ar

A wine that seems to be striving for more than it can deliver. The nose is jammy and big, with maple, toast and other sweet wood-driven notes. Candied and ripe throughout, with marshmallow and vanilla on the finish. Clumsy in the final analysis.

ar

Light and easy, with honey aromas. White peach and underripe cantaloupe work the flavor profile, followed by almond notes and some creaminess on the finish. Pleasant enough.

il

Tastes a bit grapy and almost sweet, with jammy flavors accented by hints of vanilla. A chunky, straightforward wine best suited for uncritical quaffing. Imported by Abarbanel Wine Company.

US

You'll find some unripe, green and briary notes in this everyday Cab, besides the more varietal flavors of blackberries and cherries. It's dry and soft, with rich tannins.

US

This is a black, dry, tannicly astringent wine that doesn't seem to merit its own bottling. It might soften and sweeten in ten or fifteen years, but why bother. Still, it's clean and balanced.

US

Opens with a vegetal smell, like canned asparagus, and although it tastes fruitier and has a polished texture, it's still a difficult wine to like, especially at this price.

US

Dark, soft and a bit syrupy, this is an indistinct wine, with cherry, coffee and oak flavors. It's very harsh and astringent in tannins.

ar

Granular aromas of crushed vitamin, iodine and citrus aren't terribly impressive, and there's some aggressive flavors on the palate. Registers a bit spiky, with tropical fruit and reduced but bold melon notes.

US

My gripe with this wine is that it tastes overly sweet. Too bad, because it has polished fig, melon and citrus flavors and nice acidity. If it were drier, it would be great. But plenty of people with a sweet tooth will enjoy it.

US

Enormously high in alcohol, nearly 16 percent, with a hot, Porty mouthfeel and raisiny tastes, this is certainly an eccentric Zin. Not my style, but some will like it.

au

Offers up light mineral-talc aromas, with a similar feel on the palate. Peach-skin flavors don't really sing. Fine for casual gatherings.

au

Not all that concentrated on the palate, with just modest pear and melon flavors. Soft a little flabby, even in feel.

il

Light and dry, with modest cassis fruit and some pleasant tobacco and cigarbox aromas and flavors. Imported by Royal Wine Corporation.

es

Oaky and charred, with maple and mocha on the nose. And from there it slips. The palate is spiky and acidic, and the finish is sharp and saucy. For whatever reason this Tempranillo-Cabernet Sauvignon blend weighs in on the cusp of sour. Pricey for what you get.

ar

Leafy and herbal, with a bit of a cooked quality on the nose. Quite tangy, with citrus, green melon and red currant flavors. Lasting due to outsized acidity.

ar

Leather and spice on the nose complement basic berry aromas. The palate is fairly acidic and zingy, with red fruit and a touch of oak. Finishes bright and jumpy; little to nothing in the way of nuance.

au

An odd wine that can't decide whether it wants to be sweet (cotton candy aromas, lifted cassis flavors) or more rustic (mushroom aromas, earth flavors). Has some textured tannins but wants a little more heft midpalate.

US

Despite the smooth tannins, delicious blackberry and cherry fruit and good acidity, this wine finishes just a little too sweet for comfort, although some wine aficienadoes will enjoy that burst of sugar.

US

There's some nice plummy, berry fruit and rich tannins in this wine, but it suffers from Porty, brown sugar aromas and a sweetness to the finish that's inappropriate in a dry table wine.

au

This ros offers sweet berry aromas and tangy, sour cherry and herb flavors. Disjointed, and wants concentration.