This is a rich and full bodied chardonnay, with loads of fruit and oak influences to hold it own with dinner or by itself. Aromas of green apples and pears fill the glass and mouth, and develop into dried apple notes. The mid palette delivers some tropical fruit notes especially pineapple and mango notes. The finish is creamy and refined with the dried fruit and tropical fruit marrying perfectly with the oak and cream influence. This wine would be perfect with fuller bodied white meats and sauces.

Aromas and soft flavors raspberries and strawberries hit the senses like a train getting every sense and develop with notes of allspice. These flavors continue on the palette and additional notes of cassis and smoky oak marry with the red fruit notes to create a soft and elegant wine with a hint of creaminess. Terrific with salmon or lighter meat entrees.

Another hit from La Crema, this Pinot has all the right fruit characteristics to make it a winner for any occasion. Aromas of black licorice and Binge cherries fill the glass and develop in the mouth. These marry perfectly dried orange peel and prune notes and slowly evolve into notes of cherry and rose petals. The finish has a great smokiness and clove like spice to it. Perfect with fuller bodied fish and even BBQ. You will finds loads of flavors and spice in this terrific value priced Pinot.

The nose on this wine was exceptional with aromas of nectarines and banana cream pie filling the glass. The flavors followed along the lines of the aromas but expanding the flavors, pineapple and melon flavors were finished on the palette with a subtle vanilla creaminess. Think chicken or even lobster with this wine, the fruit and cream notes would merry perfectly with mineral and sweetness of the seafood.

If you are looking for a medium bodied Pinot Noir than this is your wine. Aromas of ripe raspberries and plums start popping as soon as the cork comes out of the bottle. The flavors are creamy and smooth, layers of vanilla, cola and bright fruit in each sip. This is one of those pinots that you will find yourself wanting a second bottle after the first glass, so grab a few bottles and get some lamb which will be a perfect match for this wine.

To showcase the exceptional flexibility of Grenache several Australian winemakers are starting to produce Grenache dominate blends. This particular one is a mix of 49% Grenache, 36% Shiraz and 15% Mourvedre, all of which are old vine produced. When I opened this wine I said WOW and told my wife even if she was not in the mood for wine she had to have some. The nose with its layers of bacon smoke and inky dark fruit aromas engulfed my senses. The flavors were no less intense, vanilla, dark chocolate covered cherries flowed like silk into a finish of oak and dried red fruit flavors. The flavors just kept coming and coming making this a truly exceptional tasting experience.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a tasting at J Winery in the Russian River Valley and enjoying a session in their new featured Bubble Room. This state of the art tasting experience is like no other, when you step in it feels like a chic and hip New York club, with a delightful and attentive staff. This room is in addition to the regular tasting bar which has all of the standard wines and the treasures you can only find at the winery. Where the bubble room takes everything to the pinnacle of a tasting experience is that their executive chef Mark Caldwell prepares a six course symphony of foods to pair with the wines. While you are attending the tasting do not be surprised a member of the winemaking team to pop in and say hello. So when you are in the mood for some world class sparkling and still wines make this a must stop on your next visit.

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It is nice to find a chardonnay at this price that does not overdo the oak influence. Oak is like salt and pepper on a meal just the right amount makes a meal terrific and to much can ruin any meal. The aromas and flavors of yellow apples, key limes, and vanilla, melt into a caramel burnt sugar note. All of these flavors together make for a memorable and rich delicious wine without to much oak. It would work perfectly with sea bass or herb rubbed grilled chicken the clean fresh flavors along with the herbs in the rub would draw out all the subtleties in the wine. A terrific under $25 Chardonnay.

When you first smell this wine you will probably think it will be sweet with all the honeysuckle and farmers market ripe melon notes in the air, but when it hits the mouth you get a true symphony of flavors and textures. The sweet nose develops in the mouth with layers ripe fruit especially pear, kiwi, and star fruit. The medium body and acidity temper the fresh fruit notes and make this a very well balanced wine. Terrific with sushi or spicy Thai food, the sweetness and acidity will calm down the hot elements.

Kendall-Jackson the long known producer of terrific wine for exceptional prices has taken the bar up quite a few notches with this release of the Grand Reserve’s. All of these wines are made from the top 5% or less of all of the specific varietal used in the wine, letting this be the cream of the crop as they say. The 2007 Chardonnay ($21)was out of this world, soft layers of tropical fruit especially banana and pineapple were countered by layers of vanilla and oak. Very elegant and extremely well made. The next wine was the 2008 Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc ($20) made with predominately from Mendocino and Lake County fruit, you can really taste the layers of lemon grass, grapefruit, and rosemary herbal notes with a very slight hint of dried figs on the finish. Now for the reds, we started with the 2006 Merlot ($28) made with Sonoma and Napa fruit, this is a merlot lovers merlot, layered with black plum and berry notes followed by a lush dark chocolate and cigar box finish. The fruit hangs on the palette while the oak and cedar notes round out the tasting experience. We than had a real treasure the 2005 Meritage ($35), this is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Displaying a nose of roasted coffee beans and chocolate covered black cherries, which lead into a silky smooth dark red treasure loaded with dark plum and oak notes, this was an extremely velvety red. The last wine of the night was a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) which had loads of body and finesse, waves of dark red fruit and spice flowed over the tongue and the finish had just the right amount of oak and smoky dark chocolate notes. All of these grand reserve wines were exceptional examples of the varietals, have just the right amount of spice and fruit, each one is well worth every cent.