Gorgeous wine in a great place right now.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted herbs and hints of cherry cola.  Full bodied.  Silky but full texture.  Lots of black raspberry and black cherry fruit over gravel, char and scorched earth.  Nice acidity.  Complex, deep; the layers unwind in the glass.  Still some tannins left.  Long finish.  Just abot at peak but should have a decade to go at this level.  Works great on its own and will work with roasts and grilled food.  

Petite Syrah or Petite Sirah?  Same grape and one that can really age well.  At age 26, this is drinking quite well.  Purple in color.  The nose has boysenberries, spice and dust.  With air, a bit of gravel.  On the palate, this is full bodied.   Boysenberry fruit, dried fruit and slight dry earth.  Slight depth and complexity.  Tannins all resolved.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This probably is a bit past prime but certainly should continue to provide good drinking for five to ten more years as it slides downhill.  It really needs food.  Burgers or steaks would be great.  

This is "cellared and bottled" by Precision Wine Co., but that is really all I could find out about the wine.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis and a grapey quality.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  One dimensional.  Drinks easy.  Black raspberry fruit.  Clipped finish.  Lacks much acidity or energy.  The kind of wine that, for the right price, it fine to serve at large events.  

This is a multi-vintage, multi grape cuvee.  It is released on a regular basis, this being the 13th iteration.  It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 12% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Mourvedre.  This is really quite good and an excellent value.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is dusty and warm with nice black cherry fruit.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru along with some sour cherries.  Medium tannins.  Moderate finish.  This rinks quite easily and would be a nice choice for parties.  It will go with all but the lightest of foods.  Drink over the next couple of y

Light ruby in color.  The nose has bright cherries and a slight earthiness.  On the palate, this is light bodied.  Thin with tart cherry fruit.  There is some earthiness on the palate as well.  Long finish.  This is easy drinking and refreshing.  Drinks fine without food.  It will work with light foods too.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

For those who like a buttery, plenty of oak style California Chardonnay, this is a great option.  It can sometimes be found for less than $20!  Green gold in color.  The nose has fresh lumber, slight vanilla, butter and slight lemons.  On the palate, the lemon, oak and vanilla carry thru.  Nice texture.  Persistent oak on the finish.  It will be kind of wine that is divisive; love or not.  More for sipping on its own though it will work with roasted fowl quite well.  I admit this is not my personal favorite style, so your mileage may vary.  

This is a relatively affordable Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Light silvery gold in color.  The nose has lots of yellow grapefruits.  Slightly oily texture.  More yellow grapefruits on the palate.  Good acidity.  Good finish.  This drinks easy on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  It should be drunk in the next couple of years.  

One of the no brainer values in California wine.  This year it carries a California (not Sonoma) designation.  It is a blend from various vineyards of 85% Zinfandel and the rest Mataro, Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Petite Sirah and what grapes might also be growing in these field blends.  It is delicious.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, raspberries, smoke, roasted herbs and spice.  On the palate, this has juicy acidity.  Nice texture.  Lots of red and some purple fruits.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  This will likely improve a bit for a year or tw

This is somewhat of a rarity in CdR as it is 100% Syrah.  This is also consistently one of the better values in Syrah.  Purple in color.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, garrigue (an herbal/spice combination found in the Rhone), and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  A bit more austere than prior vintages but that's fine.  More than enough stuffing.  On the palate, black raspberries, black pepper and slight roasted herbs.  Good finish.  This might even get a bit better with just a hint of age.  This should drink well for the next five to seven years.  It will work well w

This is a blend of 65% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 5% Syrah.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries and plums along with some spice and earthy funk.  On the palate, this is complex.  Layers of black cherries and black raspberries with damp earthiness.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is drinking very well right now.  It should be at this level for another five to ten years.  It goes well with roasts and casseroles.