your pick of this fresh crop of wines that are just right for the season.Medium-Bodied Reds2016 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, California

Six red wines you should be drinking now2016 Mt. Brave Mt. Veeder Merlot17.8 (9.3 for quality, 8.5 for value)The wine: In 2007, winemaker Chris Carpenter launched the Mt. Brave project, using fruit from what was once the Chateau Potelle Vineyard, located between 1,400 and 1,800 feet in elevation on the hillside, where the gravelly loam soils, lacking minerals and nutrients, produce tiny berries with concentrated, complex flavor profiles.Taster’s take: “Blackberry and cherry flavors with a hint of chocolate.”Critical acclaim: The Wine Enthusiast awarded it a score of 94, deeming it a Cellar Selection: “Best from 2026 through 2031.”

Top 6 in the 6ix: Wines of the Week - Netflix Wine PairingsA delicious full bodied and easy going cabernet Sauvignon ideal with saturday night date night, lamb rack and season two of The Crown – a wine and series that is both serious and exciting!

A very good, almost chewy wine, but still very lively on the palate with some perfumed notes, some wood accents and great tannins.

A friend and I tasted this together, and both of us said we would have guessed in a blind tasting that it was a top-growth Bordeaux, with its barrel treatment, blackberry flavors, and a finishing dollop of cream. And it is an all-Bordeaux blend, led by a preponderance of Merlot. Note, too, that with this and the other two Arceno wines, Pierre Seillan, who oversees the estate, likes to hold the release of his reds for a few years until they are at least beginning to mature. (Tenuta di Arceno is one of the prize estates owned by Jackson Family Wines of Sonoma.)

A delicious Chianti that manages to have both the dusty, tannic, earthy characteristics of Sangiovese while also presenting a ripe fruitiness and a great mouth feel. I would decant this for a couple of hours before drinking.

17 Intoxicating Mother's Day Gifts for Moms Who Love WineFrom high-profile Pierre Seillan, who makes wine on Bordeaux’s Right Bank as well as in Sonoma (Vérité), comes a Tuscan project showcasing his favorite variety: Cabernet Franc (representing 73 percent of this wine). High-toned aromas of violets and red berries belie the power and density of the palate that follows, and yet there’s great balance and finesse here, with juicy acidity and rounded tannins.

The 19 Best Grenache Wines to Buy Right NowSand-based soils cradle vines planted back in 1946, and nurture a wine of fantastic aromatic complexity: First cherries, then raspberries, then brambly berries sweep in before the spice notes hit. All of it sets the stage for a plush, elegant, layered Grenache, with mountain berries, fresh-picked cherries, and cracked floral peppercorns. This terrific wine's concentration grows as the finish lingers on: It's nothing short of regal.

The 19 Best Grenache Wines to Buy Right NowThis is in a great place right now, with a razor's-edge balance between concentration and freshness carrying flavors of blood orange, licorice, dried herbs, violets, black and red cherries, green olives, and a touch of candied orange peel. It has another decade to go, at least, but I love this already. Note: 2017 was the last vintage of this wine; the fruit is now going into the Yangarra Hickinbotham Vineyard Grenache, and the 2019 will be released later in 2021.

Give quiche a chance – and give this Californian chardonnay the chance to stand up to the bacon, leek, and cheddar. This style will unite lovers of both new and old world chardonnay thanks to its rich butter, pineapple, and lemon curd on the nose and its fresher red apple on the palate, with enough rich butter and lemon curd flavours to balance its fresh acidity. A great lesson in how to balance fruit, oak, and acidity in a food-friendly white wine.

Wines under $20 to spring into spring withThe 2018 Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon from California is — well, good. It’s also a great value for an easy-drinking, food-friendly cabernet. Made from grapes sourced from vineyards throughout California, it delivers abundant plum, cherry and chocolate notes across the palate and ends with a pleasing hint of licorice on the medium finish.

Exploring The Cabernet Sauvignon Of Napa Valley, Part Two: Rutherford And St. HelenaKirsch, black raspberries, dark chocolate, and mineral precede a palate of wonderfully detailed and assertive structure, with flavors of Amarena cherries, red and black currants, dusty tannins that are very much classic of Rutherford’s reputation, toasted fennel seeds, bay laurel, and a dash of coffee. This is built for the long haul, with balance and acidity to spare, and should continue evolving in fascinating ways until the late-2040s.

The Best Sonoma Syrah Wines Any Syrah Lover Must TasteCopain Wines is a Sonoma winery that hosted at my Inagaural Pinots & Plaid Pinot Noir Tasting and adore. I had the chance to visit this beautiful Sonoma gem and fell in love. Read more about my visit to Copain Winery, a Sonoma Winery You Won’t Want to Miss. As for their Syrah which comes from Anderson Valley’s Yorkville Highlands it is a bold Syrah with Red Rasberry and Boysenberry fruit flavors, with elements of stone and spiciness adding to the complexity of this lovely wine.

The Best Syrah Wines Under $35I’ve loved Penner-Ash Cellars for quite a while, and all of their wines are absolutely fantastic! Wineries in Oregon are stunning, read about The Most Incredible Oregon Wineries I’ve Visited on my blog here. The Penner-Ash Syrah is $35 and you can find it on the website here.

The Best Syrah Wines Under $35Kendall-Jackson produces some award-winning lines that combine the cool, coastal, mountains of California. See the Kendall-Jackson website to try their fantastic Syrah for $17.

The Best Syrah Wines Under $35Cambria Wines Syrah is a deep, dark purple color with the perfect balance of flavor. Located in the Santa Maria Valley, their vineyards add for the perfect taste. See the Cambria Wines website to grab your bottle of Tepusquet Vineyard Syrah, one of the Best Syrah Wines for $32.

While Chardonnay is only 2% of Willakenzie’s output, it is growing. The 2018 is aromatic, with floral, apple, and lemon notes, plus a hint of spice and vanilla on the palate.