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Wines with captivating aromas and flavors are delightful selections that have special appeal on Valentine’s Day. Over the last few weeks, I sampled more than a hundred wines across a broad range of grapes, styles and prices. Here are my favorites in different price categories:

$10s-20s

Gonzalez Byass non-vintage Sherry “Nectar, Pedro Ximenez," Spain (375 ml; $17): This medium-sweet dessert wine is highly pleasing, especially given its modest price. Deep brown in color, it is strong with attractive complexity.

Dry Creek 2023 Fume Blanc “Sonoma County� ($21): The robust nose of this fine buy leads to well-balanced fruit, excellent complexity and very good integration, as well as polish, personality and length.

Head High 2023 Chardonnay “Sonoma County� ($24): A bit light to eye and nose, but otherwise attractive with strength, refinement and pleasing character extending throughout a long finish.

Cline 2022 Zinfandel “Eight Spur, Dry Creek Valley� ($25): Purple-tinged color and strong nose lead to appealing fruit, complexity and forwardness on the palate.

Domaine Bousquet 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Gran, Organic Grapes, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina� ($25): Quite a buy with outstanding purple color, strong nose and integration, strength and refinement through an extended finish.

Head High 2023 Pinot Noir “Sonoma County� ($26): Enjoy forwardness on the palate with full-ish body and strong fruit paired with very good balance, complexity, and length.

Scharffenberger non-vintage Cremant “Mendocino County� ($26): This attractive sparkling wine features yellow-gold color foretelling strength and pleasing fruit, as well as crispness, complexity and personality through a notable finish.

Additional good buys:

Miguel Torres 2022 Carmenere “Andica, Valle del Maule, Chile� ($15), Tournon (by Michael Chapoutier) 2019 Shiraz “Mathilda, Victoria, Australia� ($20), and Murphy-Goode 2021 Zinfandel “Liar’s Dice, Sonoma County� ($21).

$30s-40s

Domaine Bousquet 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Ameri, Single Vineyard, Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina� ($36): Beautiful, deep-purple color leads to excellence on the palate with strength, fruit, balance and more.

Domaine Anderson 2021 Chardonnay “Anderson Valley� ($40): Outstanding, especially in terms of body, complexity, integration, personality and length.

Gust 2022 Syrah “Petaluma Gap, Sonoma County� ($45): Deep purple hue catches the eye, while complexity captures the nose and joins bold flavors, heavy body, strong fruit and fine balance on the palate.

Tenuta di Arceno 2019 Chianti Classico “Reserva, Italy� ($45): Its broad excellence is especially apparent to the eye and taste buds, with the latter appreciating strength, dimensionality, integration, personality and length.

Textbook 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Pey Family Reserve, Napa Valley� ($46): This fine Cabernet presents beautiful purple-tinged color leading to vitality, fruit, complexity, refinement and more, all extending through a lingering finish.

Benziger 2023 Chardonnay “Pear Block, Sangiacomo Vineyard, Los Carneros� ($48): Among the best Chardonnays I’ve tasted recently, thanks to highly pleasing strength and fruit, along with exceptional balance, complexity, polish and more.

Emeritus 2019 Pinot Noir “Wesley’s Reserve, Hallberg Ranch, Russian River Valley� ($48): This fine Pinot Noir increases in quality from eye to nose to impressive strength, body, fruit and lingering length on the palate.

$50s-60s

Dutcher Crossing 2021 Chardonnay “Chenoweth Vineyard, Russian River Valley� ($50): Broadly appealing, especially with excellent intensity, complexity, integration, polish and personality accompanied by strong fruit and medium-light oak.

Ram’s Gate 2021 Pinot Noir “Sonoma Coast� ($52): Attractive to the eye and nose and outstanding on the palate with strength, body and forward but finely balanced fruit, along with engaging dimensionality, refinement and length.

DaVero 2019 Primitivo “Treborce Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley� ($55): Primitivo is considered similar, if not identical, to Zinfandel, and this very good to excellent example has fine integration, deep color, rounded body, forward fruit and notable complexity, all carried through an extended finish.

Stags� Leap 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Napa Valley� ($65): Enjoyment begins with dark, purple-tinged hue and continues with appealing strength, full to heavy body, strong but beautifully balanced fruit and additional pleasing qualities.

Further fine choices:

Dutton Goldfield 2022 Pinot Noir “Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley� ($50), Stuhlmuller 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Alexander Valley� ($50), DaVero 2017 Carignano “Testa Family Vineyard, Mendocino� ($55), Merriam 2021 Merlot “Windacre Vineyard, Russian River Valley� ($56), Catena Alta 2020 Malbec “Historic Rows, Mendoza, Argentina� ($60), Merry Edwards 2021 Pinot Noir “Sonoma Coast� ($60) and Davis Bynum 2022 Pinot Noir “Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley� ($65).

$70s+

Chateau Ste. Michelle 2020 red blend “Artist Series, Columbia Valley� ($70): This highly impressive wine dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon expresses broad excellence with strength, body and fruit culminating in long-lingering length. Moreover, it come in a beautiful bottle.

Pride Mountain 2022 Merlot “Napa County� ($72): Excels on the palate with rounded body, crisp vitality, very attractive fruit, fine balance, notable refinement and an extended finish.

Benziger 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon “Three Blocks, Sonoma Valley� ($73): Attractive purple hue and strong, complex nose presage great pleasure with strength, excellently balanced fruit and equally appealing integration, polish and personality.

Pride Mountain 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon “Napa and Sonoma Counties� ($85): Features outstanding deep purple color that leads to ample strength, rounded body, strong fruit and long-lingering length.

Merry Edwards 2021 Pinot Noir “Meredith Estate, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County� ($90): Eye-catching color portends intensity, full body, strong fruit, impressive balance and more, all culminating in a beautifully prolonged finish.

Roederer 2019 sparkling wine “Heritage, Brut Rose, Anderson Valley� ($115): Golden hue precedes attractive forwardness, rounded body and broad excellence in complexity, integration, refinement and length.

Whitehall Lane 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon “Leonardini Vineyard, St. Helena, Napa Valley� ($125): Beauty to the eye and excellence on the palate result in a superb wine in which strength, fruit and complexity produce highly appealing personality extending throughout a long-lingering finish.

Other excellent selections:

Hartford Court 2022 Chardonnay “Stone Cote Vineyard, Sonoma Coast� ($70); Keller Estate 2021 Syrah “Rotie, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma County� ($70); Rodney Strong 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon “Alexander’s Crown Vineyard, Alexander Valley� ($90).

Contact a local liquor store to determine availability of wines you wish to purchase. Alternatively, the wines should be available online. John can be reached at [email protected]