The 2012 Syrah Tepusquet Vineyard is voluptuous and racy from start to finish. Plum, dark cherry, cloves, smoke and lavender are all super-expressive in a powerful, intense Syrah full of near and medium term appeal. The style is distinctly fruit-driven, with all the elements in the right place.

2015 VIOGNIER The nose is a rich, creamy vanilla and white blossoms. The palate entry is a bright lime, grapefruit and floral. Very well put together.

With the massive honeyed sweetness, this dessert wine is easy to enjoy, but it has more going for it than just that. There are also polished apricot, pineapple brûlée and vanilla custard flavors.

Concentrated and powerful, this is anything but your average California chardonnay. In fact, it's a bit unorthordox, Burgundian in the sense of its orientation toward terroir expression rather than fruitness or oak. Yes the wood shows in scents of walnuts and exotic spice. And the fruit turns up the power with flavors of mandarin orange, accents of primose and other floral notes. Yet the core of the wine seems to come from a melding of these elements, from a combination that plays as distinctly Santa Maria. There's a fine line of acidity to keep all the fruit toned and lifted, a balance that would carry its flavors with buttery escargot or grilled salmon.

Richer than the regular bottling, a monster of a wine, with fig, apple, pear and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. Even novices will know this is an "important" white wine.

2015 CHARDONNAY, CLONE 4 The nose is a toasted lemon with underlying peach and pineapple. The palate entry continues the tropical element of pineapple, with chalk and toasted grain on the finish.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2015 Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard Signature Collection presents a richer expression of this site. Pineapple, passionfruit, mint, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes grace this super-expressive, creamy Chardonnay from Cambria.

2015 CHARDONNAY, KATHERINE’S The nose is an expressive, barrel-influenced toast, lemon and pear. The palate is crisp, honeyed stone fruit topped with vanilla crème brulee.

COMMENTARY: Always a player from California's Central Coast, the Cambria Estate Vineyards & Winery Benchbreak Chardonnay—made from certified sustainable vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley AVA—has produced a solid effort. TASTING NOTES: The 2015 Benchbreak Chardonnay deftly intertwines ripe core, savory oak, and a long palate presence. Enjoy this wine with scallops sautéed in brown butter.

This new project focusing on specific blocks of the historic Cambria Vineyard on the Santa Maria Bench starts with very subtle and restrained aromas of nectarine, lemon cream and a hint of grapefruit pith. The palate is fresh with lime and toasted coconut flavors, held up by a backbone of strong acid that keeps it from spilling toward overripe qualities.

Even richer, with gorgeously ripe apple tart, toasted hazelnut, brioche and white flower-like aromas and flavors, the 2011 Chardonnay Bench Break is full-bodied, richly texture and fresh on the palate, with a layered, multi-dimensional feel. It's a classy Chardonnay meant for drinking over the coming 2-3 years. Drink now-2016.

Here is a wine that is at once fairly open and straightforward in fruit while at the same time showing a real sense of reserve and potential. Its brooding nose of dark cherries and spice is echoed in kind by its deep, still-undeveloped flavors, and it draws back into its shell after teasing with a quick note of juicy immediacy. This one has the stuffing for keeping, and, if demanding at least a couple of years of forbearance, it has the pieces in place to grow for a good many more.

Delivers lots of bang for the buck. Built like a fine French Burgundy, it's rich and intricate in smoky-oak infused tropical fruit, fig and Asian spice flavors that have an undercurent of stony minerals. Really impressive for this price.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part One The 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard offers striking aromatics to play off the translucent, beautifully layered blue/purplish berry fruit. A wine of energy and cut, the Solomon Hills has so much to offer. It will be utterly irresistible upon release. Lifted floral notes reappear on the finish to add a closing burst of drive.

Medium ruby color. Enticing aromas of raspberries, blackberry and strawberry jam, this is a darker, saucier aromatic display with notes of sweet cola, rhubarb, rose petals and barbecue sauce. Medium-bodied on the palate with velvety tannins and medium acidity. Pretty black cherries, raspberries and summer plums, backed up by menthol, earth, roasted chestnut. Elements of rhubarb, white pepper and mushroom add complexity. Fruit but deep, accessible but can age.

2015 PINOT NOIR, LA ENCANTADA VINEYARD the nose is an edgy herbal tapenade with forest floor, garrigue and plum. The palate entry is polished cherry, black plum, tobacco leaf and a silky, luxurious core of powdered red berries finishing with notes of mint.

Broad and plush, with concentrated notes of cardamom to the dried cherry and berry flavors. Elegantly framed, with rich spiciness and minerality that lingers on the polished finish.

Bright ruby color. Gorgeous nose of chilled strawberries, raspberry jam and black cherries, along with cola, rhubarb, white pepper and roses. Plush but fresh, dusty but bright, fruity but it’s tangy and lively. Tart black cherries, raspberry jam, fresh strawberries, the fruit mixes nicely with flavors of roses, rhubarb, sarsaparilla, cola and mushroom. Fresh and vibrant but can improve for at least a few years.

Bright ruby color. Juicy and tangy fruits on the nose (raspberries, strawberries, cherries), beautiful and fresh with rhubarb, rose petals and tomato leaf. Medium-bodied and really fresh on the palate with dusty tannins and crisp acidity, lots of tart cherry and ripe strawberry fruit. Complex notes of rhubarb, pepper, tobacco and tomato leaf, some fresh green herbs and judiciously-sprinkled cedar. Lovely, fresh, delish.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Boastful black cherry fruit aromas are shy but appealing. Oak-kissed flavors of black cherry and boysenberry are elevated with juicy acidity. Discretely concentrated, with a silky mouthfeel, and some notable fruit engages on the finish.

Silky and elegant with ripe cherry and juicy black currant fruit; notes of earth, spice and bright acidity; smooth and long.

Showing the house style with its silky, polished, already approachable feel, the 2014 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard offers impressive notes of black cherries, dark raspberry, dried flowers and spice. All from the sandy soils of Julia's Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley and vines planted in the 1970s, it was completely destemmed and aged in 40% new French oak, with a good portion of the blend seeing fermentation in barrel. It's already hard to resist and I see no need to delay gratification.

More black cherries, leafy herbs, licorice and dried earth notes emerge from the 2014 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard, and it's medium-bodied, concentrated and textured, with present tannin. It's a touch more angular than the Sierra Madre Vineyard, yet is also impeccably balanced, lengthy and long. This wine is all from vines planted in the 1970s (all Pommard clones), was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is primary, offering little even with vigorous swirling, except notes of oak-driven coffee and spice. Much more giving on the mid weight palate, offering fresh flavors of black raspberry and black cherry fruits. The satiny texture is very seductive and the wine is impeccably balanced with oak delicately augmenting the fruit flavors.

Aromatic nose; silky, spicy and savory with ripe berry fruit and lovely balance; deep, toasty and long.