Classic Sav Chenin Blanc aromas of sweet pear, cinnamon, apple tart and wool are all held together by a fine, delicately etched white stone minerality. The mouth is creamy, a bit waxy and with a vibrant , flinty minerality and a grapefruit pit finish. What I really love in these wines is the almost tactile sense of minerals, chalk and pit tannins. This is delicious but young. It will change and evolve beautifully for at least a couple decades. Two Stars. Importer: Ex Cellars Wine Agencies Inc., Solvang, CA.

Interesting nose that is almost more Sauvignon Blanc in character with pineapple and bright white fruits not unlike stoney pears. Lively flavors that are light and with a chalky stoniness. Light and ethereal on the palate. Very pleasant light wine for drinking in the near term. One Star. Importer: Il Nettare Divino, LLC., North Hollywood, CA.

This is simply a great inexpensive food wine or apéritif. Fresh aromas of honeydew and citrus are simple and light and very inviting, like a fresh spring morning. Bright lively fruit flavors of peach, pears and citrus with good balancing acidity. Simple but alive and vibrant. Great value. One Star. Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, New York, NY.

This wine is one point of proof against all those who don't believe that terroir has a real impact on the character of a wine. This wine speaks much more of Muscadet than of Chardonnay! It has a Muscadet-like fragrance of honeydew melon and fresh sea air. Its flavors are crisp and lively, like honeydew juice spiked with lime, oyster shell and apple skins. Zesty and lip smacking. This is a real, vibrant wine that shows its origins on its sleeve. This would be great with raw oysters, sautéed squid or any other lighter seafood fare you can think to throw at it. One Star Plus. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA.

This Sauvignon Blanc was very lackluster. Granted, I bought it to cook with a bit, but I hoped that it would offer some nice fresh Sauv Blanc fruit. I hoped for too much. This is very flat with only a hint of recognizable gooseberry fruit and very little else. The flavors were also flat, boring and a bit flabby for a young Sauvingnon Blanc. In short, not typical and also not very good for whatever it is. I haven't tried their other Monsieur Marcel-labeled wines but I wouldn't recommend them based on this example. Zero Stars. Importer: Truwines LLC, Mission HIlls, CA.

This bottle had notes of oxidation with an almost Sherry-like nose and a flat oxidized palate. Not undrinkable but definitely a bit off. I've had previous bottles that were better than this with bright, fresh flavors that were refreshing. However, for this bottle and the apparent bottle variation, I have reservations recommending this and would rather reserve judgement for now. Importer: Vitis Imports, Santa Monica, CA.

This wine has an interesting nose reminiscent of spiced apple sauce and ripe peaches. Like most Roussanne, the mouth is rather rich, with an oily texture and apple, butterscotch and banana flavors that linger on the finish. Round and low in acid, this medium to full-bodied wine is typical for Roussanne and would make an excellent pairing for fish with cream sauces or white meat dishes. Because of the low acid, it is best served chilled to help balance the rich mouthfeel. One Star Plus. Importer: Charles Neal Selections, Richmond, CA.

This is a premier cru vineyard called Fournaux. The aromas are an enticing toasty oak, bacon, coffee and black fruit. A bit much oak for my taste, but I hope that will integrate with time. The flavors are stoney and meaty with a dense, hard core of concentrated dark fruits. Super young but this has a solid core of fruit that I think will hold up to long aging. This is a bit rough around the edges but I think it can evolve into something very nice but needs some time in the cellar. Two Stars. Importer: Woodland Hills Wine Co., Woodland Hills, CA.

The nose evokes smokey pepper-crusted pancetta. Dark and black fruits for sure. The flavors are big and dark as well with big meaty, black fruits, pepper and ripe velvety tannins. Nice on its own but this really screams for a rich dish to accompany it. One Star Plus. Importer: Vitis Imports, Inglewood, CA.

Nice aromas of turned earth and black berries lead the way to brambly and earthy berry flavors with a nice herb kick in the end. Quite fruity and forward, I can see the similarity to California Zinfandel here but with a bit more spice and earth. One Star. Importer: Il Nettare Divino, LLC, North Hollywood, CA.

Scents of woodsy garrigue (the Provençal underbrush and shrubs), rosemary, lavender, thyme and jammy raspberry fruit. The wine is a zesty, brambly mouthful of wild berries, earth and spice. Good depth but stays bright and lively and thus very food friendly. An excellent inexpensive southern French red. One Star. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA.

This has a much more reserved nose of grapey black fruits that really didn't open up much even after been open for over an hour. Flavors of dark, dense, spicy black fruits are quite young and closed up. This is darker and harder than the previous wine and therefore may need more time to come around. It is a nice wine nonetheless, just not as expressive as the previous wine. For now, I give that one the slight edge since it shows so much better now. One Star. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA.

A great nose of savory grilled meat, spicy fruit, earth and mushrooms. The character of the mouth is not unlike a Pinot or Nebbiolo-based wine with bright yet meaty fruit. Bright but at the same time has a dark structure with grippy tannins. This improved quite a bit with air, getting more lush and complex. The big tannins softened out nicely as well, boding well for short to medium-term aging. One Star Plus. Importer: Vitis Imports, Santa Monica, CA.

Despite the ugly, screw-cap bottle this wine is for real. Meaty and fruity, this wine is ripe and alive like a young Beaujolais. Crunchy and chewy ripe fruit flavors are simple and fruity but so easy to drink. This is the kind of wine you can gulp if you want to. Great with a bit of a chill on a warm day to slug down with some pizza or barbeque. Simple, unassuming, real wine. It's also relatively low in alcohol so you can drink more of it! One Star. Importer: Vitis Imports, Santa Monica, CA.

This is showing very young today with a primary grapey dark fruit along with some herbal notes that remind me of lavender flowers and rosemary. Not aromas I typically associate with Savigny, but very pretty nonetheless. In terms of flavors, this bad boy is closed for business. It is big, hard, and quite tannic right now. I am a bit worried that this will always be fairly austere with big tannins but I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but it will reward patience. Buy a couple and stick them away somewhere cool for at least a decade. If the tannins do integrate with time my score may seem conservative. Two Stars for now. Importer: Woodland Hills Wine Co., Woodland Hills, CA.

This Vintner's Blend Cab has a rich nose of toasty cassis, bing cherry and chocolate. Rich flavors follow with black fruits, spice and a quite tannic finish. This is simple but powerful and flavorful. To really balance its finishing tannins I'd recommend drinking it with some hearty fare. A good, basic everyday Cab. One Star.

This was quite ripe, forward and practically flabby with its stewed, over-ripe fruit. Sweet jammy spiced red fruits in the nose lead the way to very sweet berry flavors. What I can say about it is that it is smooth, with no hard edges. But it is one dimensional, lacks grip or vibrancy of any kind and is almost medicinally sweet. If you like your Zinfandel bubble-gummy and over-ripe, then you might like this. For me, it lacked interest. No Stars.

Stemmy cherry and cassis liquor aromas are spiced with cinnamon and milk chocolate. This is not a powerhouse port but has mild, sweet, tasty red fruits. Simple but smooth in texture and a balanced structure. Not a contemplative Port, but a simple tasty one which can accompany cheese or desserts well. One Star. Importer: Premium Port Wines Inc., San Francisco, CA.