Anyone who thought Adam Lee was selling out when Jackson Family Wines bought his Siduri winery in early 2015 should taste this pinot noir from his first post-sale vintage. Fans will note the simplified label that suggests a marketing guru wanted more visual pop in the packaging, but the real impact is in the wine. It is savory, sophisticated, mouthfilling and downright delicious.

Moderately light golden yellow color in the glass. Nicely perfumed with aromas of lemon, spiced apple, nut oil, buttery brioche as well as notes of salinity and steeliness. Slightly viscous on the palate, with flavors of apple, lemon zest, custard and buttered toast. Nicely balanced, with an uplifting backbone of citrus-infused acidity, finishing with a bit of length. Still fine the following day when tasted from a previously opened and re-corked bottle.

Clones 4 and 76 from Kelli Ann Vineyard. A mix of older and new blocks that replaced previously planted Pinot Noir. Gentle whole cluster pressed and fermented and aged 15 months in French oak barrels, 20% new. · Moderate golden yellow color in the glass. Subtle aromas of yellow apple, pear and melon are infused with the scent of beach sand. Somewhat reserved with more apple than citrus flavor and a touch of spice. The fruit is well-ripened but not tropical in character. Plush in the mouth with a thread of well-paced oak in the background, finishing on a lemon-lime note. A hint of alcoholic warmth peaks out as the wine warms in the glass.

Just from the color, you can sense this pinot is going to have great density and concentration. Plenty of red fruit on the nose along with well-delineated wood spice (one-quarter aged in new French oak). Both red and black cherry fruit are apparent as well as pomegranate and blueberry buffered by cinnamon and cardamom. Both complex and elegant, it has deep dish berry pie flavors that make you sit up and notice but also has an exquisite balance that keeps you coming back for another sip. Old-school pinot in the best possible way.

This pinot, formerly known as Julia's Vineyard, is also produced from six different clones planted on the estate bench land. Raspberry, cherry, red plum, beet root and rhubarb on the nose. Refined palate of flavors that include cherry, cranberry and pomegranate with hints of tree bark, blueberry and Asian five spice powder. So well-structured that it's tightly wound and needs vigorous swirling in the glass or, better yet, decanting. Again, it's hard to find an entry-level pinot from this area that's this appealing for such a low tariff.

You can just sense the distinct buttercream on the nose, even before much glass swirling, along with nectarine, tangerine, green apple and citrus blossom. Inviting and beguiling. Tropical fruit on the palate, though tightly wound, along with citrus, apple, stone fruit and creamed corn, plus nutmeg and cardamom to subtly spice things up. Weightier and bigger boned than the entry-level chard, this one goes the extra mile in terms of density and texture, thus upping the pleasure quotient. Can you say ahhhhh?!

This wine, formerly known as Julia's Vineyard, comes from a single estate vineyard planted to six different clones. That clonal diversity results in complex aromas of pink Texas grapefruit, lemon peel and white peach with citrus blossom and talcum powder. On the palate, apple, pear and citrus are bolstered by savory brown spices and an underlying minerality. It's amazing that, despite the large production of this chard, Cambria is able to maintain the varietal integrity of the wine. Bright, textured and engaging, it's a go-to chardonnay for all occasions. If you see it on a restaurant's wine list, pull the trigger and everyone at your table will be happy.

The wine showed a medium ruby color with garnet hues. Cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cranberry, oak and whiffs of tobacco leaf all arrived on the nose with a smoky, vegetal edge. Cherry, raspberry, cranberry, currant, oak, vanilla, smoke and hints of tobacco followed on the palate. The wine exhibited great structure and good length, along with well-integrated tannins. This wine would pair well with grilled filet of salmon.

Dark and brooding, with jammy raspberry and briary mint aromas and supple, plump wild berry, licorice and stony mineral flavors.

The most exotic and aromatically seductive of the Verité wines, wild red and black fruits marry with nuances of cigar tobacco and incipient floral details. While similarly large-scalled, La Desir's tannic structure is more supple than its siblings and its palate presence appealingly energetic. 62% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Malbec.

A white with the rich appeal of classic Chardonnay, but without the buttery notes. Instead, it's just lovely, straight-up peach-citrus fruit.

This is a top example of the classic Australian blend. Cabernet (57%) provides cigar box aromas and elongates the finish, while Shiraz (43%) fills out the midpalate. The combination is full-bodied yet muscular, generous yet firmly structured. Essence of cassis is framed by hints of vanilla and cedar, while the long finish shows off chewy tannins and mouthwatering acids.

2014 Capensis Chardonnay, Western cape, South Africa, 94 points - This Chardonnay specialist shows once again how South Africa's Cape is ideal terroir for this variety. Refined and elegant; creamy and lightly toasted with soft vanilla tones. Gorgeous.

There’s a great deal of sagebrush on the nose of this bottling from a vine yard in the eastern Sta. Rita Hills, along with red cherry, pencil lead and sandalwood. Dark cherry and cranberry flavors power the palate, the fruit wrapped in hickory smoke. Thyme flavors carry into the tannic finish.

This best-of-barrels bottling is intended to impress with its weight and gravitas, and it succeeds despite exhibiting more restraint than in previous vintages. Plush red strawberry and plum fruit is spiced with star anise and clove on the nose. The palate combines a sanguine element with smoky oak notes. Vanilla bean and ginger snap flavors extend toward the finish, which proves rather refreshing.

Fresh blackberry and boysenberry aromas meld with rose petal and hickory smoke on the warm entry of this bottling from Jonathan Nagy. The palate is packed with peppery spice, bright red cherry, thyme and root beer flavors.

Seared lemon, hazelnut, brown butter and sandalwood with a graphite minerality come through on the nose of this complex wine from Jonathan Nagy. The palate offers hints of herbs and chamomile at first, then washes of citrusy acidity and apple notes, all held together with steely tension.

Peppery, boysenberry-juice flavors, wrapped in an engaging texture.

Austere, tannic and chewy, this Cabernet could use a few years in the cellar. Classic mint and cassis notes are framed by cedar and vanilla, but the fruit comes through on the firm, dusty finish, a sign of positive things to come.

Sultry cooked red plum and mulberry fruit meld with rust, mace, sarsaparilla and a touch of wood smoke on the nose of this bottling from the oldest commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Smoked pork loin aromas meet with deep red fruit and the sweet tang of cherry skins on the sip.

Roasted macadamia, toasted coconut and baked apple scents lead the nose of this wine from Santa Barbara County’s first commercial vineyard. The palate is broad to start, with lemon curd, pear and almond flavors; but it centers on a flinty mineral character as it finishes.

This is a well-integrated and beautifully layered wine from a wild, high-elevation vineyard site that provides vibrant acidity and jolts of forested earth. Baked plum and Asian spice form a happy alliance of flavor and intensity along a carpet of velvety texture.

Baked red plum and mulberry flavors are doused with charred sagebrush and hickory smoke aromas in this bottling from Jonathan Nagy. The palate also shows barbecue-like character, which dominates the energetic raspberry fruit and is appealing in a fall-off-the-bone pork rib way.

This wine’s distinctive nose lays a foundation of underripe raspberry fruit and tops it with sesame, sandalwood and wild thyme aromas. There is significant woody character to the palate, including pine, oak and juniper, all set against bright red fruit.

A very deeply pitched nose is composed by notes of plum liqueur, briar and a hint of crushed herbs. There is excellent richness to the rounded and impressively dense medium weight flavors that also possess a caressing mouth feel before culminating in a focused, complex and mildly dusty warm finale. I suspect that if given a few years of bottle age the dusty aspect on the finish may very well successfully age out.