Byron’s basic 2012 Santa Barbara is that rare bird: delicious, affordable California pinot noir. Sourced from three vineyards in Santa Maria Valley, two near Los Alamos and one in the Santa Rita Hills, it’s frisky and approachable, lasting on fresh red-fruit-skin flavor and fine tannins, light on its feet, with a hard-to-resist juiciness reminiscent of cru Beaujolais. Buy a case and watch it disappear.

Bright ruby-red. Vibrant, spice-accented red berry and cherry scents are deepened by notes of licorice and black tea, with a suave vanilla nuance building in the glass. Sappy and precise, offering lively raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a hint of blood orange. Gains weight with air and finishes with silky tannins and zesty jolt of white pepper. This energetic wine was made entirely from a Swan clone.

Vivid ruby-red. Sexy, oak-spiced cherry and dark berries on the fragrant nose. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering intense black raspberry and cherry-vanilla flavors lifted by a spicy element. Supple tannins shape the finish, which features notes of smoky minerals and sweet floral pastilles.

Deep ruby color; deep, tight dark cherry aromas; big, deep and rich dark cherry flavors with some oak and tannin; earthy and pepper notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Big and deep Pinot that needs time to open up.

The stems that were included in the fermentation give this wine a full-bodied, tannic mouthfeel, as well as adding to the spices. With raspberry, cherry and mocha flavors, it’s a powerful Pinot that wants two or three years in the cellar.

Deep ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of black raspberry and cola, with subtle floral and anise nuances adding complexity. Shows very good depth and focus on the palate, offering sweet red and dark berry preserve flavors and a strong spicecake quality. Gains weight and takes a darker turn on the finish, with its suggestions of boysenberry and candied licorice.

The 2010 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is gorgeously elegant and finesse driven, with layers of sweet red fruits, crushed flowers, underbrush and rose petal to go with a medium-bodied, seamless and energetic palate. Already approachable, with fantastically polished tannin, it's a knockout Pinot Noir that will have upwards of a decade of ultimate longevity. It's the most integrated and complete in the lineup and I'm a fan. Drink now-2020. Relatively firm, structured efforts, these should all benefit from short-term cellaring.

Smooth and charming with sweet cherry, spice and bright acidity; supple, structured and amiable with nice, relaxed style and good depth.

Ruby-red. Sexy, highly perfumed scents of black raspberry, cherry-cola, spicecake, candied licorice and incense, with a strong kick of white pepper. Lush and extroverted, offering sweet red and dark fruit preserve flavors and exotic floral notes. Becomes smokier with air and finishes with impressive breadth, velvety tannins and a lingering floral quality.

Medium ruby color; deep floral, cherry and strawberry aromas with spice notes; rich, ripe red cherry flavors with floral and spicy notes; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Ripe fruit and spicy notes make this a nice Pinot for lighter grilled fare.

Medium-deep ruby color; deep, spicy cherry aromas with mineral, earthy notes; ripe, forward cherry and plum flavors with lots of earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, full Pinot with the structure for some age.

A Wine that can be drunk now or cellared for a decade or more is the brilliant 2007 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard. This vineyard tends to provide a graphite-like character along with minerality and earth. The wine is full-bodied and powerful with striking concentration as well as a terrific perfume of flowers, plums, black cherries, and black currants. Deep, full, rich, still young and promising, it should be even better with another 1-2 years of bottle age.

The 2007 Pinot Noir Sierra Madre is dark plum in color, has earthy, berry, underbrush notes, medium to full body, serious depth as well as texture, and a long promising finish. It will evolve for 6-8+ years.

Aromas of ripe strawberries balance the rich oak spice in this wine. The fruit feels fresh and plump, held firm by strong tannins. This has the structure for rack of lamb.

As nice as this wine's layered aromas of ripe cherries, sweet oak and subtle herbaceousness are, its deep, and enormously fruity flavors are more impressive yet. A full-scaled Pinot in terms of its extraordinarily well-extracted fruit, it is optimally ripened, quite supple in feel and buffers its touch of last-minute heat with lots of oak-sweetened cherries. Its careful acidity furnishes the right note of brightness and life to the finish, and, like the best of its breed, this is one that can be enjoyed right away or safely laid down for a few years of guaranteed growth.

Powerful and well-structured, with savory richness to the ripe grapefruit, green pear and crisp apple flavors. Pastry notes linger on the finish.

Medium yellow color. Aromas of lemon curd, yellow apple, buttercream, raw almond, sea salt, along with honey and cinnamon. Medium-bodied, precise acidity with a lively saline element. Rich texture with notes of whipped butter, apricot jam, lemon curd and baked apple, but also fresh with notes of chalk dust and crushed oyster shells. Nougat and honey on the finish, this is delicious and balanced.

Discreet elements of vanilla, roasted grains and toasted brioche are interwoven with abundant, sweet fruit in the effusive and decidedly complex aromas of this immediately involving wine, and there is no loss of richness or range to its deeply fruited, multi-faceted flavors. While quite full and slightly viscous on entry, it is buoyed by fine fruity acidity and shows very good finishing length. There is no need to hurriedly pull its cork, but it is in fine drinking shape now. 2 stars.

The 2015 Chardonnay Nielson Vineyard is a powerful, intense wine built on breadth and textural intensity. The personality of the Wente clone comes through in the wine's oily, phenolic richness. At times, the Chardonnay feels like a red wine structurally.

Light gold color. Bold and beautiful on the nose with bruised yellow apple, baked pear, lime juice, notes of nougat and cinnamon buns mix with sea breeze and chalk dust, and the combo is so good. Creamy and plush on the palate but moderating acidity keeps it fresh. Plump yellow apples and pears with apricot jam, drizzled with lime, and topped in some toasted almonds and flowers. Lots of richness here but complex and vibrant as well.

Nice enough on first sniff, but gradually opening and showing fine fruity depth and plenty of attractive highlights of caramel and crème brûlée to its dominant theme of fully ripe apples, this involving Chardonnay is fairly mouthfilling and well-structured at once. While it is not at all tight or constrained, neither is it in any way overblown, and it earns high marks for both richness and careful construction.

Lush pear and oak nose; creamy and smooth with lush pear fruit and toasty oak; rich and ripe but not heavy; fresh, balanced and long.

Also terrific, the 2013 Chardonnay Nielson Vineyard comes from the Santa Maria Valley and was 100% barrel-fermented and aged 16 months in 30% new French oak. It has terrific Chardonnay notes of sauteed apples, creme brulee, white flowers and a touch of brioche to go with a medium-bodied, pure, fruit-forward and textured style on the palate. Already hard to resist, drink it over the coming 3-4 years.

Bright and juicy with silky texture and lovely mineral notes; crisp and structured with edgy notes and some creaminess; a complex wine with richness and tangy style.

Bright yellow.  Vibrant aromas of pear, white flowers and smoky minerals.  Juicy, penetrating citrus and orchard fruit flavors show very good depth and are complemented by notes of buttered toast and fig.  Rich but lively, finishing with impressive cling and spicy persistence.