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.

Bright cherry red with a youthful rim. Medium-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Moderately oaked. Mildly tannic. Raspberries, vanilla. Sweet, fleshy red-fruit aromas follow through on the palate, with vale sweetness and juicy acids making this very approachable.

Led by an ample dose of well-ripened cherries in its deep, lightly toasty aromas, this substantial young wine follows with nicely concentrated, ripe-fruit flavors and sports the lush, slightly velvety feel of top-shelf Pinot. Markedly firmer on the latter palate and finishing with a bit of evident acidity pushing forward, the wine seems certain to grow with age and should be tagged for three or four years of cellaring.

One of the Top-10 list of California's best red wines.

Soil character here is balanced out with rich, ripe fruit and textured with lush, round tannins. It's a big, well-structured wine that could use three to five years to mellow and fully show itself

Bright purple cast. Moderately full-bodied. Full acidity. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Mildly tannic. Briar fruits, vanilla. Aromatic, with a pleasant interplay between fruit and oak nuances. Well balanced and lively, with subtle tannins through the finish.

Straightforward and varietally true, this is a good all-purpose cabernet. Dark and youthful in appearance with smoky aromas, spicy plum fruit, and a creamy texture that will pair well with a variety of people and foods.

Bright blackish purple hue. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Moderately tannic. Black fruits, vanilla. Carries an oaky nuance on the nose, and merges with a nice fruit-centered core of flavors. Lighter in style, with some hefty tannins toward the finish.

An attractive, lushly fruity, oak framed sauvignon blanc, its lemon verbena, ripe melon and key lime flavors interact with creamy oak to create a lush style of sauvignon blanc.

Smoky and spicy oak and tropical fruit aromas. Smooth and silky in the mouth, with the slightly sweet flavor of an orange Creamsicle. Good weight and just enough balancing acidity. The finish is ripe, sweet and persistent.

Up-front appley fruit and touches of lemon are neatly married to a balanced bit of sweet oak in both the squeaky clean aromas and compact young flavors of this lively, medium-bodied effort.

Youthfully bright fruit aromas are considerably enriched by buttery tones and plenty of creamy oak in the appealing nose. Mouthcoating on the palate, the wine is smooth an well-textured. Fruit is the lead player throughout but lees and oak flavors contribute complexity and seasoning that add to the wine's overall richness and sense of depth. Well-balanced, the wine will continue to gain interest over the next few years and will enhance the enjoyment of savory chicken or veal preparations.

…sourced entirely from the prime benchland Beckstoffer Vineyards, is classic Napa in every way: Very ripe and well extracted, the wine is packed with flavors of crème de cassis, anise and coffee. French oak adds spice and rounds it out with a dash of cream. It's a stunning wine to taste on its own, and it has the structure to be food friendly

"The '95 Cardinale is an ambitious contender for the California meritage crown. This edition is a finely tined combination of Mt. Veeder fruit (dense and pungent) with Alexander Valley hillside fruit (lush black cherry and herbs). Deeply informed by Bordeaux while taking full advantage of California's terroir, it's elegant and stylish, full of plum, peach and licorice notes, round and tannic. " Also appeared 11/98