Santa Barbara Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Are Made By The Ocean 2016 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills: crushed stone, white flowers, under-ripe tropical fruit, mineral driven, focused.

With all of the insipid, zinfandel-based blends on the market, we can grow very tired of this category. But this one builds on merlot with portions of petite sirah, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot. This combination gives the wine more grip and less of the ripe flavor zinfandel delivers. Plum and blueberry flavors with a touch of strawberry, tobacco and allspice. Generous aromas of espresso and wild blackberries. Goes with: ribs, tomato-based sauces, pork.

Made according to biodynamic farming principals, this wine can easily be mistaken for a top-notch Châteauneuf-du-Pape in a blind tasting. Rich yet savoury with impressive balance and complexity. This is serious business.

Four top reds to keep you warm over winter One of the most interesting projects we’ve been watching is over at Yangarra. They’ve planted most of the grape varieties of France’s Chateauneuf-du-pape region, some of which I can barely pronounce, like Counoise (if you say something like “Coo-Nwah-z” that’s about right). In 2018 they finally released something with all the red varieties blended together called “Noir”. Pete Fraser is the brains behind the winemaking – my parents also happen to be his godparents, but I think wine lovers with an unbiased view would agree his wines are incredible. This is fresh, lively and jam-packed with flavour, perfect for the introduction of winter and something braised.

Great Gamay Beyond Beaujolais A pretty wine, balancing roses against black fruits, from Burgundian expat Bernard Lacroute. Fun fact: WillaKenzie Estate’s 1995 Gamay Noir was served at a White House gala.

Pinot Noir and Copper River Salmon - Part 1 WillaKenzie Estate is named for the sedimentary soil on which the estate is planted which in turn is a tribute to the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers of western Oregon. The winery is a popular tourist stop for wine lovers keen to enjoy fine Pinot Noir, a picnic or even a game of Pétanque! Look for ripe strawberry and raspberry on the nose with hints of blood orange and forest floor. The juicy palate offers good balance and acidity for pairing with salmon from the grill.

"Stonestreet" is the middle name of three generations of the Jackson family, and is a mountain estate producing only three premium, single vineyard wines. This chardonnay is California showing its best, opening with lemon zest, apricots, and a little dill, that follow through to the textured palate. You'll be hungry for roast chicken dinner and Moroccan spice chickpea dishes.

National Wine Day!

Santa Barbara Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Are Made By The Ocean 2017 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County: dark berries, earthy, black tea, pepper, fresh.

Santa Barbara Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Are Made By The Ocean 2016 Nielson Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County: red fruit, crushed violets, mineral, crisp.

Napa, Sonoma dominate California Cabernet Sauvignon Over in Sonoma County, several valleys produce really good cabernet. Alexander Valley cabs, especially, can rival Napa. And the prices usually compare favorably. 2015 Murphy-Goode ($28). With family winemaking history in Alexander Valley since 1985 and farming before that, this is a nice everyday cab that delivers rather straightforward black fruits with suggestions of herbs and cocoa in a solid frame.

Best Buys in the Market Yes, Cabernet Sauvignon prices continue to climb, yet the variety’s popularity shows no signs of easing. There are, nonetheless, many tasty, well-made examples to be found that hit the mark for fine value, and, as the smart shopper will discover, good Cabernet does not necessarily have to be but an occasional treat. Heading up this month’s roster of Cabernets that prove the point...and the insistently fruity, medium-fullbodied * MURPHY-GOODE Alexander Valley 2015 are at once easy to like now and show the capacity to age nicely for several years. 1 star.

What makes the Journey a standout is this blend’s striking red raspberry note coupled with its supple texture. It’s weighted to red fruit, with a high-toned note of cranberry. Balanced. This is absolutely worth the price for those with the disposable income. 4½ stars.

A flagship wine of Matanzas Creek Winery, Journey draws grapes from four blocks of Alexander Mountain Estate vineyards. Elegant in style it has the right amount of acidity and oak to keep the rich peach and pear flavors in check. This is an incredible wine.

Options abound with Mother's Day Chardonnay Legacy Chardonnay from the Field Stone Vineyard in Alexander Valley delivers the dream of founder Jess Jackson to create age-worthy, elegant Chardonnay with a sense of place, enhancing a delicate, inviting palate.

I am more of a mountain fruit fan, adoring the wines of Atlas Peak and Howell Mountain, as well as hopping over the Mayacamus Mountain into Sonoma Valley to sip the wines produced off the Moon Mountain AVA. High atop Howell Mountain the historic La Jota Vineyard was first planted in 1898, and has been producing earthy, elegant wines with a distinct earthiness since. The La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon is well-structured and refined, bringing freshness thanks to the high elevation of the vineyard, to the rich, robust wine. The result, something you can wait to toast with, on any special occasion or any simple day.

Nice to see California attempting serious dry rose instead of gummy sweeter versions of White Zinfandel. This is a mid-weight, fresh indeed almost lean edition from cooler Monterey-grown pinot noir. Pricey but well done.

Wine of the Week A gorgeous rosé with great minerality and high-toned fruit. Excellent balance. Manages to be light on its feet, yet complex with a range of flavors: strawberry, rhubarb, raspberry and watermelon. Striking. 4 stars.

Know What to Look for to Find a Great Rosé La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé: Perhaps best known for its buttery Chardonnays and bold Pinot Noirs, this delicate yet vibrant rosé from Northern California’s La Crema is perhaps the best of both worlds. With notes of watermelon, strawberry, and blood orange matched by aromas of pink grapefruit and guava, this is one of your best bets for pairing with favorite summertime foods, such as wild salmon, Dungeness crab, and grilled rock shrimp.

Drink this: Kickstart the pink wine season with this Californian Rosé The pick: La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé, 2018, a pink manages to be both fun and serious at the same time. Is it pink wine season yet? That’s a trick question, since pink wine is always in season these days. Still, even though it’s recently become perfectly acceptable to drink rosé year-round, it’s okay to get excited about all the new pink releases that start to pour into liquor stores every Spring. La Crema Pinot Noir Rosé is one of the first out of the gate and, dare we say it, a pretty excellent start to the season. Backstory: Although France once completely owned the dry rosé wine scene with its seasonal releases from Provence, over the past few years some lovely New World expressions have started to challenge southern French dominance. California, for example, which used to be known for its sweeter “blush” wines (a.k.a. white zinfandel), is now producing some amazing, dry pink wines, too. Sometimes they’re blended from a range of grapes, but this one is 100 percent Pinot Noir, grown in La Crema Winery’s Monterey vineyard. Why you’ll like it: It’s hard to be both elegant and fruit-forward, but that’s exactly what this dry, balanced, slightly buttery and eminently easy-drinking wine is. After chilling, let it warm up for 15 minutes before serving, so that all the cantaloupe, berry and acidic citrus notes shine through. Perfect with fresh fish, pizza or crossword puzzles on a lazy afternoon.

The Best Rosés For Summertime Sipping Are All Under $20 La Crema Rosé comes from Monterey, where exquisite sunshine and breezy climate give this wine a ripe strawberry, fresh cantaloupe and citrus-scented flavor. It's the perfect picnic wine.

Wines from Mothers to Mothers Jen Walsh's superb Pinot is gorgeous in the glass and on the palate. Its expressive fruit is coupled with excellent acidity, smoothly rounded tannins, notable complexity and much more.

Cherry, pencil and spice with a touch of orange and vanilla. Good.

La Crema pinot noir is one of those wines that has been popular for a long time. People know it is good, you see it everywhere, and you don’t think about it much. Every time I drink it I am reminded why it is so popular. It is just what a pinot noir is supposed to taste like: full of ripe red fruit, juicy cherry, plums and blackberries. It is a refreshing wine that pairs well with a wide variety of food. The suggested retail price is $25, but I often see it on sale for several dollars less. It is a fun wine to drink, even without food, so when you can find it on sale, you are getting a really good deal. Powerful aromas of cherry and plum start things off, leading to complex fruit flavors with hints of spice and toast. Everything is in balance, leading to a long, pleasant finish with a smooth mouthfeel.

8 Red Wines You Can Totally Drink in the Summer Oh, summer reds are a thing all right. Pinot noirs are one of the best wines for summer, and those from cooler climates like the Sonoma Coast, where this hails from, tend to be particularly light. "Bursting with fruit flavors like cherry, plum and blood orange, this wine pairs well with a day lounging on the beach or a backyard barbecue on the first warm night of summer," says La Crema winemaker Craig McAllister. Yum. La Crema is also pretty easy to find (you’ve probably seen its chardonnay on a wine list or two), so it’s a solid pick wherever you are in the States.