Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Zena Crown is a highly perfumed, gregarious wine, showing off flamboyant red cherry and cranberry juice notes over an undercurrent of violets, rose hip tea, dark chocolate and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate is wonderfully concentrated with muscular red fruit and earthy layers supported by firm, grainy tannins and a racy backbone. It finishes long and savory.

Deep garnet-purple, the 2015 Brooks Road Shiraz has a beautiful fragrance of ripe cherries, mulberries, potpourri, lavender and cinnamon stick with hints of licorice and garrigue. Medium to fullbodied, the palate has bags of vitality, with fresh, juicy blackberries and peppery nuances, contrasted by ripe, rounded tannins. It finishes long and peppery.

Starting with the 2016 Chardonnay Hilliard Bruce, it’s a classic Chardonnay from this appellation that offers lots of citrus rind, salty minerality, spice and orange blossom aromas and flavors. Ripe impressively textured, with impressive clarity and cut, it will be at its best from 2018-2028. The Diatom releases are made by Greg Brewer. I loved all these 2016s and they had vibrant purity and freshness, with plenty of textural richness on the palate. The Sta. Rita Hills appellation needs more Chardonnays like this.

A solid step up over the classic Nielson Vineyard (it also comes all from the Nielson Vineyard), the 2014 Pinot Noir Monument is a mix of clones, was completely destemmed, barrel fermented (80%) and saw 14 months in 77% new French oak. It gives up loads of black raspberries, spice, dried flowers and underbrush/forest floor notes in its rich, textured, layered personality. It has terrific mid-palate depth, equally terrific complexity and sweet tannin, all suggesting it's going to keep for a decade. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

A layered and fresh 2012 showing more focus and structure than many 2012s due to the hot growing season. Medium to full body, firm and velvety tannins. A blend of cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot. Drink now.

Another brilliant wine from Adam is the 2015 Pinot Noir Bellflower Vineyard, and it comes from a tightly spaced site on Piner Road. It's a big, ripe, sexy wine that has considerable elegance and purity. Cassis, black raspberries, smoked earth and graphite notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, supple, gorgeously textured Pinot Noir that has polished tannin and a great finish. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

Black raspberries, spice, dried flower and a touch of forest floor emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard, and it's a charming, rounded, ripe Russian River Pinot that has plenty of fruit and texture, a plump, sexy style and a good finish. It’s a downright classic example of the region and one of my favorites in the lineup. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

Sporting a deeper ruby, almost purple-tinged color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Betty Ann Vineyard sees 50% new French oak and is completely destemmed. This is another rich, concentrated wine that offers terrific notes of crème de cassis, spice, toasted bread and licorice with full-bodied richness, ripe tannin and a great finish. It's not for those looking for lightweight aromas and flavors, but it has tons to love. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

Bing cherry, rose petal, violets, and hints of plum all emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard, and it's a beautifully elegant, silky, seamless Pinot that has a tight, fresh-focused texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. Elegant, yet also concentrated and powerful it's a terrific wine. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

All dry-grown, ungrafted vines planted in 1991. Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2015 Pinot Noir Muirfield Vineyard displays a profoundly scented nose of kirsch, raspberry tart and pomegranate juice with nuances of wild thyme, red roses, damp loam and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate with intense red berry and earth flavors, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness. It finishes with great length and depth.

The 2015 Syrah Garys' Vineyard is killer stuff! Black and blue fruits, bacon fat, black olive and tapenade notes give way to a ripe, sexy, forward Syrah that has plenty of fruit, good freshness and a great finish. This is a classic, cool-climate style wine that's packed with Cali fruit. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years. The Novy label is for winemaker Adam Lee’s (of Siduri) Rhône blend and Zinfandel releases.

Concentrated and intense, this is a tight-wound Cabernet with incredible structure and presence. It combines sweet red and black fruits with some intriguing dry tannins and cedary oak. There’s a really grippy, primary character to this wine. Dense and primary with lots of promise for the future. So tannic but with lots of fresh, sweet fruit, too. This could be brilliant in a decade.

Concentrated and primary, with intense, structured black cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit. There’s some freshness to the fruit, although it is still very sweet. This is primary and at the moment the structured, slightly drying tannins, the oak, and the ripe (but balanced) fruit are finding it hard to achieve any harmony, but there’s promise for the future.

I think the first vintage for this cuvée, the 2015 Pinot Noir Drum Canyon is a complex, more ethereal style of wine from this team that has darker, perfumed notes of black cherries, black raspberries, forest floor, dried herbs and earth. It has a good mineral streak, medium-bodied, richness and a solid finish. It’s not as upfront and hedonistic as some of the other releases in the line, but I suspect will be better with another year or two of bottle age.

Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2014 Pinot Noir Slope is a little closed at this youthful stage, o􀃗ering glimpses of black raspberries, wild strawberries and pomegranate with suggestions of fertile loam, dried leaves, moss and truffes. The medium-bodied palate is firm and broody, revealing glimpses of the fragrant earth and red fruit layers that should blossom over time, which are now firmly encased by chewy tannins and racy acid.

Pale to medium garnet-purple, the 2015 Grenache Ovitelli reveals a stunning nose of kirsch, dried roses, cinnamon stick, sandalwood and Sichuan pepper with hints of lavender and Marmite toast. Medium-bodied, taut and very Finely structured in the mouth, the perfumed red berry flavors are textured by soft, fine-grained tannins, and it finishes with great persistence.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Ironheart Shiraz offers up notions of crushed black cherries, mulberries and plums with hints of chocolate box, licorice, tilled soil, cardamom and Provence herbs plus a hint of black olives. The medium-bodied palate is both harmonious and vivacious, packed with youthful blackberry and exotic spice flavors and a good backbone of ripe, rounded tannins. It finishes long with a pepper and herbal lift.

Lastly, the 2016 Chardonnay Spear is another terrific wine. Clean, classic and focused on the palate, with lots of citrus rind, salty minerality, spice and exotic flower-like aromatics, it has beautiful richness, a seamless texture and impeccable balance. One of the more classic Chardonnays in the lineup, with textbook aromas and flavors, drink it anytime over the coming decade or more. The Diatom releases are made by Greg Brewer. I loved all these 2016s and they had vibrant purity and freshness, with plenty of textural richness on the palate. The Sta. Rita Hills appellation needs more Chardonnays like this.

The 2016 Chardonnay Machado is terrific. Pear, apple peal, lots of citrus rind and a touch of salty sea breeze all emerge from this medium-bodied, lively and perfectly balanced Chardonnay that has bright acidity yet plenty of fruit. While it’s good today, it will be even better with 2-3 years of cellaring. The Diatom releases are made by Greg Brewer. I loved all these 2016s and they had vibrant purity and freshness, with plenty of textural richness on the palate. The Sta. Rita Hills appellation needs more Chardonnays like this.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Rita's Crown is my favorite in the lineup and has a similar toasty, vanilla hint (which is present in most of these latest releases), with terrific framboise, strawberry and spice nuances developing with time in the glass. Medium-bodied, impressively concentrated and elegant, with a great finish, give bottles a year or two and drink through 2026. This is a terrific site located in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the this 2014 saw one-third whole clusters and 15 months in 46% new French oak. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Sierra Madre Vineyard comes from the Santa Maria Valley and is all Clone 667. Completely destemmed and 50% barrel fermented, it is a rounded, seamless beauty that gives up plenty of caramelized currants, cherries, spice and hints of white pepper in a silky, polished, straight up delicious style. It has no hard edges, the forward, charming nature of the vintage, impeccable balance, and a great finish. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

Another terrific wine is the 2015 Chardonnay Bien Nacido, and it has a classic Bien Nacido bouquet of mineral, salt, iodine, toasted bread and ripe orchard fruits. Supple, textured and fleshy on the palate, with moderate acidity and a great texture, drink it over the coming couple of years as well. Like the Nielson Vineyard, it was barrel fermented and spent 16 months in 52% new French oak. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

Coming from a 10-acre vineyard of sandy soils and four different clones, the 2015 Pinot Noir 3D offers a spicy, sandy, loamy, dried earth character as well as plenty of sweet cherry and framboise fruit, medium-bodied richness and an elegant, ethereal texture. It has the classic saltiness and saline character of the Sta. Rita Hills, stays lively and fresh and has outstanding length. It should be at its best from 2018-2027.

Aromas of almonds and dark berry and chocolate follow through to a berry and chocolate character. There's plenty of walnut too. Soft and velvety texture. Voluptuous. Drink now or hold.

For fans of Cabernet that maintains its herbal charms. I love the focus on sage as a contrast to the Alexander Valley red fruit profile, with touches of dried herb, spice and chocolate that are seamlessly integrated and finish long and bright thanks to supple yet structured tannins. A short decanting or 5 years or so in the bottle will make this a go to accompaniment for an herb encrusted prime rib of beef.