The nose on this wine offers glimpses of both dried and fresh lemon peel, smoky reduction and wet chalk. The palate comes in with cool concentration focused on a ripe but tingling notion of lemon zest. Earthiness anchors this all, with lemon notes that convey cool, vivid freshness. Stony, chalky lemony purity seems to radiate and real drive seems to propel the wine forward. The finish is bone dry and long.

— Anne Krebiehl

A slight whiff of smokiness is all that escapes on the shy, closed nose. The palate of this wine sweeps in with juicy flow, transporting a wealth of ripe, fresh Mirabelle plums framed by a beautiful, pithy texture. The wine offers intensity and a dry finish, and seems like a summer breeze.

— Anne Krebiehl

A glint of flinty reduction entices on the cool, lemon nose on this wine. Lemon becomes more precise on the palate, tingling with freshness and pithy zest. The wine has cool, expansive depth, despite the hot vintage. Vivid lemon freshness persists to the long, bright finish, where zestiness lingers.

— Anne Krebiehl

Flinty reduction and lemony zestiness create a very appetizing nose. The palate delvers more of those zesty, juicy, mouth-watering lemon notes while the full, rounded body adds a stony depth to those ripe Amalfi lemon flavors. There is tautness, even on this generous body. The dry finish tapers beautifully into a notion of ripe lemon zest.

— Anne Krebiehl

This affordable Chardonnay, from one of New Zealand's best known names, is intensely perfumed, a heady, musky combo of flower blossoms, peach cobbler, orange zest and ginger. The medium-weight palate is powdery in texture with a lovely freshness.

— Christina Pickard

Forest floor, mature plum, new leather and game mingle with a floral scent of iris. Showing an attractive combination of earthiness and elegance, the savory, enveloping palate doles out juicy Marasca cherry, raspberry compote, truffle and white pepper alongside chewy, fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced and youthfully tense.

— Kerin O'Keefe

Aromas of cassis, fresh tomato, tobacco, herbs, eucalyptus and spice are Chilean all the way, while this Cabernet-led blend feels solid but a little light in the midpalate. Savory plum, berry and tomato-sauce flavors finish dry and smooth, with manageable tannins.

— Michael Schachner

Fragrant purple flower, dark-skinned berry, chopped mint and pipe tobacco are just some of the aromas you'll find on this captivating red. The delicious palate combines structure, finesse and earthiness, delivering juicy Marasca cherry, black raspberry, licorice and truffle framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it youthfully focused and well balanced.

— Kerin O'Keefe

Year after year, this mouthwatering rosé is an approachably priced, stand-out pick amid an excellent lineup of Tavel bottlings. It's weighty and concentrated yet always invigorating, packed with crisp-tart blackberry and black-cherry flavors marked by complexities of bramble, garrigue and earth.

— Anna Lee C. Ijima

This vintage of Craggy Range's classic Martinborough SB favors grassy, green herbal notes, woven with zesty lemon-lime, passion fruit and seashell nuances. As it warms in the glass, it offers more generous fruit. The palate is zesty, with green herbal notes riding straight through to the finish. There's a lovely balance of texture and acidity with length and freshness.

— Christina Pickard

Its modern suppleness is created from the extraordinary ripeness and balance of 2016 Tuscan vintage. It delivers black-fruit and cedar fragrances, and black-cherry flavor—all carried on a medium body with a soft, round texture that cries “Bordeaux-esque.”

— John Foy

Deep ruby-red. Intense red and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities on the fragrant nose, along with hints of succulent flowers and musky earth. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy black raspberry, mulberry and cherry flavors sweetened by a vanilla flourish. Smooth tannins build slowly, adding shape to a very long, smoke- and spice-laced finish.

— Josh Raynolds

Ripe and generous with currants, plums and spice, as well as chocolate character. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and a firm, racy finish.

— James Suckling

A medium-bodied red with plum and cherry character. Walnut and bark undertones. It’s creamy and savory at the finish.

— James Suckling

Aurelio Montes has been exploring the coast of Chile as far north as Zapallar (for his Outer Limits sauvignon blanc); this wine includes fruit from that vineyard, as well as from estate parcels in Casablanca and the coastal hills north of that region, in Aconcagua. It’s a long line-drive of Asian pear flavor, brisk and juicy, markedly mineral in its smoke-tinged acidity. It reminded one taster of fresh salt air, “like being out on a boat.”

— Joshua Greene

This wine’s silken concentration and grace make it compellingly delicious. Here, the plump white-peach sweetness is powered by the drive of the savory pinot-gris tannins. That combination lasts with a freshness I remembered a day after tasting it, making me want the bottle back.

— Joshua Greene