California

Country: US / Bella Novello Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon California Winery: Paoletti / Napa Valley Somewhat raisiny and bitter. Tastes like press wine, with harsh, grapeskin tannins that make it feel astringently dry. Pretty good flavors, though, of blackberries and currants. Drink up.

Country: US / Variety: Malbec California Winery: Paoletti / Napa Valley Very dry and tannic, this Malbec has an unrelieved toughness in the mouth, despite some good cherry flavors. The texture is just too hard, and shows some bitterness in the finish. Drink now.

Country: US / Keefer Ranch Vineyard Variety: Pinot Noir California Winery: Pali / Russian River Valley Too acidic and tart in wintergreen flavors, a real disappointment from this well-regarded vineyard. On the plus side, it’s bone dry and silky, and shows cherry and cola flavors accented with sweet, smoky oak. Ready to drink now.

Country: US / Il Passito Late Harvest Variety: Sémillon California Winery: Castello di Amorosa / Sonoma County Very sweet, with honeyed flavors of apricots, peaches and vanilla crème brûlée, but lacks the acidity a sweet wine needs for liveliness.

Country: US / Hi-Rollr Variety: Red Blend California Winery: Yorkville Cellars / Mendocino County A good, rather rugged wine. It’s edgy in tannins and somewhat overripe, with raisin, plum, blackberry, coffee and spice flavors. But it’s nicely dry. Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Country: US / Trois Filles Variety: Pinot Noir California Winery: Pey-Marin / Marin County An earthy, leathery aroma and flavor dominate this light-bodied, smooth-textured wine. It brings on modest plum, tea and forest-floor flavors to broaden its appeal on the palate.

Country: US / 1908 Brignole Vineyard Old Vine Variety: Zinfandel California Winery: J. Rickards / Alexander Valley Smoothly textured, this wine is thick and generously layered in flavors of blackberry coffee cake and coffee bean, the two combining nicely into one. Grippy on the finish, it’s full bodied and brawny, as well as dusty in […]

Country: US / Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon California Winery: Bar Dog / California This is a good, solidly made wine with medium body and a pleasant mix of spicy oak and juicy fruit flavors. The texture goes easy on the palate.

Country: US / Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon California Winery: Vigilance / Red Hills Lake County Toasty, smoky oak aromas and flavors dominate this medium-bodied wine that is soft around the edges. With little noticeable tannin and low acidity it comes off as slightly sweet.

Country: US / Paragon Vineyard Variety: Pinot Gris California Winery: Tangent / Edna Valley Sharp and peppery aromas of chive, dill and Key lime show on the intriguing nose of this wine. Good citrus energy marks the flavors, where ripe pear appears in the midpalate and a decent acidity carries into the finish.

Country: US / Variety: Pinot Noir California Winery: Santa Barbara Winery / Santa Barbara County Boysenberry, dried rose petals, lilac and lavender show on the nose of this iconic winery’s affordable bottling. Pencil shavings show on the sip, where the dark purple and boysenberry fruits are cut by deft acidity.

Country: US / The Hidden One Variety: Sauvignon Blanc California Winery: Leto / St. Helena This is a spirited, funky white made from old vines, the wine aged in neutral oak. High in acidity, it has flavors of white peach and coconut.