Wine & Words

Christian Wölffer helped build region's reputation with substantial investment and passion

This crisp white shows flavors of mineral, mead and peach. The bright finish features plenty of spice and melon. Drink now. 1,200 cases imported.

Fresh and juicy, with apple, citrus and green peach flavors. The crisp finish features white pepper notes. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

Rich and ripe, brimming with blueberry, tobacco and smoke flavors, persisting on the firm-textured finish. Best from 2009 through 2013. 2,500 cases made.

Flinty, with tart sour lemon-citrus and green racy fruit flavors that have a touch of quince, ending with a minerally edge. Medium-bodied. Best from 2010 through 2015. 19,398 cases made.

Rich and ripe, with creamy, plush flavors of cream, ripe peach and glazed apricot. Seductive notes of quince, pear and spice fill the lush finish. Drink now through 2014. 1,250 cases made.

Bright, effusive and generous with its raspberry, red cherry, nutmeg and cream flavors, lingering impressively on the polished finish. This jumps out of the glass, not for its size or any single element, but for its seamlessness and focus. Drink now through 2013. 3,040 cases made.

Just like the tasty Sonoma field-style blends of yore, with distinct toasty dill and berry cobbler aromas and zesty raspberry, cracked pepper and earthy sage flavors that end with slightly rustic tannins. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Mataro. Drink now through 2015. 12,000 cases made

Bright red cherry and plum flavors give this good lift. The spicy finish is filled with raspberry. Drink now. 20,000 cases made.

A polished texture and balanced structure carry plum, leaf and light coffee flavors in this fresh red. The floral and cedar finish brings you back for another sip. Drink now through 2013. 3,000 cases made.

Polished and appealing for its blackberry and spice flavors, persisting on the refreshingly open-textured finish. Drink now through 2011. 37,000 cases imported.

Light and fragrant, with cantaloupe and pear aromas and flavors, lingering on the silky frame. Drink now. 18,500 cases made.

Round and mouthfilling, with an ample core of plum and currant fruit intertwined with notes of tobacco, game and roasted herb. The solid, fleshy finish extends nicely, with raspberry and mineral notes chiming in. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2018. 1,650 cases made.

The most popular stories of the past year indicate that with all that happened in 2008, we really just wanted to be distracted by a pretty face

Ripe and juicy, with a solid core of anise, melon and fig flavors backed by a mouthwatering McIntosh note on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 1,124 cases made.

Lush and fruit-driven, with a creamy texture carrying enticing flavors of melted fig, crushed blackberry and spice. Long, alluring finish has plenty of toast, but it's well-integrated, with the fruit really shining. Drink now through 2010. 2,841 cases made.

Full-blown, ripe and rich, with intense and sharply focused dried currant, wild berry and blackberry fruit that's still fairly tannic at this stage. Ends with a long, persistent finish. Best from 2010 through 2015. 33,900 cases made.

Novel mechanism triggered by wine consumption creates healthy fats

Tributes to wine-industry leaders who died this year

Soft and round, with a lovely glow of peach and melon flavors at the core, wafting gracefully through the long finish. Drink now. 1,693 cases made.