Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s A smoking value from the talents of Greg Brewer, the 2017 Syrah Santa Barbara County comes half from the Nielson Vineyard in Santa Maria and the other half from the Neely Vineyard in Los Alamos. Not destemmed and brought up in neutral oak, it has a classic Syrah gaminess as well as notes of black raspberries, bacon fat, crushed violets, and tapenade. This peppery, medium-bodied, elegant, beautiful Syrah has no hard edges, terrific balance, and just a complex, satisfying style.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From the 3D vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and all Hyde Clone (vines are 11-years old), the 2018 Chardonnay Santos Road offers plenty of beautiful citrus and pineapple notes backed up by lots of spice, white flowers, and salinity. With medium-bodied richness, beautiful balance, and a great finish, it should drink nicely for at least a decade.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s I’d say on the earthy slopes of its prime drinking plateau, the 2011 Pinot Noir Machado offers a medium to full-bodied, balanced style that has resolved tannins, beautiful red and black fruits, and complex notes of smoked applewood, black tea, spice, and forest floor. I love it today, yet it’s certainly going to continue drinking nicely for another 4-6 years, probably longer.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2014 Pinot Noir Machado is another rounded, full-bodied example of this vineyard and has complex notes of ripe cherries, incense, applewood, and exotic spices. With beautiful fruit and no hard edges, it’s another candidate for drinking any time over the coming 8-10 years or so.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Still lively gold-hued, the 2011 Chardonnay 3D comes from a cooler, more challenging vintage yet offers beautiful notes of caramelized citrus, orange blossom, toasted bread, and a touch of minerality. Beautifully done, balanced, and with a medium-bodied, fresher, focused style, it’s drinking terrific today yet will certainly evolve for another 7-8 years in cool cellars.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From a warmer site and an even split of Swan and Pommard clones, not destemmed, the 2017 Pinot Noir 3D offers plenty of riper black cherry, earth, spice, and meaty notes as well as a layered, medium to full-bodied, textured style on the palate. It has good acidity, plenty of classic savory, spicy Sta. Rita hills style, and a great finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard has a tantalizing nose of lemon meringue pie, apple crumble, beeswax and almond croissant with a touch of white blossoms. Medium to full-bodied, the palate packs a punch of spiced apples and savory bread and nut layers, framed by impressive freshness and a creamy texture, finishing long. 228 cases produced.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard opens with subtle, graceful apricot, green guava and fresh lemon scents plus hints of chalk dust, marzipan and lightly browned toast. Medium-bodied, the palate has beautiful poise and compelling intensity with loads of citrus and mineral layers and a nuttiness to the finish. 353 cases produced.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Chardonnay W.S. Keyes comes from vines planted in 1992-1993. One-third of the wine went directly to barrel (dirty) and the other two-thirds was settled and barrel fermented. It was aged in 10% new oak. It leaps from the glass with notes of honeyed white peaches, lemon tart, Golden Delicious apples and lime blossoms plus hints of marzipan and lemongrass. Medium-bodied with a seriously racy backbone and loads of intense citrus and stone fruit layers, it has a lovely satiny texture and long chalky finish. 544 cases produced.

Intense, with dark plum, blackberry and black currant fruit flavors pumping through, scored with bittersweet cocoa, dark tobacco and loam accents on the finish. Muscular for sure, but has serious drive. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Best from 2020 through 2032.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley from vines that were planted in the 1970s. Aged 16 months in 69% new French oak, it gives up a pretty, classic bouquet of mulberries, dried earth, forest floor, and spice. With medium body, a focused, elegant texture, good tension, and a great finish, it's another 2017 that's tight and reserved and will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm The 2017 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard gives up bolds peach cobbler, clotted cream and applesauce scents with nuances of toasted almonds and honeycomb. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a lovely satiny texture plus a touch of phenolic grip and is packed with stone fruit and honeyed flavors, finishing with a touch of spiciness to the finish. 304 cases produced.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Seco Highlands is terrific, with smoking good notes of black cherries, spice, sous bois, and smoked herbs. Rich, medium to full-bodied, rounded, and textured on the palate, it has terrific Pinot Noir character and is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is one of the more Burgundian, reductive wines in the lineup. Stone fruits, crushed citrus, white flowers, brioche and sulfur notes all give way to a brilliantly pure, balanced, lengthy Chardonnay that has integrated acidity as well as a sense of minerality that makes you salivate.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s A mix of clones mostly from the upper section of this great vineyard, the 2017 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard was 80% destemmed and spent 18 months in 40% new French oak. It has a bright, juicy bouquet of wild strawberries, cranberries, wildflowers and candied orange peel. With medium body, a rounded, supple texture, integrated acidity, and a beautiful finish, it's another terrific wine.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Another tiny production cuvée from this estate, the 2016 Chardonnay Signature Collection Katherine's Vineyard is aged 15 months in 20% new French oak. It's a richer, bigger Chardonnay with plenty of classy oak in its ripe orchard and peach fruits. More spice, brioche, and white flower notes develop with time in the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, rounded, and sexy on the palate. It's not for the oak adverse, but it’s a rich, mouthfilling, well-done effort that's a joy to drink.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s Leading off the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard comes from clones 777 and 667 and was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 32% new French oak. Bright berry fruits, leafy herbs, spring flowers, candied violets, and subtle incense notes all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant, and seamless on the palate. This is a classy, balanced Sta. Rita Hills effort that leads with its fruit.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard offers slightly more purity and precision, with terrific notes of melon and subtle tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and white flowers. It has some classic Bien Nacido minerality and salinity, medium body, a rounded texture, and a good finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s From a vintage described as epic from Greg, the 2018 Chardonnay Bar-M comes from a vineyard just off Highway 101 and vines planted in 1996. It offers Chablis-like lemon notes as well as hints of tropical fruits, a medium-bodied, rounded, textured style on the palate, beautiful fruit, and a clean finish.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2010 Pinot Noir Machado also offers a medium to full-bodied, balanced style and carries outstanding notes of spiced red and black fruits, tea leaves, earth, and dried flowers. It shines for its elegance and balance and is drinking at point today.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The first vintage for this cuvée, from vines planted in 2007, the 2009 Chardonnay 3D offers outstanding, mature notes of candied lemons, white flowers, and orange blossom. These carry to a medium-bodied, balanced, elegant Chardonnay that still has beautiful acidity, moderate length, and loads of character. Drink bottles over the coming couple of years.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s There are roughly 3,000 to 4,000 cases of the 2017 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, which offers a beautiful bouquet of baked cherry tart, exotic orange rind, Asian spices, salty minerality, and forest floor. Elegant, medium-bodied, and silky on the palate, it has fine tannins and a great finish. Drink this classic Sta. Rita Hills over the coming decade.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm Very deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Latro Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with baked plums, crème de cassis, cardamom and tilled soil with hints of tapenade, lilacs, Indian spices and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied, rich and spicy, it fills the palate with ripe, expressive black and blue fruits, with a chewy texture and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a perfumed lift. 400 cases produced.

Central Coast: The 2017s and 2018s The 2017 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block Q is distinctly different from the base cuvée and is all Pommard clone, from vines planted in the 1970s, that was 75% destemmed and spent 16 months in 50% new French oak. Notes of blackberries, ground herbs, pepper, and damp earth notes all define the bouquet and it's more tight, backward, and closed on the palate. Possessing good concentration, nicely integrated acidity, and a good, although shorter finish, give it 2-3 years, and it should evolve for over a decade.

Lemon curd, lime zest and hazelnut notes are creamy and supple, balanced by crunchy, minerally acidity that keeps the flavors in focus. Soft spice and cedar details echo on the finish. Drink now.