Weekend Wine Picks Attractive earthy loam, black plum nose that spills onto the palate. More plummy fruit and very silky tannins make this a delicious drop. The finish is long and persistent with a spicy, umami note. The grapes are cold-soaked for three days at 48°F and then punched down three times a day during the ferment and racked directly to barrel for nine months in 21 per cent new French oak with no post-fermentation maceration. The rocky, windswept site is the perfect home for cool-climate pinot. Grilled salmon or duck confit makes an excellent match. Private wine shops only.

There is a bright, edgy quality to this wine, and, in many Pinots, the accompanying firmness bordering on stiffness might be a bit off-putting. Yet, this wine more than overcomes its early drift into the taut end of the spectrum with nicely concentrated fruit that finds its first focus on ripe cherries while just flirting with an underlying cranberry-like note. It will be appealing today to fans of its crisp styling, yet it is also a wine that seems sure to reward those who would lay some away. 1 star.

Santa Lucia Highlands Braves the Heat in 2017 Brilliant red. Fresh dark berry, cherry and floral qualities on the deeply perfumed nose. Silky and broad on the palate, offering black raspberry, cherry cola and rose pastille flavors sharpened by a zesty white pepper flourish. Closes smooth, appealingly sweet and quite long, with repeating florality and smooth, late-arriving tannins.

This blended effort uses its Merlot base to great effect with early fruit that is at once easy to access while providing a supple platform that is tightened up nicely by the solidifying contribution of its Cabernet proportion. With red cherry Merlot focus for its first impressions, the wine expands nicely with notes of berries and currants. Its latter palate acts more like Cabernet, and its slightly astringent finishing tannin encourages a half-decade of cellaring. 1 star.

Winemaker Randy Ullom is that rare breed of winemaker that can cross over from mighty Cabernet Sauvignon to elegant Pinot Noir without missing a beat. The 2017 Grand Reserve is a beauty that offers notes of bright cherry and strawberry, with a touch of spice and smoke and modest tannins that are smooth as silk.

An ample style of pinot noir but one that offers some restraint, a youthful condition and well-meshed alcohol. Complex with a layered progression of flavours and notable purity of fruit. Expressive and alluring with an above average tannic grip. Tasted September 2019.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2016 Pinot Noir Barbara's Vineyard is rich, racy and sumptuous. Succulent red cherry, cedar, spice and sweet oak all grace this supple, forward Pinot from Cambria. There is terrifc flavor purity, but my impression is that the Barbara's is overwhelmed by the extraction and 100% new oak, which seem to be eating away all the wine's fruit and overall depth.

Santa Barbara: Present & Future The 2016 Syrah Tepusquet Vineyard possesses terrifc purity of its lovely aromatic presence that lifts the bright red-toned fruit nicely. There is so much potential here. Sadly, much of that has been stripped away by overly aggressive fining and filtration. This could have been - and should have been - a meaningfully more complete wine. As it is, the Tepusquet comes across as compact and lacking in depth.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard opens with smoke, tar and turned earth over a core of black fruit with black tea hints. Light to medium-bodied, it offers spicy dark fruits in the mouth, with firm, grainy tannins and good freshness on the long finish.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County This is the first vintage of a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir from Siduri, with fruit coming from the Sta. Rita Hills and the Santa Maria Valley. Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County has a nose of strawberry, Bing cherry, blueberry and even watermelon notes with faint touches of autumn leaves and dried herbs. Winemaker Adam Lee says because this is the first vintage of this wine, he wanted to experiment with a lot of whole cluster fermentation. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a good core of juicy red fruits, firm, grainy tannins and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long. This is a successful use of whole cluster!

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County was sourced from multiple sites across the county and aged in 5% new French oak. Pale to medium ruby, it has a perfumed nose of violet, tangerine peel, Earl Grey tea leaves, crushed blackberries, cranberries, rhubarb, woodsmoke and pipe tobacco with an earthy undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a good core of earthy fruit framed by grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing earthy. This is a great value, and with 31,000 cases produced, this should be easy to find.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County The 2017 Chardonnay Clone 4, sourced from vines planted in 1971, fermented entirely in stainless steel before being aged for eight months in neutral oak. The nose features poached pears, baked red and yellow apples, pie crust and warm white peach with accents of crushed rock and honey. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a good core of ripe fruits and a lightly rounded texture, countered by zesty acidity and finishing long. A clean, fresh style.

USA, California, Central Coast: The 2017 Vintage in Santa Barbara County Barrel fermented in neutral oak and aged for five months, the 2018 Viognier Tepusquet Vineyard has a classic nose of honeysuckle, white peach and apricot, elderflower touches, musk melon, white pepper and a strong vein of crushed rock minerality. Medium-bodied, it offers restrained, mineral-driven fruits with very juicy acidity and a long, perfumed finish. An understated, well-balanced Viognier.

Lisa Valtenbergs blends this wine from a range of blocks in the Jackson family’s Alexander Mountain estate, where the vineyards rise to 2,400 feet into the Mayacamas Mountains. Its notes of tart apple, yellow plum and jasmine are quiet and savory behind the nutmeg richness of the wine’s oak influence. Smoky notes suggest a match with tea-smoked chicken.

La Crema can generally be counted on to produce big, bold wines and this rosé is no exception. Although I generally prefer nuanced, more delicate rosés, perhaps what I particularly like about this voluptuous wine is the way it spreads juicily across the palate, a textural more than a flavor characteristic. The flavors themselves express full fruity charisma that’s nicely balanced by little starlight-bursts of acidity. The wine is the color of a ripe orange sunset hanging low in the late summer sky.

Whimsical Whites Aromatics of peaches, pineapples, citrus fruits, and toasty vanilla greets the senses. The palate delivers flavors of peach, pineapple, and lemon along with accents of vanilla, nutmeg, white blossoms. A nice, balanced Chardonnay, open a bottle when you’re enjoying fresh crab cakes.

Smooth and silky, Julia’s Vineyard 2015 Pinot Noir offers hints of blueberry and cranberry with a subtle tug of earthiness underlying the basic flavor profile. Soft tannins and a finish that lingers are among this pretty wine’s attributes.

Wines of the Week: Bargains for Your BBQ This labor day weekend (or any weekend for that matter), if you’re getting together with friends and family to enjoy some good,old-fashion BBQ, then our tasting panel has some wines for you. They’re all reasonably price and tasty. Cheers and enjoy! Blackberry, cherry, and plum aromas come together with accents of dark chocolate and toasty brown spice on the nose. With a sip, flavors of red plums and cherries unfold into elements of cocoa, cinnamon, and clove. Offering plush tannins and a balanced acidity, it will pair well with a hamburger.

This medium golden yellow colored Riesling opens with a yellow peach bouquet with hints of overripe mango and matchstick. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and soothing. The flavor profile is a tasty mild lime and gentle mineral blend with notes of Chamomile tea. We also detected hints of yellow grapefruit. The finish is dry and drift away nicely. I would pair this Riesling with swordfish skewers.

This young rosé from WillaKenzie, recently acquired by Jackson Family Wines, is rich and round. Big, front-loaded flavors of watermelon and strawberry come with a touch of tart apple, and the wine is gently framed with phenolic scaffolding. It's a big style, principally Pinot Noir, with dollops of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc.

The winery is now part of the Jackson Family group. It's 100% barrel fermented and still wound up tight, so decanting will be helpful. Crisp apple fruit, fresh as can be, is wrapped in accents of toasted hazelnut.

Deep ruby color. Bright and juicy nose of raspberries, red currants, cranberry sauce, with lots of roses, violets, rhubarb and wild herbs. Plum and juicy texture but lively acidity, with dusty-light tannins. Crisp raspberries, cherries, pomegranate, tangy and chilled, with rose petals, rhubarb, mint and cola elements. Fruity and fun, but elegant, spicy, lively. It’s good to see Siduri keeping things going in this style. A blend of three-vineyards around Boonville, aged 15 months in 35% new French oak.

Savory nose; toasty and fresh, smoky and balanced; earthy, restrained and long.

Medium-light to medium ruby color; appealing, cherry and raspberry fruit aroma with hints of clove, cinnamon, and forest floor; medium body; nicely balanced, somewhat elegant, red fruit flavors with bright acidity and a silky mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable for drinking now or over the next year or two. Very highly recommended.

This dark red colored Pinot Noir from La Crema opens with a mild red plum bouquet with a faint hint of cola. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and smooth. The flavor profile is a tasty mild strawberry with notes of red plum and gentle minerality. The finish is dry, and its well-managed moderate tannins stick around for quite a while. This Pinot is food friendly and will be a crowd pleaser. I would pair it with a juicy burger at your favorite bistro.