Pay attention to this brand because the wines are truly remarkable. The 1994 Stonestreet Pinot Noir, a tangy and elegant Russian River Valley wine with smoky, complex and charming flavors.

A tangy and elegant Russian River Valley wine with smoky, complex and charming flavors.

Nicely focused in the nose, yet a bit shy on intensity throughout, this well-polished, medium-bodied Pinot gets good marks for its proper fruit, its extra bit of oaky richness and a lengthy finish. Never a flamboyant, it can improve for a few years in bottle.

Suggestions of earth and dried brush mingle in the somewhat lower intensity aromas, and with air, oaky and slightly gamy notes also emerge. Supple on the palate with youthful flavors centered on ripe plums and cherries, the wine runs into a streak of oakiness that adds further sweetness to the flavors while imparting a certain coarseness to the latter-palate texture. Good value.

Although scoring points for its hefty feel and ample sense of stuffing, this ripe and fairly oaky wine treads a bit heavily on the palate and is slightly muddled with regard to defined fruit. Sizeable, but never graceful, it should be useful with strongly seasoned veal stews over the next two or three years.

Varietal grassiness, ripe melon and creamy oak scents are all present in the attractive aromas. Well-balanced, rounded, moderately fruity and polished, the wine carries a rounded texture on the palate and will be a very dependable choice in most occasions calling for Sauvignon Blanc.

Deep cherry red. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked and tannic. Chocolate, toast, ripe blackberry. Deep dark brooding nose leads a seamless and rich palate with some attractive toasted oak flavors through the finish. Overall a firmly structured style.

Deep cherry red. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately oaked and tannic. Chocolate, toast, ripe blackberry. Deep dark brooding nose leads a seamless and rich palate with some attractive toasted oak flavors through the finish. Overall a firmly structured style.

Deep ruby red. Full-bodied. Highly extracted. Moderate oak. Chocolate, plums. Rich extracted palate with layered fruit through to the balanced tannins on the finish. Impressively proportioned and rich.

Bright red with a purplish rim. Medium-bodied. Highly extracted. Mildly oaked. Mildly tannic. Cherries, red berries, minerals. Youthful bright fruity palate with a rounded midpalate carried by good acidity and warm astringent notes on the finish.

Spicy, herbal, cedary nose. Spicy, rich black fruit flavor, with soft tannins and much structure. Needs time.

Deep red color. Moderately full-bodied. Mildly oaked. Cherry, plum, brown spice. Extracted ripe and full style with good tannin and acidity to balance. Solid palate presence with concentrated fruit flavors persisting through the finish.

Deep opaque ruby red. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Mildly tannic. Plums, vanilla. Pleasant black fruit nose dominates the palate with some good tannins on the finish. A ripe attractive style.

Deep opaque ruby red. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Mildly tannic. Plums, vanilla. Pleasant black fruit nose dominates the palate with some good tannins on the finish. A ripe attractive style.

Dense, deep red. Moderately full-bodied. Moderate extract and tannins. Dark fruits, blackberries. Brooding deep fruity nose. Impressively weighty mouthfeel with a little tartness to complement the generous fruity stuffing.

Deep ruby color. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Cherries, earth, minerals. Dense and structured with impressive palate presence and firm tannins on the finish.

Deep ruby color. Moderately full-bodied. Highly extracted. Cherries, earth, minerals. Dense and structured with impressive palate presence and firm tannins on the finish.

Bright red colored, even to a light outer rim. Medium-bodied. Moderate extract; mild oak and tannins. Cherry, berries, vanilla. Crisp vanilla scented aromas lead into a mild fruit palate with a subtle astringent finish.

Dark and intense, with a solid core of tannin, but the plum and wild berry flavors that peek through are appealing. Best to age a little to let this soften somewhat.

Purplish red appearance. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted and oaked. Currant, mulberries, brown spice. Rich fruity entrance gives way to mildly assertive tannins through the finish. Should improve in six months to a year.

Reddish brick color. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked and tannic. Green tea, cherry, strawberry Restrained nose leads an accessible palate in warm fruity style without marked complexity.

Lush berry fruit and lovely smoky oak; dense and smooth, rich and long.

Deep, ripe fruit scents in the readily accessible aromas make an impressive opening statement for this wine's appeal. Rounded with a creamy palatal feel, the wine is built around a solid core of appley fruit and its fruit flavors are nicely seasoned, yet never overwhelmed, by spicy sweet oak. It has excellent balance, a lengthy finish and should gain further appeal with six months of cellaring.

Wood spice overrides both loosely defined ripe, dried cherry fruit in the nose and flavors. Round, firm and showing little tannic harshness, this likable, early-drinking table wine will be a good buy when found at discounted retail prices.

One has to give credit to Kendall-Jackson. As a winery, its major focus is on large-production bottlings under its Vintner's Reserve program. Yet, in its Grand Reserves and its host of expensive labels (Hartford Court, Stonestreet, Edmeades, Pepi), it often comes up with wines of special beauty. Here, the wine fights a good battle with the vintage tendency toward shallowness by finding enough ripe fruit to fill its somewhat open, medium-full-bodied frame. High in richness and suppleness, it will deliver great joy over the next four to seven years but is a question mark if held longer.