Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part One The 2016 Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County) is a gorgeous appellation-level wine from Santa Maria Valley, mostly estate fruit with a dollop of Bien Nacido fruit rounding out the blend. Orchard fruit, candied lemon and a hint of spice add lightly tropical overtones and nuance.

This dark yellow colored Chardonnay opens with an oak influenced golden delicious apple and bosc pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, rich and concentrated. The flavor profile is a toasted oak influenced bosc pear with notes of vanilla and lime. The finish is dry and its flavors are nicely prolonged. This Chard is pretty rich and can be enjoyed on its own. With food, I would pair it with a chicken and wild mushroom ravioli with butter cream sauce. Very good.

This pitch black colored Zinfandel opens with a blackberry bouquet with a hint of blueberry and oak. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, juicy and a fruit forward. The flavor is a black raspberry and blackberry blend with notes of stewed plum and oak with a hint of black pepper. The finish is dry and its flavors and moderate tannins are nicely controlled. This Zin would pair well with a zesty pulled pork sandwich. Very good.

Rich and well-crafted, with a creamy texture and buttery accents to the pear tart and ripe apple flavors. Dried sage notes linger on the finish.

Rounded aromas of Gravenstein apple, marmalade on warm toast and fine-grained oak show on the nose of this bottling. It’s clean and very classic on the palate, offering roasted apple, crushed nut, lemon rind and seared orange flavors.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2016 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is pretty, if a touch ethereal and fleeting in overall feel. Sweet red cherry, mint and rose petal grace a lifted, beautifully perfumed Pinot that will drink well upon release. The 2016 is attractive, but not as plump or giving as it usually is.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2016 Chardonnay Hapgood feels heavy and overripe. I find only modest complexity, especially within the context of the other Chardonnays in this range, all of which are more exciting.

South Australia: Part Two — Mostly McLaren Vale Honey-drizzled pineapple marks the nose of the 2017 Roussanne. It's less rich and decadent on the palate, where the fruit is crisp, even a bit lean. More underripe melon than tropical, if you will. It's medium-bodied, with a silky texture from barrel fermentation and aging on the lees. I'd opt for drinking this over the next few years.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part One The 2016 Pinot Blanc (Santa Maria Valley) is a very pretty, bright wine with lovely orchard fruit and floral character. Drink this delicious, affordable white over the next year or two.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part One The 2016 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) is a very pleasant, fruity wine to drink now and over the next few years. Dark red and purplish berry fruit, spice and floral, notes grace this delicate, translucent Pinot from Nielson. There is plenty to like in this refreshing Pinot that draws from sites in Los Alamos, Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria.

This wine bridges the gap between mass-market wines that are soft and sweet, and more serious dry ones that have better structure and more powerful fruit. It is nicely fruity but dry, has generous aromas and flavors supported by light tannins and good acidity.

Graceful and pleasing, with a solid mix of gravelly earth, dried dark berry, cedar, mocha and tobacco flavors, ending long and firm.

It’s difficult to find reasonable Pinot Noir under $25 a bottle because it is a difficult grape to grow and even more difficult to turn into wine, especially if the producer doesn’t limit yield. In this one, La Crema balances a hint of cherry-like sweetness with briary elements. Mild tannins allow for current drinking.

Hazelnut, browned butter, honeysuckle and strong orangesicle aromas show on the nose of this bottling, which fits into the classic California Chardonnay category. There’s a rounded entry to the palate, offering flavors of Gravenstein apple and poached pear that are carried on chalky backbone.

Medium-light golden yellow; honeyed, slightly buttery, apple and tropical fruit aroma with floral notes and hints of ginger and honeysuckle; medium-full body; fleshy, apple and stone fruit flavors with a slight hint of sweetness and a slightly creamy mouthfeel; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended.

Ripe and slightly juicy in smell with a solid measure of cherry- and plum-like fruit framed by elements of herbs and earth and oaky spice, Byron’s Bien Nacido Pinot is a slightly rounded, mediumfull-bodied working whose ample, fairly complex flavors fully reflect the traits of its nose. It does, however, spends its fruity capital a little too soon and ends on a stiff, slightly ungainly note, and, if it will likely find increased tactile polish with time, it would make for more optimistic cellaring if its early richness and fruit were better sustained. 1 star.

The red berry and cherry flavors are clean-tasting and well-defined in this snappy style. Spicy finish.

Sweet, fruity and floral from first sniff to finish and nicely defined as Riesling every step of the way, this eminently gulpable effort smacks of juicy peaches and jasmine and is buoyed throughout by nicely integrated acidity. While palpably sweet and inarguably a bit simple, it never tastes candied or cheap, and it ranks high on the roster of priceworthy Rieslings with the significant bonus of being widely available and easy to find. 1 star, good value.

A juicy style, with ripe apple, pear and peach flavors. Light and spicy on the finish.

The vines were just over 70 years old at harvest. The grapes were well treated in the winery. The price is $35. Australian wine is a lovely place sometimes.
The beauty of redcurrant and liquorice. The woody spice notes, splashed generously about. The tannin, firm and fine but commanding. Whole bunch influences are sensed as the fruit gushes through. I don’t really need to go on. This is a tip top terrific grenache, without a shadow of a doubt.

Lustrous ruby. Hint of hemp on the nose. Not the freshest. Big and round but a little lacking real fruit concentration on the mid palate.

Shiraz from two blocks of the Yangarra vineyard. 25% whole bunches/50% whole berries. Cold soak, wild yeast, open fermenters, kept on lees, matured in all-French oak, 35% new. Certified organic/biodynamic. It’s a dense style and yet it remains remarkably fresh. This is the best of many worlds. Plush plum, savoury cloves and spice, silken slips of smoky/cedary oak, emery-board tannin. It’s almost raw with freshness and yet it’s complex and vinous. It’s lengthy. There’s a sense of wonder to this wine. It’s perfectly formed. Drink 2020 - 2036

The day after his keynote address, Spurrier led a tasting at the CIA Greystone of current and older vintage wines from estates that participated in the 1976 tasting. My notes from my favorites appear below... The Napa Valley, Rutherford, Bosché, Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 has rich earthy aromas, round and spicy in the mouth and chewy tannins needing time to pull it all together. The 2002 Napa Valley, Bosché Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 shows how beautiful the 2014 can be when it does come together. This wine is seamless and balanced with cassis flavors with a note of dark chocolate and smooth with silky tannins.

Wines of the Week Freemark Abbey winery dates back to the pre-prohibition days of the late 19th century when the historic stone winery was constructed by Antonio Forni and named Lombarda Cellars after his birthplace in Italy. Today, the winery follows traditions going back to 1967 and modern era Napa winemaking. Look for bright aromas of citrus, grass and melon with tropical flavors and a refreshing crisp finish.

Wines of the Week Winemaker Kristy Melton crafted this inaugural vintage of Sauvignon Blanc from Fortress Winery in Sonoma County. The wine was 33% barrel fermented in French oak with the balance in stainless steel. Look for elegant aromas of orchard blossom and white flowers mingling with lemony citrus and peach. The palate is crisp and medium bodied for food pairing or casual sipping.