The first job that Samuele Sebastiani had in his new country was hauling stones in a horse-drawn cart from Sonoma to San Francisco, using a ferry to cross the bridgeless bay.

He saved his money and in 1904 made his first 500 gallon batch of wine. He survived prohibition by making wine for the church and medicinal purposes.

I remember visiting the family winery in 1980, the year that his son, August, died. August loved birds and I understand that the wonderful collection of bird carvings on their barrel heads is still there in the town of Sonoma.

Now we have gone to the third and fourth generations to very recently import four wines from Don & Sons (Don Sebastiani and his two sons, Donny and August).

If folks tell me that they prefer light, or no oak influence at all in their Chardonnay, then I usually suggest that they try regular Chablis.

I use the word “regular” because once you step up to a Chablis Premier Cru or Grand Cru you will find that it has been either fermented or aged (or both) in oak.

Now we can offer a New World Chardonnay as the Don & Sons 2013 Smoking Loon “Steelbird” Chardonnay has completely kicked the oak and been aged in stainless steel tanks for five months.

You can tell from the name of this wine that the love of birds has been passed on to the next generations.

This is how the winery describes it: “Opens with layers of juicy and ripe honeydew melon, followed by steely notes of citrus.

“Vibrant yet creamy on the palate from 100 per cent malolactic fermentation (Remember what this is? Bacteria cause a second fermentation that converts malic acid found in green apples, to lactic acid found in milk. Most wines go through this process), refreshing flavours of lemon curd and pineapple.”

Steelbird Chardonnay will cost you $14.80.

Their “The Crusher” Pinot Noir is from the 2013 vintage that was a winemaker’s dream in the Clarksburg AVA near Napa Valley.

This is an up and coming area that is quickly gaining a reputation for outstanding quality and value.

One of the reasons we have brought in some of these wines is that they offer very reasonable prices; for instance, a good Pinot Noir for $17.85 is well worth trying.

This one is powerfully aromatic with notes of pomegranate, rose petal and nutmeg.

Also for $17.85 you can try their 2012 “The Crusher” Cabernet Sauvignon that has aromas of violets, wild cherries, fresh bay leaf and white chocolate.

This leads to cocoa, cinnamon, redcurrants and dark plums. Ten months of ageing in French oak imparts endearing smoky notes and a touch of sandalwood.

This is a blend of 92 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and eight per cent Merlot.

Not only new for us, but also an inaugural release from the winery is their “B Side” Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2013 vintage.

The name is inspired by the old days of the B-side of a record. I remember buying a 45 RPM of Elvis singing Don’t be Cruel, which went on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time.

The B-side was not expected to do much but Hound Dog held the number one chart spot for 11 weeks.

In the case of this wine we could say that it comes from the B-side of Napa Valley, or the eastern side just a few miles from the high-priced glamour wineries.

Areas such as Pope Valley, Chiles and Wooden Valley are not well known but it also includes parts of the Stags Leap District and lower Calistoga.

Thin volcanic soils yield smaller, more concentrated fruit, producing Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon with classic berry and cassis flavours.

This B Side Cabernet Sauvignon has layers of rich, dark fruit such as blackberry, blackcurrant and dried cherry, along with hints of dark chocolate, tobacco leaf and espresso beans.

It is full-bodied with good depth and structure, and $29.95 is very good value for a bottle with the Napa Valley designation on it.

• This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm