• Chateau St. Jean Fumé Blanc 2008 ($13): Nicely done, value-priced version of this style of sauvignon blanc, which is aged in oak. It doesn’t taste like the sauvignon blanc most of us are used to, but it’s not supposed to.
• Terlato Vineyards Angels' Peak 2004 ($40): Still a little young, though I’m not sure how much it will improve. But it does get close to its goal -- replicating right bank Bordeaux (Pomerol) in a fruitier, richer Napa style. And, at $40, a value.
• Trefethen Dry Riesling 2008 ($22): How I remember Napa wine tasting: fresh, clean, vibrant and alive. Not as much acidity as German or New York rieslings, but more subtle and more sophisticated fruit. The catch, of course, is that it costs $22.
• Mumm Napa Brut Rosé NV ($24): Lovely, well-made bubbly -- fruity and dry, yet not overwhelmingly so. But, as with so many California sparklers, the price is going to scare people off.
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