US

Good, dry Merlot, with balanced tannins and oak and ripe blackberry fruit. Those tannins take some getting used to, with an astringent lockdown quality, but this is not an ager. Decant, and drink with steaks and chops.

US

After variable experience with Chardonnay, Peju is getting a grip. This wine, with nearly two-thirds new French oak, is fruity and crisp, with smooth, long pineapple and peaches and cream flavors.

US

Despite its youth this is already showing a light orange tone and the fruit is round, ripe and quickly maturing. It's drinking well, with forward flavors of berry, plum and leaf. Tannins are tight and hard, ripe but unyielding.

fr

Despite being rather full-bodied, this isn't soft at all, instead offering up scents of lime and lemon and firm, assertive flavors of apple and citrus. Finishes crisp and long. This could work as a mouthwatering apritif or perhaps with raw shellfish.

it

Here's a rosato from Tuscany that is vibrant and clean and richly redolent of forest fruit, red berry, dried sage and minerals. In fact, the herbal quality is unique and impressive. It's clean and fresh in the mouth with medium persistency.

US

With its firm, dry tannins and crisp acids, this is not one of those soft, fruit-driven Merlots, but an earthy one. It shows tobacco, sage and wintergreen flavors, with a suggestion of red cherries and sweet oak. It's a nice delineation of a drier, more structured style of Merlot.

US

Nice everyday Merlot. The cassis, cherry liqueur and blueberry flavors are finished with smoky oak, and it is totally dry and balanced in smooth tannins and brisk coastal acidity. Drink now.

US

This is a round, buxom Viognier, flashy and obvious, with upfront aromas of flowers, honey and spice backed by fruit-forward flavors of apricot and melon. Shows a touch of warmth on the finish.

US

The fruits are slightly deeper in this Five Elements Wine. The fruit flavors are austere, with wild berries, dry tannins and a somewhat metallic finish. It needs more time to pull together.

fr

Made in the traditional Hugel style, this is a dry, high-acid Riesling. Scents of lime and chalk dust combine with green apple and petrol aromas to make for a classic bouquet. Modernists may find the palate a bit lean, but others will find it sharply focused, with a racy, zesty finish.

US

This is a result of the increasing presence of rather rare Rh?ne valley grapes here in Washington. The blend is 42% Counoise, 41% Mourvdre and 17% Grenache. This is round, soft, fleshy and forward, an interesting blend to be sure.

US

This bottling of Chardonnay, from one of the best white wine sites in Monterey, has kept its quality as well as its price over the years. Dry and zesty in acidity, it has a firm, stony minerality that underlies the apricot, white peach and grapefruit juice flavors. Shows real elegance, at a fair price.

US

Made from Musque clone, and completely barrel fermented with sur lie aging in partial new oak, this is a good wine that can't quite overcome its feline character. Minor feline essence notes in a symphony of lemongrass, pineapple, fig and honeydew.

za

With its elegant pale pink color, light but layered nose of strawberries, grapefruit and guava and its reasonable price, this rose from consistently solid Stellenbosch producer Mulderbosch is an accessible and affordable food wine that will please multiple palates. Flavors of cherry, herbs and strawberry on the palate coat the tongue with the slightly viscous mouthfeel, but it's not overwhelming. Drink now.

US

The winemaker added a little Syrah to round it out, and there does seem to be a depth and richness of chocolate and violets to this cherry-flavored wine. It's not a blockbuster or an ager, but a soft, beautifully silky Pinot for immediate enjoyment.

nz

Starts off a bit slow, with scents of underripe peach or melon that are a bit unyielding, and a hint of matchstick-like, Fum character. Green pepper and citrus flavors take firm hold of the slightly oily palate, then turn crisp and tart on the finish.

es

Clean, dry and ripe she goes, and that's just the way we like it. The nose on this Garnacha-Carignan blend is precise and easygoing, and the raspberry flavors are pure. It finishes dry and peppery, but always there's some fruit to assure its friendliness.

fr

A light, dry style of Pinot Blanc, with apple, melon and mineral hints backed by citrus and wet stones that finish crisp and dry. As prices for Riesling and Pinot Gris have edged upward, Pinot Blanc has remained the bargain variety of Alsace, and this is a solid example, best served as an apritif or with light fish dishes.

nz

Made in a full-bodied, slightly beefy style, with broad shoulders, this does show typical Central Otago flavors of black cherries, beets, cola and coffee. A solid effort from Bannockburn fruit.

US

Although in this hot vintage it explodes in cherries, blackberries, milk chocolate and new oak flavors, it's far more tannic than most Napa Valley wines. The combination of toughness and almost sweet ripeness makes for strange bedfellows.