Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith, lemon peel, and lemon curd. In the mouth, lemon peel and pith have a bright saline quality with hints of grapefruit and orange rind. Excellent acidity, hints of vanilla lingering in the finish. Made from three different vineyard sites in Stellenbosch.

Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon curd, a hint of pineapple, and oak. In the mouth, rich lemon curd and wet chalkboard flavors are faintly saline and are bright and juicy with excellent acidity. Silky textured with a long finish.

15 Show-Stopping American Wines for Under $20
If you're hosting this holiday season, you'll want to keep these bottles in heavy rotation.
2018 Nielson Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir
The black-tea aromatics and spicy berry flavors of this Santa Barbara County Pinot give it a complexity and depth that make it taste like a bottle that costs substantially more than it does.

A very serviceable and pleasing white wine with a softer fruit and green profile that should satisfy white wine drinkers who don’t gravitate towards Chardonnay or a more pungent style of Sauvignon Blanc.

Halloween Candy and Wine Pairings You're Sure To Fall In Love With
A rich, oak filled and vanilla spiced California Chardonnay is a big wine to pair with any food. As far as candy pairings, it especially tastes great with Butterfingers. The crispy buttery layers inside the chocolate melt in your mouth with each sip of Chardonnay. You can also try Candy Corn as an additional pairing. The acidity in the wine breaks down the Candy Corn to a creamy and sugary delight.
SPLURGE! Penner Ash Chardonnay 2020

Located on the steep north facing slopes of the Warramate Ranges, the Sexton Vineyard is exposed and demanding. Being on the higher slopes, topsoil is thin and root systems have established themselves in shallow gravelly loams above a tough rocky clay base. Bunch yields set naturally low in this environment, resulting in intensely flavoured fruit with high skin to juice ratio.
The 2020 season was a bit of a rollercoaster and the cool Spring delivered very low yields across the Chardonnay blocks, primarily driven by tighter, smaller bunches – the consequence of which is naturally high acidity and fresh savoury flavours. Expect to be greeted with a fabulous nose of mixed citrus, sorbet and peach cobbler, while toasted nuts and aromas in abundance on the palate.

2018 Le Désir has a dark inky appearance with a violet hue that extends to the rim. The compelling characteristics of Cabernet Franc are expressed on the nose and palate with flavours of crunchy cranberry, ripe raspberry, red currant, dried sage, crushed mint, and cinnamon bark, followed by spice cake, subtle vanilla liquor, and singed toast. The persistent finish and bright acidity suggest the wine will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years to come.

Ripe plums, black cherry liquor and dried cassis provide sumptuous aromas while hints of orange peel, toasted allspice, fresh cinnamon bark and dried tea leaf beckon. A velvety, Merlot-driven mid-palate slowly opens into a multi-layered bouquet of red fruit, toasted baking spices, truffle and coffee bean. An iron-rich minerality provides a taut, complex structure, while fine-grained tannins and firm acidity grip the palate to sustain a long and elegant finish. This classic expression of Saint-Émilion offers a dual brightness and sophistication that will continue to improve for years to come.

Can there be a more comforting white wine than a California Chardonnay? Bring on the arguments, but when push comes to shove it’s near impossible to outdo the coddled joy preferred from a bottle of sun-kissed, robust Cali Chard. As Exhibit A see Freemark Abbey’s quintessential Napa Valley Chardonnay. Oozing ripeness and flavours of tropical and stone fruit, this rich white also does not shy away from evident oak influence — adding layers of wood toast and spice. Texture abounds in this rich but lively Chardonnay, which finishes with a lingering kiss of more peach and citrus.
Bottom line: B+, Comforting, classic Chard.

Another big version, but the great brambly mountain fruit and acidity give it some nice balance.

Top 12 Cabernet Sauvignons of 2022
From grapes grown on the rocky red slopes of Mount Veeder, this is mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at its very best. With an extremely deep purple-black colour, the wine shows dense black fruits backed by toasty, almost ‘tar-like’ accents and delicate rose-petal and baking spices overlay. Rich, full-bodied, layered and complex with great definition and length. Compelling now, with roast venison, for example, but one can only imagine how well it will age.

Such a beautiful example of mountain fruit with spice, red and black berries, herbs, juniper flowers and elegance.

Another expression of mountain fruit, yet a very different one. This one is a force of nature – I tasted red fruit, dried plum, earth, herbs and graphite and chocolate.

Siduri Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2020 is a superb entry-level pour into the delicious world of Siduri pinot noir. Elegant, easy drinker, an ideal introduction to pinot. Lacks great complexity and depth, but still punches above its weight at its admirable QPR. You want more, Siduri can supply with its single-vineyard effort.

You know a wine’s great when it doesn’t last a second day. That was definitely the case with this subtle, mellow wine with deep, dense flavors, aromas and textures. Flinty yet slightly fruity with hints of blackberry pie and roasted cherries, this light, bright wine tasted terrific straight out of the bottle and three hours later. Sorry I can’t tell you what it tasted like the next day. This wine was just too good not to finish.

I realize this wine’s price crosses over into the three-figure territory. But if you’re searching for an inky, dark, intense wine, you’ll hopefully enjoy this magical merlot as much as I did. Its voluptuous texture reminds me of thick velvet and cotton candy. Flavor wise, this wine contains generous helpings of melted blackberries and roasted cherries. Best of all, this wine somehow manages to be smooth and subtle while also being bigger, bolder and louder than the other merlots on this list. Definitely a wine worth splurging on for special occasions.

Winemaker Chris Carpenter draws the best from the grapes grown in Mt. Veeder’s high elevations through rocky soils perched on steep slopes. Big in body, rich in style, it has dense blackberry and mineral notes.

Grown in volcanic soils on Howell Mountain, this long-living giant has dense plum and raspberry flavors with floral aromas and herbal, mineral notes that are sure to evolve with a decade of aging.

Herbaceous, bright fresh fruit, firm structure, youthful, interesting next to the others, more focused. The subconscious mind instinctively steers the conscious mind toward the next glass. Would love to taste it again as it matures.

Darker forest fruit, great intensity and silky but present structure. Long and enjoyable despite the challenges of the climate this year.

Youthful tannin, primary fruit - blueberry, mint, sage, a little fresh tobacco leaf coming through but distinctly young.

Bright open fruit, se flowers, cherry.
Smooth silky structure. Longer fruit.

Dark berries, cocoa, succulent tannin, fine, velvety. An elegant fine wine.

Rich purity of berry/cherry and sweet spices. Complex, juicy chewy tannin, again youthful.

Roses, herbaceous notes, darker fruits, cherry and damson. A little zing of freshness on the palate. Accessible and interesting.