Tightly focused and a bit restrained, with brooding blueberry, smoked tarragon and dusky spice flavors that build tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2028.

Here’s an example of a single-vineyard driven “personality” wine. Shell Ridge, named for ancient sea shells found in its sandy soils, sits shorter and in the middle of two higher coastal ridges that get most of the ocean’s breezy brunt. A rainy growing season depressed yields but McAllister said Shell Ridge’s warmer site produced higher concentrated fruit. The intensity carries over in this ruby-colored wine with immense blackberry, cranberry-orange and licorice flavors. The texture is refined, soft. A distinctive Shell Ridge minerality emerges on a mouthwatering finish.

McAllister says day-night temperature swings of 40-50 degrees are common in the nine coastal vineyards where the wine’s grapes are sourced. The cooling process reduces “heat” hours, leading to the pinot noir’s slow, steady, deeper development. There’s no mistaking La Crema’s trademark richness here, with bright cherry-plum notes on a velvety fame. A nice cola kick adds to the long finish.

Gravelly loam and clay make up the soils of the fog-shrouded 264-acre vineyard devoted to mostly chardonnay. Four clonal types were primarily selected in this vintage to provide unique traits of green apple, stone fruit, fragrance and minerality. Aged nine months in French oak (27% new), the wine is elegantly smooth, vibrant and flavorful (apple and lemon). It finishes with an appealing hazelnut note.

Sparkling Wine a Perfect Pick for Valentine's DayWhich makes the Gran Moraine Brut Rose a versatile wine for Valentine’s Day. It has a pretty, light pink color, festive bubbles and subtle cherry, Meyer lemon and apricot flavors, and is the first wine or wine-inspired gift that could take the place of roses on Feb. 14.

A spicy mix of red and purple berries, cinnamon and oak-char, cinnamon spiced red plums. There's a lifted red-cherry note to the palate, energy and vigour, pinot-esque in its agility. Delicious and lithe. Masterful winemaking.

Inky purple in the glass, this wine smells of ripe black cherry and cassis and a hint of new oak. In the mouth, lush ripe black cherry and cassis flavors are quite light on their feet thanks to excellent acidity. Gorgeous tobacco and cola notes swirl amidst velvety tannins. There's a faint heat in the finish. 14.5% alcohol. Score: between 9 and 9.5.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2017 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands, aged 10 months in 30% new French oak, has a pale to medium ruby color and opens with some reductive notes of struck match/gunflint. With air, it offers olive, woodsmoke, bacon fat, roasted cranberries, dried citrus peel, tree bark and amaro aromas. Medium-bodied and silky, it's intense and expressive in the mouth, with a firm frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and bitters laced. This needs more time in bottle or a good decant.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard opens with Bing cherry, spiced cranberry, pomegranate and sliced blueberries, with an intriguing background of floral perfume—lots of layers here. It's light to medium-bodied with good fruit intensity, firm, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and layered. Yum!

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Deep ruby-purple, the 2016 Syrah Brosseau Vineyard (the vineyard is certified organic) opens with blueberry liqueur, cassis, a hint of toasted coconut, black earth, aniseed, mint leaves and charcuterie with bay leaf accents. Medium-bodied, it's rich and intense with a frame of lightly chewy tannins, great freshness and a long, flavorful finish. This is youthfully flamboyant and should develop well in bottle over the next few years.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Aged 15 months in 23% new French oak, the pale to medium ruby colored 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands gives up crushed blackberries and black cherries, cranberry, moss-covered bark, dried tangerine peel, rose petal, perfumed earth and red berry aromas. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a wonderfully silky texture but still retaining power, with pure fruits and lots of perfume. It has a frame of sturdy, grainy and juicy freshness with a long, energetic finish.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple in color with a concentrated nose of licorice, black cherry, blackberry and blueberry with notes of turned earth and bergamot plus floral hints. Light to medium-bodied, it has great concentration of fruits and earthy layers in the mouth, with good structuring, grainy tannins and juicy freshness carrying the finish.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond With a pale to medium ruby-purple color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard features dried leaves, bitter citrus peel and potpourri over red and black berry and cherry fruit. Light to medium-bodied with perfumed, spicy fruits in the mouth, it's framed by soft, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long with good intensity of flavor.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard opens with blueberries, warm blackberries, lavender, black tea leaves, charcuterie and warm earth aromas. Light to medium-bodied, it has a good core of perfumed fruits, a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and flavorful.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard has a nose of potpourri, tree bark and dusty earth with citrus peel, blackberries, rhubarb and pomegranate. Light to medium-bodied, it offers concentrated fruit layers with a grainy frame and fantastic freshness, finishing layered. This will benefit from another year in bottle.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 GSM is a blend of about 50% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 30% Syrah. Very deep, opaque purple-black in the glass, the nose opens with white pepper and notes of violet over a dense core of black fruit preserves and black cherry liqueur with underlying savory charcuterie and olive notes. Full-bodied, big and bold in the mouth, it packs in the dark fruits and savory layers, with firm, ripe tannins and good acidity to lift the long, dense finish.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2017 Jackson Estate Seco Highlands Chardonnay was barrel fermented and aged nine months in 60% new French oak. It's very aromatic, giving up scents of lychee, honeysuckle and musk melon over peach cobbler, cured meats, saline, mushroom paste and hints of dried leaves and struck flint. Medium to full-bodied, it's broad, slightly oily and intense in the mouth, offering loads of floral-tinged fruits and savory accents, refreshed by just enough acidity on the long finish. This would be a great Chardonnay for fans of richly styled Viognier—that's what this reminds me of.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 Chardonnay Brosseau comes from own-rooted, Wente clone vines planted in 1975 and 1980 on limestone soils—the vineyard is certified organic. Aged 16 months in 10% new French oak, it opens with appealing touches of crème caramel, toast and beeswax with golden apples, white peaches, button white mushroom and stone plus nuances of dried white flowers. The palate is medium-bodied and rounded and gains intensity in the mouth, enlivened with juicy acidity and finishing long and textured. This is lovely now but will benefit from one more year in bottle.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Panorama Vineyard was aged in 28% new French oak for 16 months. It has a pale to medium ruby color with scents of crushed cranberries, red and black cherries, rhubarb, warm earth, black tea leaves, rose petals, dried citrus peel and tree bark—a pretty interplay of ripe fruits and perfumed earthy character. Light to medium-bodied, it's elegant and silky textured in the mouth, with a sturdy frame of grainy tannins and great juicy freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby color and notes of earth and wet leaves over a core of black berry and cherry fruit with potpourri and Earl Grey tea touches. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a good core of dark, spicy fruits, grainy tannins to frame and juicy acidity, finishing long.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is pale to medium ruby-purple and scented of black cherry pie, warm blackberries, shaved nutmeg, wet leaves and earth. Light to medium-bodied with a good core of dark fruits, it has juicy acidity and soft tannins with warm spices coming through on the long finish.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2017 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and an open nose of charcuterie with hints of tar and earth, fleshing out to red cherries, Bergamot, pomegranate, rhubarb and dried flowers notes. Light to medium-bodied, it has a good core of juicy, perfumed fruits, with a soft frame and lip-smacking freshness, finishing on a floral note.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard opens savory with faint touches of tar and charcuterie, fleshing out to black cherries, loamy earth, cinnamon stick, tree bark and red cherry sparks. Light to medium-bodied with broody, earth-tinged fruits, it has a soft frame and great freshness, finishing long and layered.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay is fermented entirely in stainless steel with some bâtonnage in tank but no malolactic fermentation. It has a pretty nose of pear blossom, red apple skin, honeycomb and chamomile with notes of peach pie and a rocky mineral note. Light to medium-bodied, it has a softly rounded texture with juicy acidity and finishes long on a floral note.

USA, California: All Along the Central Coast – The 2017 Vintage in Paso Robles and Beyond Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands has a bright nose of crushed red and black cherry, dried cranberry, pomegranate liqueur and rhubarb with nuances of dusty earth, dried leaves and floral hints. Light to medium-bodied, it offers fresh red and black fruit flavors in the mouth with juicy acidity and soft tannins, finishing with an herbal tinge.