Bright apricot and citrus notes with hints of yeast and dough are ample in the nose of this wine. It is somewhat simple, but pretty. The flavors are crisp and intense with white fruits (think peach) and stones. Lively and flavorful, this doesn't have the depth and complexity of a great Champagne, but it is a very nice sparkling wine, particularly as an aperitif or with food. At its low price, this is also a very good value. One star.

This wine has a great nose of rich, yeasty, doughy, buttery goodness. The mouth is also rich with a thick mousse but also has bright, vibrant, almost citrus-like, fruit flavors. Very tasty and a great value for Champagne! After tasting, we enjoyed this with some spicy Vietnamese seafood pho and it was delicious! Two stars. Imported by Palm Bay Imports, Boca Raton, FL.

This already has a complex nose of marzipan, apricot, peach, hay and wool. Young, but already showing nuance and complexity. The mouth is quite lush! Rich honeyed chenin fruit, ripe peach, chalk and marzipan are all on parade. Full bodied, velvety and quite long. This is not as linear and nervous as I'd expect from the appellation, particularly from young vines. This is actually quite ripe and almost has a touch of sweetness, although well balanced by sappy fruit and acid. Delicious. A bit more like a Vouvray Demi-Sec or even Alsatian Pinot Gris than a Savennières, for example. I don't know how this will age, but I suspect it can improve for many years and hold on longer if well stored. Two Stars Plus. Importer: LDM Wines Inc., New York, NY. Louis/Dressner Selections.

A bright floral nose of honeysuckle, peach and granite is followed by intense grapefruit, lemon seeds and stones in the mouth. Light and ethereal, yet steely and vibrant. This is definitely not for those seeking big, buttery, and oaky California Chardonnays. This is the antithesis of that, a vibrant, natural wine of the Earth. Wonderful. Two Stars. Importer: USA Wine Import, New York, NY. Jon-David Headrick Selections.

The nose of this one is more primary with pure, bright pink grapefruit and honeyed chalk and stones. The flavors are quite bright and intense with a mineral imbued acidity. Linear and intense, this is very young but promising and should just get better, as any good young Sav should do. Outstanding potential in this vintage and the quality to price ratio for this wine is about as good as it gets! Savennières tends to shut down after a few years but this pretty ripe. I think it will be approachable young but get better with age. Two stars plus. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA.

It has a heady nose of ripe fruit, earth, truffles and minerals. Layers of complexity you can wallow in and which keep changing. Powerful and long, this is the real deal! The mouth is still very young but shows both great breed as well as great potential for the future. While it is less austere and linear than some Savennieres at this age and is approachable now, this will only get better with time. Two stars plus. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA.

This Riesling, from the Juffer vineyard in Brauneberg, had quite a honeyed nose with some stoney minerality. The mouth was bright, pure and sweet with apricot and white peach flavors. Linear, young and primary but excellent bright, pure and clean flavors. Already approachable but should get better. One star plus. Importer: Rudi Wiest Selections, San Marcos, CA.

A fresh nose of almost waxy melon and flowers. Simple but pretty. In the mouth, this is a bright attack followed by a round, full-bodied, almost nutty fruit flavors. Complete and balanced. Not terribly complex, but this is excellent for the price. A great chilled, warm weather wine. One Star. Importer: Charles Neal Selections, Richmond, CA.

This has an enticing nose with smokey, toasty earth, coffee, vanilla and ripe black fruits reminiscent of blackberry and bing cherry jam. A bit modern for my taste with an almost Bordeaux-like character from the oak treatment, this speaks more of oaked Syrah than Mourvedre or the south of France. However, it has rich, dark black fruits with a firm, chewy tannic structure. Someone simple and monolithic but rich and flavorful nonetheless. Cherry, blackberry and licorice are spiced with coffee from the toasty oak. The finish is quite nice, with a gentle, fruity aspect that lingers. All in all a very tasty wine, if a bit modern in style. The wife, who tends to like a bit more fruit and oak than myself, was quite impressed by this wine, saying that she would not be disappointed had this cost three times as much! Definitely a lot of wine for the price tag! One star. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC.