Reviews

Top Value: A zesty red, with bold raspberry and fresh pine tree aromas to the easygoing cherry and spice flavors. 

Tightly knit and creamy, with a lively backbone of acidity framing flavors of white peach puree, pastry, anise and almond.

Medium red. More smoke and leather than red fruits on the nose. Silky in texture, with a touch of raspberry fruit currently overshadowed by spices, earth and underbrush. Offers a restrained sweetness in the middle palate, then finishes with a slightly rustic dusty quality.

Great Value

Vivid ruby-red. Jammy red berries and a hint of cracked pepper on the nose. Light-bodied raspberry and cherry flavors pick up a dark chocolate nuance with air and offer a hint of bitterness on the back half. Racy and refreshing, showing no excess weight, very soft tannins and just a hint of dusty tannins. -- Josh Raynolds

The 2013 vintage—dry yet moderate in temperature—lifted many boats, not just in Napa Valley. This sleek Monterey merlot has a simple, pure ripeness, the fruit bright red and focused, with complex, savory aromas of cocoa and tobacco chiming in. It’s firm rather than fat, ready to take on flank steak.

Smooth and smoky, with wild cherry, berry and spice flavors backed by a juicy texture. Shows fine length and expression. Drink now through 2018. 

–BS

Elegantly styled, with complex tangerine, nectarine and white peach flavors. This turns pithy in texture. Complete and concentrated. Drink now.
–JL

This pale pink rosé offers a reasonably complex array of aromas and flavors, ranging from anise to wet stone, and cracked pepper to wild strawberries. It’s medium to full in body, with a finish that resonates of wet stone and spice. Drink now. Best Buy. —J.C. 

This is a thick, rich and very ripe wine, with a charred back note making its way against higher-toned tastes of red raspberry and blackberry. The oak is integrated and the wine softly varietal, but it packs a punch on the palate. —V.B