Alexander Mountain Ranch is the new name for the former Gauer Estate, now owned by Kendall-Jackson, and the source for this single vineyard merlot. Lush sweet berry flavors fill out this wine from beginning to end. It has the appealing richness of the grape, while maintaining a firm, dry structure. Packed with fruit and tannin, this could use some cellaring to soften - or enjoy it now with seared filet mignon.

Deep ruby-purple color, limpid and brilliant to the rim. Generous vanilla and black-fruit flavors. Firm entry. Moderately drying tannins. Bright, succulent fruit is not obscured by heavy oak...

Opaque blackish-red. Full-bodied. Highly extracted. Quite tannic. Extremely chewy texture shows the massive extract of this wine. Monolithic and tough, with a mild cooked-fruit character.

Dark purple color, limpid and brilliant to the rim. Mild black cherry and bitter-chocolate flavors. Mild wood tones. Firm entry, medium-bodied, with balance and acidity. Moderately drying tannins. Sweet fruit, chocolate and wood notes work well through the finish. Can improve with more age.

Medium cherry red color, limpid with a slight fade. Subtle, pleasant berry fruit, cedar flavors. Hint of wood tones. Smooth entry, medium-bodied. Moderate drying tannins. Fleshy black-fruit flavors make for an attractive style. Subtle finish. Spicy, oak-accented style.

A medium-bodied wine that offers light citrus and herb notes, with hints of green apple and minerals on the finish. Clean and fresh.

Supple a juicy, with ripe, complex cherry, raspberry and wild berry flavors, picking up touches of plum and anise. (Also appeared in 6/30 issue.)

Lots of complex, juicy fruit, with pretty plum, raspberry, black cherry and spicy notes, staying tightly focused and finishing with a long, a long, crisp aftertaste. A new Zin from Hartford Court…

Lots to admire in this ripe, will-rounded Zin, with peppery cherry, cranberry tart plum an cedar notes. A distinctive, complex style; Hartford Court's first Zin from this vineyard.

Fairly tangy, with hints of vanilla on the nose. The flavors touch on sweet pea, fig and citrus, with a hint of fresh-mowed grass on the refreshing finish.

Pleasant and soft-textured, with a modest range of raspberry and wild berry flavors, finishing with integrated tannins.

Very ripe and jammy, with sweet-tasting plum, cherry, wild berry and raspberry, finishing with crisp acidity and tannins.

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.