($40):  This Merlot shows why it’s such a popular kind of wine.  Silky tannins enrobe plummy-like fruitiness and make this wine a delight to drink now.  In the Frog’s Leap style, it shows restraint, impressing you with elegance and suaveness rather than weight and power. … Read more

($65):  John Williams, owner and winemaker at Frog’s Leap, has a knack for whimsy.  It’s apparent from his website, from his tagline, “time’s fun when you’re having flies,” to the fine print at the very end of the back label —”open other end.” … Read more

($35):  Here’s a Zinfandel for those of us who generally avoid that wine.  Frog’s Leap signature style of restraint highlights the charms of the varietal.  Briary and spicy notes complement its dark fruitiness.  Bursting with flavor, yet not overdone, it’s balanced. … Read more

($50):  Dry Creek Vineyard, founded by David Stare in 1972, has been a leader in the Dry Creek Valley wine renaissance.  Stare started by focusing on Sauvignon Blanc because of his love of Loire Valley wines, but quickly expanded the portfolio. … Read more

($25):  Consumers should be pleased with this well-priced Pinot Noir because it has more complexity than you’d expect at the price.  It’s ripe and supple, but unlike many Pinot Noir at this price, it has some earthy, savory nuances.  It’s not just sweet cherry juice. … Read more

($35):  Full disclosure, Zinfandel is one of my least favorite wines.  Petit Sirah runs a close second because both usually are impossibly overdone wines.  So, I shuddered when I read the blend:  Zinfandel (76%), Petit Sirah (22%) and Carignane.  But that’s why you taste. … Read more

($20):  The inclusion of Sauvignon Gris, a faintly colored mutation of Sauvignon Blanc, and Sauvignon Musqué, which some believe is a biotype of Sauvignon Blanc, helps explain this wine’s appealing fleshy texture.  (Sauvignon Musqué and Sauvignon Blanc have identical DNA and therefore are the same grape, according to Jancis Robinson et al’s Wine Grapes.) … Read more

($58):  Jordan made the difficult decision several years ago to abandon their longstanding and original concept of an estate wine, that is, one made entirely from their own grapes.  They made the honest assessment that their grapes were not always the best ones that were available. … Read more

($30):  The grapes for this multi-vineyard bottling come primarily from the Sta. Rita Valley, whose east-west orientation is rare in California where most of the valleys run north-south.  Sta. Rita’s orientation allows cool Pacific Ocean influences to reduce temperatures, especially close to the coast, making it an ideal locale for growing Pinot Noir, a grape that prefers lower temperatures to higher ones. … Read more

($40):  Siduri, known for their single-vineyard bottlings of Pinot Noir has expanded their portfolio to include ones from a variety of vineyards.   In this case, the grapes come from throughout the Russian River Valley.  Compared to its Willamette Valley bottling, their Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is broader and riper, with dark fruit flavors. … Read more

($22):   Qupé, established in 1982, has always focused on wines made from varieties usually associated with France’s Rhône Valley — Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Marsanne and Roussanne.  So where did this fabulous Chardonnay come from.  The Chardonnay came from the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley, primarily from the Y Block, which was planted exclusively for Qupé in 2005, according to their website.  … Read more

($20):   American consumers have embraced Albariño, the most important white grape in Spain’s Galicia region, because of the energetic and spicy wines made from it.  And now, with roughly 450 acres of it, almost a one-third of which was planted in the last three years, the grape — and wine — is making inroads into California vineyards. … Read more

($27):  It’s rare to see a Pinot Noir of this stature for less than $30 a bottle.  The grapes for this fruit-forward Pinot Noir come entirely from Laetitia’s vineyards, which means they control all of the farming, and, importantly, the timing of the harvest. … Read more

($40):  The world needs more renditions of Cabernet Sauvignon like this one —  specifically, well-priced and well proportioned.  It delivers ripe, but not over-ripe fruit flavors, and a wisp of vanilla-kissed oak.  But savory and “not just fruit” accents peek through, creating balance and saving it from being fruit-heavy. … Read more