Moderate garnet color in the glass. Heady aromas of purple berries and supportive oak. Silken in the mouth, featuring a discreetly concentrated core of cherry fruit and spice. This wine also leans on oak. Easy drinking with gentle tannins and an adequate finish.

The 2007s From Santa Barbara County Fresh and lively, with lots of blackcurrant, black cherry, peppery herbs and earth, the 2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is fresh, a touch lean, medium-bodied and lively. I love its purity and freshness but would love more breadth on the mid-palate. Still, it's drinking nicely.

Summer Sippers Pale copper color. Super floral on the nose with cut stems, orange blossoms, lilies, nettle, along with peaches galore. Precise acidity from start to finish, dry and tangy, minerality throughout. White cherries, juicy peaches and nectarine topped in rose hips and orange blossoms. Floral, fresh, lovely balance and depth, this is very pretty stuff. Pinot Noir with 3% Pinot Meunier and 2% Pinot Blanc.

On night number two, I took a similar but more narrow approach in choosing two wines that come from the same vineyard, but then added a white into the mix. The latter, a pinot gris, was my first introduction to WillaZenzie Estate, a winery that quickly became a revelation. All of WillaKenzie’s wines come from their own vineyards, and many of their wines are vineyard-designates. I’ll get to a number of their pinots later, but the 2017 pinot gris has a voluminously perfumed nose of grapefruit, peach, gravel, slate lime zest and marzipan. Lean on entry, it gains body as it sits in the mouth. The acid is nicely balanced, neither subdued nor overbearing. Key Lime pie, starfruit and grapefruit dominate the fruit profile, though the stony minerality really drives the length of this linear, focused wine. Impressive effort. 90 points, Value A.

Deep aromas of black-plum sauce, dark rose petals, sugar plums and roasted pork show on the nose of this appellation blend by Adam Lee. Freshly cut plums, cherry pits, squeezed cranberries and cocoa show on the vivacious sip.

2015 PINOT NOIR, STA, RITA HILLS The nose is a deeper, spicy black fruit. The palate is bright and creamy at once with a saturated mid palate of spice and red berry.

Matanzas Creek's 2015 Desvelado is rich, plummy and generous, all of which make it an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years, while the red berry fruit remains vibrant and giving.

Wines of the Week: A Plethora of Pinot — Under $20, 90 points Lots of strawberry, melon, and lemon aromas come up from a freshly swirled glass. The palate presents with strawberry, peach, and lemon flavors leading the way and a few earthy and mineral hints backing that up. Friendly with a fresh acidity, it’s a good candidate for sipping on a summer afternoon or with grilled salmon.

Summer Sippers Deep copper color. Aromas of roses, lilies, sweet melon, nectarine, with hints of sea spray and chalk dust. Crisp and lip-smacking acidity, so lively, with a nice streak of mineral, chalk and saline throughout. Tart red apple with juicy white peaches and cantaloupe. Tangy, spicy, with floral complexity that lingers on the finish. Delightful Pinot Noir rose.

2015 PINOT NOIR CLONE 667 The nose is a deeper black cherry and plum leading to silky mid-palate of spiced cranberry and a lingering savory wax-like finish.

2015 PINOT NOIR, JULIA’S The nose is a deep, graphite, cherry with a sleek thread of blueberry and violet accented by licorice. The palate entry is juicy red fruit with a waxy mid palate feel finishing with lively, mouth-watering acidity.

2015 PINOT NOIR, RITA’S CROWN VINEYARD The nose is mostly blue fruit – berry and plum with underlying spice and herbal notes. On the palate entry, I find dusty blue fruit with a core of dried herbs that leaves a flat impression across the finish.

Next was the 2015 La Crema Willamette Valley pinot noir, which is another nationally distributed bottle that aims to find all sorts of middle ground and appeal to a wide audience. It has a fairly dark nose featuring cherry compote, raspberry chocolate cake and wet tar. The mouth is round and smooth, the acid bright and the tannins restrained. Flavors are fruit-forward with sweet cherry and strawberry, while subtle pepper and Herbs de Provence drive the finish. Not the most complex wine, but enjoyable. 89 points, value B+.

This wine offers gamy aromas of grilled lamb, black pepper, dried fennel and dark blackberry. The palate shows roasted espresso bean, tart black plum and more cracked pepper, touching on all of the grape's hallmark characters.

This orangish pink colored wine is a little darker than most Rose offerings. It opens with a mango and peach like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied, slightly acidic and round. The flavor profile is a mild mineral infused apricot and peach blend with hints of tangerine. The finish is dry and fades away nicely. This Rose is a little heavier than most Rose’s. I would pair it with a grilled Norwegian salmon sandwich. Very good.

The 2017 WillaKenzie Estate Rosé delivers serious pureness on the nose, which I completely dug, though the palate seems a bit disjointed at this stage and may need a few months in bottle to merge. It has a nose of bright crushed strawberry, cantaloupe, crushed limestone and coriander. It’s on the fuller side of the rose spectrum, and quite lush. The acid is kicking. The fruit zeros in on strawberry, cranberry and salmon berry, while there are touches of nutmeg and parsley that seem out of place. 88 points, value C.

Stonestreet's Cabernet Sauvignon-based 2015 Farrier Mountain Blend is fresh, vibrant and inviting, with lovely floral/savory notes from the healthy dollop of Cabernet Franc in the blend that plays off the red berry fruit. I would prefer to drink the Farrier on the young side.

The 2015 Siduri Willamette Valley pinot noir seemed a little thin and hasn’t quite delineated itself yet on the palate to the point of flavors becoming individually discernible. It has, though, achieved an impressive balance that suggests it can fill out. I suspect it may just need a few more months in bottle to come together. The round, ripe nose is mostly about the strawberry, raspberry and cherry, though dark, wet soil adds some depth. It’s of medium weight on the palate, largely due to the juicy, bright acidity that brings levity. The tannins are quite refined, and the balance is impressive, though ultimately this feels a bit thin. The flavors are slightly muted at this stage. The fruit is a bit generically red, though there are some pretty florals – rose petals mostly – trying to peep through. I think three to six months in the bottle will bring this together, though longer aging is likely unnecessary. 88 points, and on the assumption that it will come together, it gets an A value.

2015 PINOR NOIR, SANTA MARIA VALLEY The nose is a light berry and mint with notes of cherry and spice. The palate entry is juicy and fresh with good texture to the core of tomato, plum and spice.

The red fruit and flower petals that show on the nose of this bottling are overwhelmed by a clay-like muddy aroma of turned earth. The palate offers cohesive flavors of boysenberry and black raspberry, and that earthy clay component does also arise toward the finish.

Rounded aromas of ripe pear, orange skins, poached apple and buttered toast with marmalade show on the nose of this bottling. Lemon rinds and dried apple slices arise on the sip.

Toast, butter, lemon spray and a hint of smoke show on the nose of this widely available and reliable wine. It's fresh and zesty on the palate with lime peels and Meyer lemon juice, yet there are also creamy butter and blanched almond flavors to round out the palate.

Pale pink in color, this wine from the extremely consistent winemakers at K-J is delicate without being wimpy. It offers fresh cherry and raspberry aromas, crisp acidity and modest red-fruit flavors.

Boysenberry and chocolate flavors flood the taste buds as this full-bodied and broad-textured wine fills the mouth with richness. It tastes lush and ripe, feels smooth and almost soft.

Summer Sippers Bright pink color. Nose boasts peaches, spicy wild strawberries, watermelon and some white pepper. Plump, richly-textured, and juicy on the palate with medium acidity. Lots of watermelon, strawberry and red apple fruit. Fruit-forward style with notes of roses, cherry blossoms. All Pinot Noir.