Dark color. Pretty aromas of cherry, vanilla, tea, meat, mushroom, earth and smoke mingle. Very complex and concentrated. Tiers of ripe, sweet stone fruit with spicy oak notes and a lively acidity. Delicious now.

Remarkable for its creamy peach and pear flavors, it picks up a nice smoke and toast nuance and then keeps the flavors lively through its long, complex finish. (Also appeared 6/1/97).

Medium golden appearance. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Dried flowers, peach, pineapple. Sweet floral aromas lead a full, rich mouthful of juicy fruit flavors that linger on a sweet finish.

Medium golden appearance. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Dried flowers, peach, pineapple. Sweet floral aromas lead a full, rich mouthful of juicy fruit flavors that linger on a sweet finish.

A modest ensemble of green apple and herbal flavors. New from Kendall-Jackson.

The 1995 Zinfandel Vintner's Reserve is a light-bodied, fruity wine that quickly dries out in the mouth. It offers clean, correct, but thin varietal aromas and flavors. Drink it over the next year.

The 1995 Cardinale appears to be the richest and most intense Cardinale to date. ... it is deep and rich, with a sumptuous texture, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, plenty of tannin, full body, an exceptional extract and concentration. The wine's equilibrium and purity are to be commended. It will require 3-4 years of cellaring and should age for two decades or more.

The 1995 Merlot is potentially a bigger and richer wine than either the 1994 or 1993. It is powerful and rich as a result of the extended maceration (30 days on the skins) and slow fermentation (because of the use of natural yeasts). A blend of 84% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc, this wine possesses exceptional potential. Moreover, it will last for 12-15 years. (Also appeared 12/20/96).

I adored the 1995 Zinfandel Eaglepoint Vineyard. The wine's saturated opaque purple color is accompanied by intense aromas of black-raspberries, cherries, minerals, and spice. Opulently-textured and rich, with layers of fruit, this wine is atypical of the vintage given its wealth of fruit, surprising level of glycerin, and gorgeously proportioned, layered finish. This is a beautifully made, pure, medium to full-bodied Zinfandel that has managed to hide its lofty alcohol (15.2%) content. Drink it over the next 5 years.

Another outstanding wine is 1995 Zinfandel Zeni Vineyard. Tasters would never guess it boasts 15.2% alcohol. It exhibits a saturated plum color, and an exotic, spicy, sweet, jammy, black-cherry, strawberry and currant-scented nose with a subtle suggestion of toasty new oak. This wine possesses terrific fruit and richness, more structure and tannin than the Eaglepoint Vineyard, and plenty of spice, body, and length. Drink this well-defined, very pure, textbook Zinfandel over the next 5-7 years.

One of the few 1995 Zinfandels with a saturated dark purple color, this excellent, nearly outstanding wine exhibits pure, ripe black-cherry and raspberry fruit gently infused with toasty, spicy oak. Well-balanced without annoyingly high acidity or harsh tannin, it is a concentrated, medium-bodied, backward, rich, flavorful, intense wine. Cellar it for another year, and drink it over the subsequent 7-8. As readers may remember from my review of the 1994 Hartford Court Zinfandel, this wine is made from 81-year-old, head-pruned, Russian River vines.

The 1995 Zinfandel is lighter and less well-endowed than the two single vineyard wines, but it offers a wonderful introduction to the seductive qualities of a well-made Zinfandel. In a vintage that produced many hollow, acidic wines, Edmeades' 1995 Zinfandel exhibits plenty of ripe, tasty, berry fruit, medium body, an elegant overall personality, and excellent balance and length. The wine's 13.9% alcohol is well-hidden behind the gush of berry fruit. It is a delicious, straightforward, fleshy Zinfandel that would drink well for 2-3 years.

The 1994 Zinfandel Grand Reserve possesses better density and ripeness, as well as medium body, and moderate levels of sweet black-cherry fruit intertwined with peppery scents. ... Drink it over the next several years.

Some lovely apple aromas plus all sorts of highly toasted oak. It offers lively acidity and good depth plus a long, lingering finish.

Dark, ripe and intense. A potent barrel sample showing lots of smoky, toasty oak and a dense cork of earthy currant flavors. Given its weight, it's rather elegant on the finish.

Rich and outgoing even in its youth, this well-endowed wine speaks very much to the juicy, fully ripened fruit that marks the better wines of the vintage. Its abundant cherry and cassis qualities are infused with a balanced bit of rich oak, and, while fairly firm and a little hot in the latter going, it hangs on to its fundamental fruit and never dies. Appealing now for its straight-ahead fruitiness, it will only get better with time and promises positive growth for another four to six years.

Sweet, thick and highly influenced by oak, this very ripe wine steers to dryness on the palate despite a bit of glycerin fatness on entry. Finishing with a little more toughness and a little less fruit than might be ideal, it nonetheless achieves a good measure of richness and will pair nicely with simple steaks and chops over the coming three or four years.

If not the stuff of which dreams are made, this wholly enjoyable bottling comes close. Its clean, attractively rich, frontal aromas are redolent of peaches, pears, honey and sweet cream butter, and its round, youthfully vigorous flavors echo those introductory themes. Only the need for an extra bit of depth and reach keeps this one from higher ratings. Withal, it will make an excellent partner to dishes like pastas with smoked chicken or even mild sausages in light cream or butter sauces.

Another outstanding wine is 1995 Zinfandel Zeni Vineyard. Tasters would never guess it boasts 15.2% alcohol. It exhibits a saturated plum color, and an exotic, spicy, sweet, jammy, black-cherry, strawberry and currant-scented nose with a subtle suggestion of toasty new oak. This wine possesses terrific fruit and richness, more structure and tannin than the Eaglepoint Vineyard, and plenty of spice, body, and length. Drink this well-defined, very pure, textbook Zinfandel over the next 5-7 years.

This ripe, fleshy red offers plenty of blackberry and black cherry flavors backed up by sweet, toasty oak. It's round and soft, but has enough structure for food. Drink now. Second label of Vina Calina, 5,000 cases made.

This ambitious red has an inky color, firm tannins and ripe flavors of plums, raisins and black coffee. It's concentrated, but a bit disjointed now and may be better in 1998.

Young and tight, with spicy citrus, tangerine, pear and pineapple notes that spread out on the finish, showing elegance and finesse.

Has hints of spice and pear, but it's straightforward. A good, quenching quaff.

Showing a good sense of range in its creamy, liberally oaked aromas and its deep, fairly forward flavors, this commendable Zin presents more than the typical theme of blackberries and shows a sprinkling of sweeter raspberry and wild cherry elements throughout. It is at once both mouthfilling and quite well balanced and, if just very slightly dry at the finish, is never troubled by heat or astringency. Clearly capable of age, it promises to get even better with anywhere from three to six years of cellaring. (Also appears 12/97)

Here is a pleasant if somewhat smaller wine whose light-medium intensity, green apple, quietly leesy and oak-enriched aromas are all within the pleasing norms for Chardonnay, but which, in both nose and in flavors, comes up just a tad short on overall stuffing to earn full commendation. Nonetheless, this moderately well-stuffed bottling stands out at the top of the list of wines not receiving star-ratings.