Dried lemon peel, friend jasmine, tart dairy and sencha-tea aromas are subtle but heady on the nose of this appellation blend. There’s immense grip to the palate, where grapefruit-rind, yogurt and lingering citrus-zest flavors align.

The Brewer Clifton style is in your face pinot with full on intense fruit. The nose is a dusty mix of teal leaf and pomegranate mixed with brown spices and earthy, gamey, forest floor, fig, and raspberries, with a dusting of cocoa. The fruit is aged in neutral barrels, and whole stems are an essential part of the structure of this wine. I’m thinking rich duck or pork dishes as the perfect foil to the intense flavours of this wine. The Brewer-Clifton pinot is an assembly of three Sta. Rita Hills AVA sites: 3D (Swan, Pommard and 667 clones), Machado, and Hapgood (Merry Edwards clone).

This pale pink colored Rose from Oregon opens with a very inviting maraschino cherry and ginger ale bouquet with hints of watermelon and orange peel twist. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with medium acidity that is nicely integrated. The palate presence is fresh and clean. The flavor profile is a gentle mineral influenced strawberry and lime blend with notes of saline and red raspberry. I also detected hints of yellow grapefruit in the aftertaste. The finish is dry and refreshing. Given its low level of alcohol at 12.5%, this is an easy quaffer at the beach or pool. With food, I would enjoy it with ice chilled shrimp - hold the cocktail sauce.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Parsons' Vineyard is broad and ample in feel. Then again, we are in the Santa Rosa Plain, where the wines have a natural richness from the high clay content in the soils. Dark blue/purplish fruit flavors fill out the layers nicely. This is an especially structured Pinot that offers fine complexity while avoiding some of the exuberance that is often associated with the Russian River.

Siduri's 2019 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) is a very pretty, appellation-level wine. Crushed red/purplish berry fruit, spice, blood orange and mint are all laced throughout this silky, super-expressive Pinot. All the elements come together so well. Bright floral notes and vibrant acids perk up the finish. This is a fairly restrained style for the Russian River.

The 2017 Encantadora, a Merlot based red, is an understated and attractive wine. Black cherry, dried herbs, leather, chocolate, tobacco and a whole range of soil tones run through a savory, expressive Merlot that has much to offer. Rose petal, mint and anise liven up the finish nicely.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench Vineyard is a powerful, tightly wound wine that is going to need quite a bit of time to come around. Lime peel, white flowers, mint and chalk add pretty top notes, but the 2019 is a tight, reticent wine that will benefit from a bit of time in bottle.

Burnished flavors of dried cherry and berry are well-knit, showing concentrated notes of underbrush and cedar spice. Vibrant acidity fills the broad-brushed finish. Drink now through 2024.

Well-knit, with fine-grained cherry and berry pastry flavors that feature hints of cocoa powder. The polished tannins power the refined, minerally finish, which is loaded with underbrush accents. Drink now through 2025.

There's an almost saline accent to the bright red fruit and berry flavors that are backed by fresh acidity. Shows blood orange hints midpalate, with focused minerality on the crisp finish. Drink now through 2026.

Refined and well-spiced, with structured flavors of cherry pastry that are rich and burnished, filled with plenty of cedar and loam notes. Underbrush accents linger on the firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2025.

Lots of toasted bread, chalky minerality, dried pineapple, and white flower notes emerge from the 2019 Chardonnay Estate, a medium-bodied, balanced, juicy Chardonnay that shows the classic style of this estate beautifully. It picks up a kiss of nuttiness and subtle oak with time in the glass and is a terrific appellation release.

The 2019 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard is a bigger wine, yet it still has a complex, peppery, almost Old World vibe in its red and black fruits as well as peppery herbs, earth, leather, and underbrush-like aromas and flavors. Nicely textured, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it has lots of character and should keep for a good 4-5 years.

Also from the Russian River Valley, the 2018 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard gives up a big nose of mulberries, red cherries, spice, and sappy underbrush. This carries to a medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a seamless, elegant texture, nicely integrated tannins, and a classy finish. I love its overall balance, and it's just a charming, delicious, balanced 2018 to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years.

Lastly, the 2017 Journey Red sports a deep ruby/purple color as well as a balanced, elegant, incredibly juicy style in its ripe red and black fruits as well as scorched earth, graphite, and chocolate aromas and flavors. It has solid fruit, chewy tannins, and solid length on the finish. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and should have a solid decade of prime drinking.

The 2019 Chardonnay Kelli Ann Vineyard comes from the Russian River. Its medium gold hue is followed by lots of melon and subtle tropical fruits supported by classic Chardonnay creamy, toasty, spicy nuances. As with all the Matanzas Creek releases, it's impeccably made, has good acidity, a distinct sense of minerality, and a great finish.

More loamy earth, spice, and dried strawberry notes emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Unforgettable Estate Vineyard, another classic Anderson Valley Pinot Noir with its savory, mineral-laced style. This elegant, charming Pinot Noir is best enjoyed over the coming 4-5 years.

The 2018 Pinot Noir 9 Barrel is deep ruby, almost opaque, and offers a beautiful, medium-bodied, elegant style in its assorted red and black fruits, dried flowers, earth, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. Nicely textured, balanced, and silky on the palate, with a slightly short finish, this top barrel selection is terrific today yet will keep for 4-6 years.

Ripe black cherry and darker raspberry fruits as well as spice and forest floor notes all emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Sealift Vineyard, a more medium-bodied, nicely focused, firmer Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir that has good purity, ripe tannins, and solid length on the finish. It should benefit from just a year in the cellar and drink well over the following 4-6 years or so.

Another 2017 I was able to taste was the 2017 Pinot Noir Green Valley of Russian River Valley, which comes from a cooler region in the Russian River Valley. Revealing a medium ruby hue as well as perfumed kirsch, mulberry, and cherry fruits, it's medium-bodied, has a seamless, elegant texture, nicely integrated tannins, and a wonderful finish. It's a complex, textured, fruit-driven, spicy effort to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.

The deeper ruby/plum-hued 2018 Winemaster's Blend comes from the estate in Alexander Valley and I suspect is a mix of Bordeaux varieties, although I don't know the blend. Lots of red and black currants, tobacco, cedar pencil, and loamy soil notes define the nose, and this medium to full-bodied beauty is nicely textured, has wonderful overall balance, and enough structure and tannins to keep for a solid decade.

Coming from the Santa Maria Valley, the 2019 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands has a more mineral-laced, seaside style that offers plenty of peach and orchard fruits, notes of iodine, crushed stone, and toasted almonds, medium body, bright acidity, and a great finish. It's going to keep for 4-5 years.

Another impressive Chardonnay with a singular character, the 2019 Chardonnay Sable Mountain Vineyard reveals a lighter gold hue as well as savory, mineral-laced notes of white flowers, poached pears, spice, and toast. It's impressive on the palate as well, with medium-bodied richness, wonderful overall balance, and a clean, nutty finish that keeps you coming back to the glass.

Coming from a region just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the 2018 Pinot Noir Marin County should be a good value. Offering cool climate spice, sappy herbs, and forest nuances, medium body, supple cherry and strawberry fruits, and background oak, it's one textured, undeniably delicious Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 4-5 years.

Coming from a notable vineyard in the Anderson Valley, the 2019 Pinot Noir Maggy Hawk is classic Copain with its more elegant, mid-weight, yet balanced, charming style. Tart cherries, dried flowers, citrus rind, and earth all emerge on the nose, and it's going to continue drinking nicely for 4-6 years.