($25): Finding authentic Pinot Noir at this price is a treat.  All too often they are just sweet and fruity.  Decoy’s — they do love to fool you — has modest and restrained fruitiness that allows the herbal, slightly savory, element that makes Pinot Noir so engaging.… Read more

($25): If anyone in California can make authentic Merlot, it should be Duckhorn Vineyards who focused on that varietal well before it became a household word.  They make a marvelous one under their Decoy label.  This 2012 is fleshy and ripe, with a lovely slightly bitter cherry note in the finish. … Read more

($63): Though Duckhorn has focused on Merlot since their inception, their Cabernets demonstrate that the winery is hardly a one-trick pony.  This classic Napa Valley Cabernet is firm without being aggressive.  Deeply flavored, it’s not over the top, but well-balanced delivering a mélange of black fruit flavors and herbal, savory — almost black olive type — notes. … Read more

($54): Duckhorn made a name for itself with Merlot and continues to excel with that grape variety.  Their 2011 Napa Valley bottling, made from a combination of their and purchased grapes, has real character, which puts it out of the “I’ll have a glass of Merlot before dinner” category. … Read more

($25): Decoy is Duckhorn’s little sister winery that focuses on wines that are meant to be consumed immediately after release.  And this supple mid-weight wine is just that.  But like a decoy, it fools you.  Though you might think that a wine labeled “Red Wine” would be a non-descript commodity, this is far from that, offering good structure that balances its engaging fruitiness. … Read more

($80): Goldeneye is Duckhorn Vineyard’s winery and estate in Anderson Valley that Dan and Margaret Duckhorn established in 1996.  Duckhorn realized that if they wanted to make top notch Pinot Noir they needed to look elsewhere from their northern Napa Valley base, which was far too warm for that grape. … Read more

($115): Confusingly, the Ten Degrees Vineyard bottling does not come from a single vineyard, but rather is a blend of Goldeneye’s best lots from their four Anderson Valley vineyards, making it more like a “Reserve” bottling than an expression of a single discreet place. … Read more

($45): Creamy and seductive, this stylish Chardonnay will convince anyone that the Russian River Valley can produce wonderful Chardonnay.  Of course, Paul Hobbs, one of California’s star winemakers, had something to do with it.  Intense without being overt or overdone, the combination of subtle fruitiness and minerality, caresses the palate. … Read more

($22): Roederer Estate is certainly one of California’s best sparkling wineries.  Part of the reason for its success is that their grapes come entirely from their vineyards, a rarity among Champagne or sparkling wine producers.  Their non-vintage brut delivers a lovely creamy fruitiness without being soft or sweet. … Read more

($28): MacMurray Ranch’s Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley offers up more herbal and spice elements, giving it more layers, compared to their Central Coast offering.  Still the core delivers lush plum-like flavors. The combination of plush tannins and ripeness contributes to a subtle sweetness in the finish.… Read more

($17): William Hill manages to combine cassis-like flavors with undertones of black olive-like note in this nicely balanced Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine.  The tannins are fine and not intrusive, yet add just the right amount of structure.  This bargain-priced wine is a perfect choice with lamb chops tonight.… Read more

($23): Though there’s a whiff of non-fruit notes in the nose, the focus here is clearly on ripe red/back fruit flavors.  The wine’s plush texture makes it easy to sip before dinner.  It’s a softer, fruit-forward, style of Pinot Noir that finishes slightly sweet because of its ripeness.… Read more

($60): Jake Fetzer, who along with his brother, Ben, run Masút Vineyard and Winery, explains that each year they select a wine from one of the blocks in their estate vineyard that they think has done very well and bottle a portion of it separately. … Read more

($40): Jacob and Ben Fetzer have their work cut for them.  As grandchildren of the famed Barney Fetzer, who founded Fetzer Winery and put Mendocino County on the world’s wine map, they have big shoes to fill.  Judging by this Pinot Noir, they are up to the challenge and will succeed. … Read more

($45): Practically a single vineyard wine — the two vineyards that provide fruit are less that 250 yards apart in the Rutherford Bench and are composed of the same gravelly loam soil — this bottling speaks with precision and focus.  It delivers ripe, but not jammy, black fruit enrobed in silky tannins. … Read more

($50): You’d expect that J Vineyards, one of California leading sparkling wine producers, would know about Pinot Noir since they use that grape in their bubbly.  And judging from Misterra, a blend of Pinot Noir (90%), Pinot Meunier and Pinotage, they do. … Read more

($60): Laurel Glen Vineyard, one of California’s great producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, seems to fly under the radar for reasons I don’t understand. Except for a tiny amount of rosé, Laurel Glen makes only Cabernet Sauvignon — and superb Cabernet at that — and they sell them at reasonable prices. … Read more

($35): This lush Cabernet has plenty of concentration, a whiff of vanilla from oak aging and mild tannins, making it lovely for current consumption.  Herbal notes add complexity.  Its depth and polish make it a good choice for a steak this winter.… Read more