Rounded and easy in feel, with a mocha frame caressing steeped plum and black cherry fruit flavors. Tobacco and loam elements check in on the plush finish. Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2025.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintagePale to medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir 3D has a nose of dried lilac, blood orange, cranberries and rhubarb with spicy accents and an earthy undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied and silky with bright, crunchy fruits and lifted acidity, finishing spicy.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2018 VintageThe 2018 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills has very pretty aromas of perfumed quince, pears and peaches with notes of honey and hazelnuts and a bright lemon peel lift. The light to medium-bodied palate is slow to unfold to delicate, seamlessly fresh fruits with savory bass tones and a long, lifted finish.

The nose is pineapple, white blossom and pink grapefruit. The palate entry is silky papaya, mango and pineapple with notes of marshmallow and orange peel. Shows nice fruit and acid interplay on the finish. Drink 2020 - 2024.

The nose is crushed blackberries, blueberry and blossoms. The palate entry is a cool blue fruit with a core of white pepper and thick-skinned dry plum finishing with bright and fresh acidity. A lighter touch on Syrah. Drink 2020 - 2024.

The nose is forward hard Christmas candy with notes of spruce needle and pie spice. The palate entry is a sappy juiciness of cherry leading to sleek mouth-coating herb in the core. A tightly-knit and expressive Pinot Noir. Drink 2020 - 2027.

Impressive combination of plush California fruit and savory, tension-filled Oregon structure. Supple and rich raspberry, thyme and stony mineral accents build toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2028.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018s The 2018 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is a powerful, reticent wine. I would give it a few years in bottle to come into its own, as it is quite a bit less showy than most of the other wines in this range. Sweet red cherry, chalk, white pepper and flowers add an attractive upper register, but the 2018 is not ready to show all its cards just yet.

This Pinot-centric Jackson Family brand expands into Oregon with this smooth, dark and toasty wine. It’s layered with whiffs of smoke, espresso and black licorice, matched with dark fruit flavors of black cherry and cassis. It’s a big, balanced, sexy wine with polished tannins that leave a trail of tobacco highlights.

I rate it McD 92, ready now, but a year in cellar would improve it. GM is a Jackson Family Wines project. Look for black cherry nose with cocoa and floral notes. Very smooth on the palate with more black cherry and hints of tanned leather; it rides a nicely balanced tannin/acidity frame though a long mineral finish.

A Bordeaux blend of all five varieties extracted from more than 20 Napa Valley Vineyards, this is classically shaped Napa fashioned by winemaker Ted Edwards. Plush and lush, luxe et volupté, swelling with all the red and purple berries one can imagine packed into one red wine. Handles its French and American oak with elegance and distinction.

This very dark ruby colored “Grand Reserve” level Cabernet Sauvignon from Kendall Jackson was very well received by the Panel. It opens with a black currant bouquet with hints of black raspberry, Oreo cookie, nutmeg, and cigar box. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied with medium plus acidity. We found it to have a smooth mouthfeel. The flavor profile is a black currant and blackberry blend with notes of oak, gentle minerality and black licorice. We also picked up a hint of toffee mixed in as well. The finish is dry and its medium-plus chunky tannins build-up and drift away nicely. The Panel suggested pairing this very good Cab with smoked brisket or Korean barbeque.

A pretty and refined wine, with vibrant cherry and strawberry blossom accents, showing elegant structure and polish on the long finish. Drink now through 2026.

Minerally layers of ripe red currant and cherry compote flavors feature plenty of toastiness. Cedary accents come in on the well-structured and lightly spice finish. Drink now through 2024.

Plush flavors of red fruits are matched to viscous spiciness. Pastry and toasty accents emerge midpalate, leading to a fruity finish that lingers with hot stone notes and hints of paprika. Drink now through 2024.

Offers a vibrant structure, with sea salt, mineral and savory notes flanking the dried red berry and cherry flavors. Violet and floral accents emerge on the taut, leafy finish. Best from 2022 through 2025.

There's a minerally core to the intense and powerful ripe red fruit and berry flavors. Underbrush notes midpalate lead to a sanguine essence on the structured finish. Drink now through 2025.

Notable reduction protects and locks in freshness for Stonestreet’s ’16 construct, a chardonnay built not for speed but for strength. If 14.2 per cent (declared) is considered boozy by California chardonnay standards then you may be reading yesterday’s papers. This commands attention and stands tall, light on its fleshy feet and grants the gift of time. A generous wine of structure and solid bones. Right up there with the bigger names that charge twice the price. Drink 2021-2026.

Fresh Granny Smith–apple crunch and vibrant lime zestiness focus this wine on the coast and the grape, tamping down the oak influence to a structural component. The grapes are predominantly from Tom Dehlinger’s vineyardon Laguna Ridge, where the vines are more than 40 years old. They deliver a tight wine with firm minerality, giving it a brisk uplift in the end.

Cambria’s clone 4 selections trace their lineage back to the Martini selections propagated by UC Davis professors in the 1950s. They grew a wine that feels rich and tropical at first, then becomes complex with exposure to air, with notes of golden apple, raisin and nutty sunflower seeds. Broad, powerful and focused, this should reward some cellar time.

Deep red colour with a tinge of purple, the bouquet smoky, oaky and savoury, the classy oak adding an aromatic floral lift. The wine is elegant in the mouth, medium-bodied and with the lighter tannins slightly firm on the after-palate. Bucket loads of raspberries. A delicious merlot.

A tinge of melon peel meets with ash and Brie-rind aromas on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. There’s a firm grip to the sip, where engaging flavors of honeydew and green plum ride zesty acidity into the finish.

Dried lime peel, lanolin and hints of wet dough show on the nose of this singlevineyard expression by Greg Brewer. Orange-peel and honeysuckle flavors mix with ash and Brie-rind flavors on the unique sip.

Pale yellow. Fresh pear, melon and lemon curd aromas are complemented by hints of white flowers, vanilla and buttered toast. Fleshy and seamless in the mouth, offering juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors that tighten up and pick up a minerally nuance with aeration. Finishes with firm grip, a repeating floral note and strong, spicy persistence.

Shimmering yellow. Fresh nectarine, orange, Bosc pear and floral qualities on the highly perfumed nose. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering concentrated yet lively orchard and pit fruit, honeysuckle and vanilla flavors that show an appealing touch of smoky reduction. Hangs on with impressive tenacity on a spice-laced finish that strongly echoes the pear and floral notes.