The 2019 Syrah Santa Barbara County always shows a cooler climate style, and that's very apparent in the cooler 2019 vintage. Juicy mulberry and blackberry fruits as well as pepper, wildflowers, and foresty, pine-like nuances define the bouquet, and it's medium-bodied, with a pure, elegant texture, silky tannins, and a great finish. It shows more violet and floral notes with time in the glass and benefits from air, so don't be afraid to open bottles ahead of time.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Signature Collection Julia's Vineyard, from the same vineyard, is similar ruby/plum-hued and offers a darker, richer, slightly more inward style in its redcurrant and black cherry fruits as well as forest floor, pine, and sappy herb-like aromas and flavors. It's more structured and has medium-bodied richness, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

It is always a pleasure to drink an older Napa Cabernet. This one is drinking beautifully today. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with cassis, spice, some tobacco, cherries and slight chocolate. Full bodied. On the palate, this is a bit past prime but offering up a lot. Some fresh fruit (cassis and cherries) along with tobacco and slight funk. Nice finish. Good complexity. This should be consumed sooner than later but all bottles will be unique. It drank great on its own and worked with some soft cheeses.

There is no denying 2017 was a super hot year in Italy. Still, for some reason, the Super Tuscans led by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot managed to make the best of the sunshine, as evidenced by this terrific bottle of Il Fauno. Fresh, dense, and power-packed, this is a delight to drink even now, although I suggest it is a wine that deserves a decade in the cellar. And at this price, that makes it a superstar for the cellar. Spicy licorice spills out of the glass along with powerful black fruit, thankfully held in restraint by the touch of French-born winemaker Pierre Seillan. The textures are equally expressive — stock up.

Smooth and juicy, with ripe pear and citrus fruit, toasty, rich and balanced, long and amiable, stylish and an interesting wine at an excellent price.

Quite ripe, but vivid, with lushly textured plum, açaí berry and blackberry reduction flavors layered seamlessly, framed with mocha- and vanilla-accented toast and backed by violet and warm earth hints on the finish. For the hedonist crowd. Drink now through 2026.

This medium ruby colored Pinot Noir from Oregon opens with a mild cola bouquet with a hint of blueberry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, round, soft and nicely coats your mouth. The flavor profile is a black plum and gentle cola blend with notes of blackberry and clove. I also detected hints of boysenberry and anise. The finish is dry and its tannins are a bit sticky for a Pinot. I would pair this Pinot with duck breasts with pinot noir and cherry sauce.

Fully de-stemmed with a large percentage of whole berries. Cold-soaked, warmed and fermented wild across 2 weeks on skins. Certified organic/biodynamic. Full and pulpy. Aromas of violet, smoked meat, iodine and assorted blue fruits. Grapey, juicy and mellifluous.

Organic/biodynamic. Destemmed to 50% whole berries. A blend that defines the resolute urgency of now: 45/19/19/12/4/1% grenache/carignan/mourvèdre/shiraz/cinsault/counoise. The 45% younger-vine grenache in this red blend provides a medium of freshness as much as the lithe tannic spine, following 109 days on skins. Biodynamic writ large, showing holistic handling with intelligence. Pour big. Drink large. Raspberry, violet and briary sap. Everyday wine from the heavens.

As with all wines aside from the newly acquired Hickinbotham Clarendon grenache, this hails from certified organic/biodynamic vineyards, an even split of sand and ironstone. 20% whole bunches and a splash of viognier for spicing and lift. Open fermented wild and on skins for 14–21 days, albeit, macerated gently. 10 months in an arsenal of French oak formats. Violet, iodine, dark cherry and blueberries. A skein of cardamom, clove and pepper grind-doused acidity tows solid length. Plump and juicy, with a bow of reductive tension across the finish.

Plush and well-spiced, with a creamy texture to the ripe apple and peach pastry flavors. The finish is loaded with buttered toast accents that glide across the palate.

The 2018 Winemaster's Blend is a very pretty, Merlot-based red blend from vineyards in Alexander Valley. Bright red cherry/red plum, blood orange, mint, cinnamon and iron all meld together in a wine of real distinction and class. I would give the 2018 a year or two in bottle to soften, as the Cabernet and Petit Verdot tannins are a bit imposing today. This is a strong showing from Kendall-Jackson.

The 2019 Chardonnay Grand Reserve is a selection of top lots mostly in Santa Barbara County, Los Alamos and Santa Maria. Hints of tropical fruit, ginger, spice and flowers make for an airy, mid-weight Chardonnay that offers lovely exoticism and tons of character.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Seven's Bench, from a site in Carneros, is earthy and savory in feel. Dried cherry, mint, cinnamon, sweet pipe tobacco, licorice and soil-driven tones all open in the glass. A touch of whole clusters works well here.

The 2018 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block offers up an especially earthy, savory range of cool-climate flavors. Dried cherry, cedar, tobacco, spice and dried flowers all take shape with a bit of coaxing. The Hailey's Block is the sort of wine that really needs to be enjoyed over time, as it opens nicely with some aeration.

The 2019 Chardonnay (Russian River) is a terrific appellation-level wine. Bright and finely cut, the 2019 is so well-balanced. Lemon peel and white flowers grace this enticing Chardonnay from Hartford. Bright acids and floral accents round out the finish nicely.

The 2019 Pinot Noir (Russian River) is a terrific appellation-level offering in this range from Hartford Court. Blue/purplish fruit, cinnamon, licorice and spice all grace this expressive, mid-weight Pinot. Enjoy it over the next decade.

A new wine in this range, the 2019 Zinfandel Winberrie Knolls is bright, floral and effusive. Sweet floral notes open first, giving the 2019 a feeling of transparency that carries through to the finish. This is an especially silky, sensual Zinfandel.

Abundant, luxurious and fully ripe fruit flavors are wrapped in handsome oak spices such as vanilla, milk chocolate and cinnamon in this very full-bodied, broad-textured wine. The mouthfeel is velvety and rich.

A bold yellow color. Deep and rich aromas of honey, cream, mixed nuts, almond and crumb cake, and sea salt, over top of juicy lemon and yellow apples. The palate shows a deep texture but moderating acidity. Lemon curd and pear butter fruit mixes with nuances of peanut shell, salted pecans and honey. But these vibes of chalk, flint, minerals and dried white flowers bring these elevated, airy vibes to the richness. Lovely stuff, complex but vibrant, their first release of this wine and it is on point. Sourced from two mountain vineyards, their estate Fijnbosch Vineyard and its neighbor, Nooitgedacht.

The Brewer-Clifton philosophy is embedded in the geographic, geologic, and climatic peculiarities of the Santa Barbara sub-AVA Santa Rita Hills. This blend comprises 3D Machado, Acin, and Hapgood vineyards yielding a range of intense tropical fruit aided by only neutral barrels adding zero extra weight to the wine. 2018 is fresh and juicy, mixing baked orchard fruits with mineral, saline notes boosted with orange marmalade streaks for extra added lift. Best with grilled lobster, Dungeness crab with butter, or your favourite holiday roasted turkey with stuffing.

The 2018 Chardonnay (Sonoma County) is a gorgeous appellation-level wine. A touch of new oak adds textural richness. Apricot, lemon confit, mint, white flowers, tangerine oil and spice are all laced together. This is such a pretty wine.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc (Bennett Valley) offers striking textural richness along with more tropically leaning fruit, with hints of mango and passionfruit that open in the glass. Bright acids and lifted floral notes add quite a bit of aromatic lift.

Lively and well-spiced, with crunchy acidity supporting the cream-filled cherry tart and plum pastry flavors. There's toasty richness on the finish, with plenty of vanilla bean notes. Drink now through 2025.

Cherry, plum and red currant flavors show plenty of cedar and dried tarragon accents, backed by vibrant acidity and juicy tannins. Ends with notes of flint and slate on the spicy finish. Drink now through 2025.