This is one of the stunning array of vineyard designated Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley that Byron made in 2006. The vineyard, planted in 1974, contains a healthy proportion of mature vines that contribute to this wine's complexity and depth. Ripe black fruit flavors and succulent, not overdone, and complemented by savory, herbal notes. Despite the 14.6% stated alcohol, it's not heavy or overdone, showing you cannot judge wine solely by the numbers. Its wonderful balance and complexity persists into the long finish because of uplifting black cherry-like acidity. Not a Burgundy wannabe, it's a great Pinot Noir from California.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Hapgood was my one of my favorites from among these offerings from Brewer-Clifton, wafting from the glass with an incipiently complex bouquet of plums, spice, raspberry, currant and rich soil. On the palate, the wine is medium to fullbodied, with the most volume and dimension of all the winery's Pinot Noirs at this stage, with its structuring tannins more supple and velvety than those found in the 459 and its saline finish reflecting its whole cluster fermentation.

2016 PINOT NOIR, HAPGOOD The density and purity of the fruit is notable here with well integrated oak. The palate entry is supple red fruit – polished Luxardo cherry, spice and fine-grained tannins.

2016 PINOT NOIR, MACHADO The nose is a sweet cherry and carbon with a dry spice core. The palate is ripe red berry and tomato tapenade with a core of full on intensity and floral notes in the finish. Beautiful balance throughout.

Explosive floral and fruit aromas leap from the glass in this brilliant bottling, which is bursting with plump red cherry, bundles of rose petals and just a touch of green peppercorn to keep it herbally intriguing. Lively and fresh on the palate, that deep pomegranate and Montmorency cherry picks up an herbally laced line of thyme, oregano, white sage, green cardamom and white pepper.

Coming from a north facing slope just across from Melville and all clone 828, the 2015 Pinot Noir Acin is a deeper, richer wine than the 3D and is up with the crème de la crème in the region. Spring flowers, wild strawberries, black raspberries and spice all flow to a layered, incredibly seamless, pure Pinot Noir that has integrated acidity, a gorgeous texture and a finish that carries plenty of fruit and length. It’s not a big wine, yet it has plenty of intensity as well as complexity. Drink it anytime over the coming decade or more.

More like a focused fruit missile than an indiscriminate fruit bomb, this bottling shows flashy, vibrant waves of pure strawberry, red cherry and black raspberry that are edged by hints of dark earth, light spearmint and sweet bay leaf. The sip offers tart and exotic plums wrapped up in an herbal cape of thyme and potpourri. This will please many palates.

Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir 459 (made with 459 clone) has a very pretty perfume of violets, red roses and fragrant soil with a core of mulberries and red cherries plus hints of chocolate box and oolong. Medium-bodied, it delivers very intense red berry and savory layers with a grainy backbone and tons of freshness, finishing long.

The stunning aromatic profile on this bottling compellingly combines candied fruit with the lift of crushed herbs, while blending cherry and grenadine with mint, bay leaf, a hint of green olive and a touch of crushed gravel on the nose. That lovable core of plush red fruits rides tight tannins on the palate, where bay leaf, thyme and green peppercorn flavors complete the sip.

Washington Wine Blog Top 100 of 2018 - #78 The 2015 Brewer-Clifton ‘Machado’ Pinot Noir is a simply sensational effort from this storied property. A saline whiff comes connected with the delightful feminine aromatics of rose petals and red cherry candy on the nose. Substantial on the palate, with a gorgeous salinity, the wine shows wonderful poise, richness and terroir. A long aged, this has the stuffing to cellar over the next fifteen years.

100% whole cluster fermented and aged in older barrels. Aromas of tilled soil and desiccated rose petals precede strawberries and delicate nuances of floral brush.

This fantastic Pinot Noir comes from the Hapgood Vineyard, which is located across the road from the Machado vineyard and is situated immediately next to the Acin parcel. The vineyard consists of slightly richer soils with elevated clay loam content, and is planted to the Merry Edwards clone. The 2015 Hapgood Pinot Noir begins with bright aromatics of red cherries, guava, pomegranate and orange rind. The round texture is absolutely stunning, with flavors of red cherries, red raspberry, sage and baking spices which site alongside light tannins. While already delicious, this is a simply stunning Pinot Noir will also cellar beautifully for many years.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara The 2013 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is flat-out gorgeous, and certainly on par with the more expensive single vineyard releases from this estate. Terrific notes of black cherry, kirsch, leafy herbs, game, and spice all emerge from this gorgeously layered, rich, concentrated Pinot Noir that hits all the sweet spots. It’s a beautiful wine.

The 2007s From Santa Barbara County Fresh and elegant, the 2007 Pinot Noir Mount Carmel (100% whole clusters aged in neutral oak) has tons of depth and mid-palate oomph, and is a seriously impressive wine. Black cherry, raspberries, earth and dried herbs flow to a fresh, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced Pinot Noir that has integrated acidity and clean finish. It still has plenty of ripe tannins and will easily keep for another decade or more.

The 2016 Chardonnay 3 D was my favorite of the whites this year, wafting from the glass with a lovely nose of pastry cream, lime, popcorn, fresh guava and citrus zest. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, with a glossily textural attack, excellent concentration and mid-palate depth, and juicy acids that lend precision to the long FInish. This is beautifully complete and should be long lived.

The 2015 Chardonnay 3 D has an exotic, tropical fruit nose with notes of warm pineapple, green guava and freshly baked bread, plus hints of peach blossoms, mandarin peel and yuzu. Medium-bodied with a wonderfully creamy texture and great density, it has a wicked backbone of lively acidity cutting through the concentrated flavors, finishing long and spicy. 92 cases were made.

The 2015 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills checks in as a blend of the 3D, Acin and Machado Vineyards, and it’s brought up identically to the single vineyards. In addition, there’s really no barrel selection made, so don’t think of this cuvee as a second wine. Like the Hapgood, it’s a seriously rich, unctuous beauty that offers notes of buttered citrus rind, candied lemons, honeycomb and hints of minerality. Deep, rich and thrillingly textured, it’s certainly the smart value play of the lineup as it’s half the price, but more than half the wine.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Arrowood's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Crown is fabulous. Rich and explosive, the Knights Crown is almost shockingly sensual for a wine from Knights Valley. Racy and silky, the Knights Crown is more texturally finessed than most Knights Valley Cabernets, it is a wine of sheer sensuality and appeal.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages One-hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Knights Crown Cabernet Sauvignon gives up gregarious crème de cassis, plum preserves and redcurrant jelly notes with nuances of dried mint, black pepper, spice box and cedar chest. Full-bodied, firm and grainy in texture, it fills the mouth with mineral-laced black fruits and finishes on an earthy note.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale has a black forest cake and crème de cassis-scented nose with touches of charcoal, black soil, mocha and salami plus a hint of cigar box. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with black fruit and savory layers with beautifully ripe, fine-grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with great persistence.

Very attractive aromatics including ripe blackberry, kirsch, fall spice, dried herbs and vanilla lead to a rich palate with great structure, yet manages to be light and lively on the palate, with a blossoming finish that already shows good integration. You'll have a hard time keeping your hands off this one, but get a few extra to age and enjoy the evolution.

The 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyard is absolutely spectacular. Some of the older Cabernet vines in Northern California are at this high-elevation site famous for its red soils. The wine was harvested in September over a two-week period and aged 24 months in a combination of French and American oak. Bottled unfined and unfiltered this wine is loaded. Full-bodied and dense ruby/purple with notes of cedarwood, the wine is almost Pauillac-like with classic creme de cassis and unsmoked high-quality cigar tobacco, as well as licorice and a touch of subtle oak. It is fully mature, but not going to fall off the edge any time soon. This cuvee of 475 cases should be drunk now and over the next decade. This is an absolute beauty!

The age worthiness and brilliant quality of Dick Arrowood’s Reserve Speciale Cabernet Sauvignon is reflected time and time again in blind tastings when it is inserted against Napa’s finest. Recently, the 1995 acquitted itself at the top of the group in a tasting of some of the very best 1995s from Napa. This is a sensational wine that is blended from different top vineyard sources in Sonoma Valley. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale, which spent 30 months in oak before being bottled unfiltered, has a deep ruby/purple color and a gorgeous nose of cedar, crushed rocks, black cherry, and cassis, with some licorice and roasted herbs. The wine has fabulous intensity, a full-bodied, opulent palate, ripe tannin, and a long 50-second finish. Arrowood made just under 2,100 cases of this superb wine, and for the price, it is a relatively good value in high-end northern California Cabernet. This wine should drink well for 10-20+ years.

One of the most underrated Cabernet Sauvignons made in the world is Arrowood's 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale. Made from an assortment of vineyards in Sonoma, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 23 months in primarily French oak. Its youthful dense purple color is followed by notes of truffles, spring flowers, new saddle leather, creme de cassis, cedar and spice box. Fabulously full-bodied, pure and multidimensional, but still youthful, it is not as backward as the Monte Rosso, and should hit its peak in another 2-4 years and age effortlessly over the following 20-25 years.

A brilliant, completely satisfying Viognier that shows its sunny California terroir in the ripe lemon, peach and mango flavors. It finishes dry, with a steely minerality, like stones and cold metal.