Region: Italy

Pale, bright yellow.  Ripe, vibrant aromas and flavors of lemon and lime zest, apple, crushed stone, licorice, mint and wild herbs.  Penetrating and dense for arneis, with strong minerality contributing to the wine’s tactile impression.  Finishes chewy and long, with a repeating note of wild herbs.  An unusually serious and persistent arneis, with no loss of immediate refreshment value.

Region: Argentina

Full bright ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, licorice, mint, menthol and musky tobacco, plus an exotic suggestion of white fruit; almost a porty suggestion here.  Sweet, lush and silky, with a layered texture to the intense plum and chocolatey oak flavors. As seamless and creamy as this is, it also boasts a high pitch and a brisk quality.  Finishes with suave, dusty tannins and a whiplash of fruit.  Drink this now or over the next several years.

Region: Spain

Bright, full red.  Enticing aromas of raspberry, black cherry, minerals and musky dark spices.  Supple, rich and concentrated, with plenty of seamless early appeal for a Priorat wine.  This perfumed, pure, fruit-driven wine features a healthy dollop of grenache.  The strong, building finish dusts the palate with fine tannins.  The three French winemakers behind this venture also offer more expensive and structured Priorat wines but this junior version offers classy early drinking, with none of the rusticity that can be shown by wines from this dynamic appellation in Catalonia.

Region: Spain

Pale gold.  Very fresh, high-pitched aromas and flavors of citrus fruits and herbs, with complicating hints of honeysuckle and white pepper.  Pure, juicy and clean, with a subtle sweetness and a rather suave texture.  Becomes more stony with air and finishes with excellent length and grip.  This blend of 70% albariño and 30% godello was raised in stainless steel.

Region: Chile

Light gold.  Exotically perfumed scents of passion fruit, tangerine and melon, plus a hint of honey.  A round, fleshy rendition of the variety, offering lush orchard and pit fruit flavors and a hint of smoky oak spice.  The broad, long finish features recurring notes of passion fruit and smoke.

Region: Chile

Deep ruby.  Pungent aromas of black raspberry, smoke, licorice and dried flowers, with a hint of white pepper in the background.  Fleshy but focused, featuring spicy dark berry and cherry flavors and a seamless texture.  Blends New World fruit expression with Old World restraint and finishes with impressive clarity and lingering sweetness.

Region: South Africa

74% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 11% cabernet franc.  Bright, saturated ruby-red.  Brooding aromas of cassis, dark chocolate, licorice, violet and pepper.  Dense, broad and sweet, with a youthful reserve to the intense flavors of dark berries, tobacco and spices.  Already shows a plush texture but there's terrific sappy energy at the core.  Finishes very long and aromatic, with fine, building tannins and the structure for long aging.

Region: France

Bright yellow.  Pungent citrus and orchard fruits on the nose.  Taut, sharply focused lime and grapefruit flavors are complemented by spearmint and white pepper, with a strong undercurrent of talc.  Impressively pure, focused and concentrated Sancerre, leaving bitter quinine and oyster shell behind on the bitingly brisk finish.

Region: California

A Bordeaux blend based on 53% merlot and 33% cabernet sauvignon.  Bright red-ruby.  Enticing aromas of redcurrant, licorice, iron, loam, tobacco and chocolate.  Suave, round and nicely concentrated, with a restrained sweetness to the red fruit, herb and spice flavors.  In a polite, very easy-to-drink style and not at all over the top.  Finishes with a broad, spicy dusting of tannins and a suggestion of coffee liqueur.

Region: France

Pale, green-tinged straw.  Mineral-driven aromas of citrus, white flowers and anise show excellent clarity and precision.  Dry, focused and distinctly racy, with intense lime and pink grapefruit flavors taking a turn toward richer quince and pear in the mid-palate.  As usual, a strikingly nervy and concentrated example of Muscadet, finishing with strong cut and crackling minerality.

Region: France

Pale salmon-pink color.  Subtly complex aromas of apricot skin, elderflower, Provençal herbs and floral oils.  Supple, pure and round, with harmonious acidity giving this classic dry Southern French rosé a light touch.  Offers sneaky palate presence and finishes with good bite.  More about soil than easygoing fruit:  this should be amazingly flexible with light summer fare.

Region: France

Light, bright pink. Redcurrant, strawberry and chalk on the nose, with a touch of singed orange gaining strength with air.  Dusty red fruit and citrus flavors are braced by tangy minerality, which adds lift and cut. Uncompromising in the best way, finishing with excellent clarity and echoes of lemon and orange zest.

Region: South Africa

Good bright ruby-red.  Aromas of black raspberry, pepper and chocolate.  Dark berry, spice and pepper flavors are supple but also fresh, offering good cut and plenty of personality for the gentle price.  Finishes with smooth tannins and a chocolatey nuance.