Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2017 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) is soft, fruity and delicious. Sweet red cherry, raspberry and crushed rose petal are nicely pushed forward. Drink this easygoing Pinot over the next few years.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is very aromatic and lifted in style, but it is also light in color, depth and structure. This is a decidedly fleeting, ethereal style. I would prefer to drink it over the next few years.

Oregon was the first state in America to grow Pinot Gris and WillaKenzie has wisely made it part of their portfolio. Their 2018 WillaKenzie Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley has a nose that is full of ripe green apple, melon and honeysuckle aromas. The slightly creamy mouthfeel supports luscious flavors of green apple, pear and tropical fruit. The textured finish is long and crisp with hints of tangerine acidity on the back of the palate.

Strawberry and a tiny note of raspberry, with red rose on the nose. Very nicely balanced with with a lift of lemon.

This Pinot Noir-based rosé from Willamette Valley is light and austere with white strawberry, pink grapefruit, and fleshy lemon.

Also from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Gran Moraine (part of the Jackson Family Wines‘ Oregon collection) bottles this small-lot wine of sparkling Pinot Noir and releases it once annually. Aromatics run the show in the clean and crisp bubbler, with rose petal, just-ripe strawberry, brioche and pear notes transferring to the palate. Orange and tropical fruits meld with sharp acidity that makes this a match-made for triple cream cheese.

For those who prefer a New World style, here is a Pinot with more fruit in the bottle. The 2017 La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir shows bold, ripe cherry fruit flavors with smooth tannins and an easy-drinking medium body. La Crema is a popular California label that is approachable, with solid brand consistency. This is a crowd-pleasing Pinot that is widely available and perfect for entertaining.

The Best of the Best: 2021 Varietal WinnersCabernet and FamilyTop 2021 Cabernet and Family Wines

The Best of the Best: 2021 Varietal WinnersCabernet and FamilyTop 2021 Cabernet and Family Wines

The Best of the Best: 2021 Varietal WinnersCabernet SauvignonTop 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

The Best of the Best: 2021 Varietal WinnersShiraz2021 Best Shiraz Wines

The Best of the Best: 2021 Varietal WinnersShiraz2021 Best Shiraz Wines

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From Block 31, the highest elevation at 210m, with the deepest sand. Hand-picked, mechanically sorted, 50% whole berries, open-fermented, 21 days on skins, 11 months on lees in French oak. A rainbow of aromas, leading me to abort my first mental description because I'd already run out of breath.

Hand-picked, 75% destemmed and berry-sorted, 25% whole bunches, wild-fermented, on lees in French oak (35% new) for 15 months then a barrel selection to showcase the characteristic ironstone it grows in. A magnificent wine with length to its stride and a lightness of foot.

From vines planted in '71. Hand-picked, destemmed, fermented separately on skins for 18 days, matured for 15 months in high quality French barrels. The best shiraz and cabernet are selected to showcase this long-time Australian blend. If there's a better one, I haven't seen it. This is a beautiful wine, red and black fruits holding hands as they so brilliantly throw off the shackles of the hot vintage.

From the 12.3ha east-facing Block 12 on an ironstone sandy outcrop. Hand-picked, open-fermented with 25% whole bunches, matured in a 25hl French foudre for 15 months. Vivid crimson-purple through to the rim. An incredibly fresh wine that literally dances in the mouth, juicy streams of bright red flavours - this from '18, not a vintage known for delicacy. Fantastic bargain.

From the '71 contour plantings, hand-picked, 50% crushed, 40% destemmed, 10% whole bunch, gentle extraction during 18 days on skins, no pressings used, 6 months on lees, then racked to foudre and puncheons (30% new) for 9 months. This oak use will continue in all releases post '18. Extremely complex and intense, but perfectly balanced red and black fruits, tannins a feature.

The perfume, the nuance, the power. This takes the merlot grape and knocks it out of the park. It's ripped with both fruit flavour and tannin, it's smoked with an appropriate level of oak, and it feels authoritative through the finish. In short, it's a pearler.

Grown on a vineyard planted in '71. This is a superb cabernet. Dusty, dry and herbal but awash with sweet, boysenberried, blackcurrant-drenched fruit. It lays down oodles of flavour, not to mention tannin, but it's fragrant and frisky at the same time. One sip and you can't let go; it has you in its thrall.

From six estate blocks, 50% on sand, 50% ironstone. Destemmed and mechanically sorted whole berries and 20% whole bunches open-fermented with a splash of viognier, 10 months in French oak (20% new). Dark fruits with earth, chocolate and licorice nuances. Sensational price.

Hand-picked from vines planted in '46, wild yeast open-fermented. It only takes a millisecond in the mouth for the wine to establish its varietal purity and generosity. It is supple, round and deeply satisfying, red and purple fruits to the fore, fine-grained tannins bringing up the rear.

From Block 20 planted '46, hand-picked, mechanically berry-sorted, crushed, fermented in 675l ceramic eggs, remaining on skins for 158 days post-ferment, no oak used, the wine pressed and matured in eggs for another 6 months. Brilliant colour. Perfumed. The late Len Evans' description for bouquet such as this was ‘old lady's handbag.' Arrestingly fresh and vibrant.

Excellent flow of ripe, berried, fruit-driven flavour with grass, dust and herb notes as complexing inflections. Perfectly integrated, and yet assertive, dusty tannin through the back half of the wine. There are no missteps here and lots of highlights. Velvety mouthfeel and the perfect application of cedar wood oak add finishing touches to a dramatically high quality red wine.