One of the Year's Best Pinot Noir's - A rich pinot noir with warm black cherry flavor, this is dark, chewy and broad. The tannins have a touch of smoky bitterness, needing a steak to bring them into line.

Bright red. A highly aromatic nose offers offers raspberry, strawberry preserves, wild herbs, cola and potpourri. Supple, lush and sweet; concentrated and assertive but not at all heavy. Enters savory and spicy, gaining sweetness in the mid-palate and offering lively red and dark berry flavors. Finishes very long, juicy and sweet, with a touch of cinnamon and very good persistence.

Vivid red. High-pitched aromas of red berries, potpourri and Asian spices. Silky and alluringly sweet, with deep but energetic raspberry and cherry flavors and notes of smoke and candied rose. Lively and precise on the finish, which echoes the spice and floral notes.

Smooth and silky with ripe cherry and lovely notes of earth and spice; racy acidity, clean and balanced with a long, lush finish.

Dark red. Expressive, highly perfumed aromas of raspberry preserves, incense, wilted rose and white pepper. Silky in texture and concentrated, offering sweet red fruit flavors and showing no tannins. Juicy and penetrating on the creamy finish, which strongly echoes the floral and spice notes. I didn't find the warmth that I feared when I saw the alcohol content on the label.

Massively rich in fruit, this Pinot floods the palate with jammy flavors of cherries, raspberries and cola, accentuated with the sweet vanilla and caramel of oak. It's a delicious, opulent wine that calls for dramatic food pairings. A grilled steak with a rich wine-based gravy would be perfect.

A very nice Syrah balancing supple, polished fruit with silky, finely-meshed tannins and crisp acidity. Bright and pure, with enough complexity for fine food.

Elegant, delicate and sweet, with bright peach, nectarine, citrus and spice, bracing acidity and a hint of orange peel.

A lovely Viognier that shows the variety's exotic richness while maintaining dryness and elegance despite high alcohol. The tropical fruit, wildflower, spice and honey flavors are deliciously balanced with crisp acidity.

'Tepusquet' is based on an old Chumash Indian name that means (roughly) 'copper coins' a reference to the copperish colored stones on the vineyard site. Curiously, the wine does have a slightly stony/minerally nuance underlying its charming floral notes. After crush, the juice was barrel fermented in one-and-two-year-old French oak, but happily the wine's brush will wood does not seem to have taken anything away from that bright, freshness one hopes for with Viognier.

…is a clear step up on previous editions as winemaker Fred Holloway formerly of Sonoma's La Crema reduces oak in favour of creamy pear and pineapple fruit.

Ripe and spicy, with a lively core of tangerine, pear, fig and melon. Spicy vanilla-tinged oak adds dimension, and it holds its flavor on the finish. also appeared in 7/31/98 issue

Lots of ripe, juicy tropical fruit, with guava nectarine, peach and pineapple flavors in a tightly framed, complex style. Long, clean, citrusy aftertaste.

…a 100% barrel-fermented cuvee given extensive lees contact. Sixty percent new French oak is used in the wine's upbringing. It is a rich, tropical fruit dominated wine with good acidity, loads of fruit, excellent definition, and a medium to full-bodied, spicy finish. The wood adds a complex element without dominating this wine's disarming fruit qualities.

Medium acid and fruit. Herbs, grapefruit, apple pie. Pleasantly crisp Chardonnay fruit, well focused. Evolves in the glass, developing sweet, spicy characteristics.

Offers lofty levels of fruit as well as a full-bodied, sweet-tasting, fat, lavishly-oaked style. The result is a decadent, lusty Chardonnay to drink over the next 1-2 years. Interestingly, this wine offers more than a gushing mouthful of Chardonnay fruit. The wood and underlying crisp acidity give this wine a vibrant, zingy mouthfeel. It should drink well for 1-2 years.

Deep golden hue. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted. Heavily oaked. Bananas, vanilla, bread dough. Big and round with pretty aromatic qualities. Generous and quite smooth in the mouth with a hint of acidity for balance. Distinguished by a very lengthy finish.

Fresh, bright and lively, showing layers of apple, spice, honey and butter flavors that turn smooth and elegant, picking up hints of pineapple and toast on the long, lingering finish. Delicious now through 1995.

The value-priced 2016 Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and spent 7 months in 20% new French oak. Ripe orchard fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, creamed corn, and spice all flow to a beautifully balanced, elegant Chardonnay that has a great texture, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's slightly commercial and straightforward, yet it's impeccably made and certainly delicious.

Santa Maria Valley, though located in Southern California, actually has some very cool areas because the valley runs East-West instead of the more usual North-South orientation. As such, it draws cool air from the Pacific Ocean. Indeed, growers determine what to plant where by assessing how much heat is needed to ripen a particular variety -- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir favor western sites while Cabernet Sauvignon needs the heat of more inland -- eastern -- plots. Cambria’s Clone 4 Chardonnay shows the restraint and vibrancy of grapes grown in cooler climes. A touch of creaminess, without a trace of weight, adds to its allure.

A vibrant, medium-bodied wine, this Chardonnay offers crisp citrus and apple flavors, a defined oak presence, and refreshing acidity. Cambria Estate Vineyard and Winery, which is owned and operated by women, founded the Seeds of Empowerment Program, a $10,000 annual international grant program designed to celebrate “remarkable women leaders and charitable organizations” and to inspire women’s leadership.

A juicy Chard with notes of toasty vanilla oak; sleek and balanced with lovely structure and length.

This lovely golden yellow Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley had an interesting bouquet of lemon, pear, roasted nuts, smoke and spice. It was medium to full bodied and a bit creamy with moderate acidity. It displayed complex flavors of grapefruit, nectarine, smoke, oak and brioche that drifted into a long finish. Some mineral and citrus notes also showed up towards the end. I would pair this very good Chard with grilled salmon with lemon dill sauce. Very good+.

Moderate golden yellow color in the glass. Sumptuous oak, butter and subtle herbaceousness dominate the citrus oil aroma. Serious extract of citrus and orchard fruits greet the streamlined palate with some, but not overbearing dependence on oak. Rich, but not too rich, with enough vibrancy and freshness to appeal.

Smooth, ripe and toasty with juicy pear fruit and good acid structure; fresh and balanced, long and stylish.