Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Mourvèdre gives a typically broody black fruit and earth laced core, with some lovely pepper and spice hints. The palate has a pleasantly savory character with chewy tannins and lively backbone, finishing long.

Also solid, with lots of cassis, black raspberry, spice and underbrush, the rich, concentrated 2014 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is medium-bodied, has solid mid-palate depth, fine tannin and a good finish. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years.

Sleek and well-built, with appealing notes of black cherry, spicy toast and herb.

Soft but zesty, with easygoing notes of black raspberry, orange zest and bittersweet chocolate.

Solidly built, with aromas of currant and cedar leading to firm flavors of cherry, herb and spice.

Spice, peppery herbs, leather and darker currant and cherry fruits all emerge from the 2013 Pinot Noir Bench Break (aged eight months in 27% new French oak), and it has medium-bodied richness and firm tannin. Drink it over the coming 3-4 years.

The rich, concentrated, yet slightly angular 2014 Pinot Noir la Encantada Vineyard (all from Clone 777 and aged 16 months 41% new French oak) is enjoyable, but doesn't really come together, with the oak dominating at present. There's plenty of ripeness here however, and maybe it just needs a year in bottle. Giving up plenty of black cherries, black raspberries, toasted oak and licorice, with medium-bodied richness, it should keep through 2022.

Nielson's 2014 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley (10% whole clusters and aged 14 months in 20% new French oak) has plenty of fruit and texture, with subtle oak and licorice notes in its medium-bodied, charming and straightforward personality. It's a touch chunky, but enjoyable.

Moving to the reds and offering good Pinot Noir typicity, for not much buck, the 2014 Pinot Noir from Nielson offers forward notes of cherries, strawberries, spice and dried herbs in a medium-bodied, supple, thoroughly enjoyable package. Drink it over the coming couple of years.

Baked apple, hints of white flowers and bruised peach all emerge from the fruit-forward, textured, easy drinking 2014 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County. It's geared for near term drinking.

Matanzas Creek has a long and distinguished history with sauvignon, going back to a time when California's vintners showed this grape little respect and tolerated it because they could have it in the market shortly after the harvest. Matanzas always gave sauvignon its due and was there to cash in when sauvignon blanc caught the Kiwi wave and gained in popularity worldwide. This vintage is typical, showing complex notes of citrus, tropical fruit and melon, with a slightly more oily palate than what comes in from New Zealand, making it more versatile with food and easier to like for anyone not fond of the pungent Kiwi style.

An interesting stylistic choice makes this wine stand out in a flight of run of the mill California Chardonnay. It's crisp and bright, with lively peach, citrus and apple character over pie spice and some stone minerality. You'd never guess this as a full malolactic fermentation wine that was barrel fermented in a fair percentage of new oak. It gets all the best qualities out of those processes with none of the drawbacks. Well done!

Offers an expansive range of spicy wild berry, savory herb, light oak and fresh earth flavors. Impressively balanced and focused. Drink now.

Tastes sweet beyond ripeness, with a rich, juicy core of cherry pie that fans out to blueberry and wild berry flavors, gaining depth and structure. Reveals a gravelly earth edge that offsets the ripeness.

Opens with a complex mix of dusty, savory berry, herb and fine earth flavors, sustaining presence throughout. Ends as it begins, with a measure of elegance and finesse.

Rich and full-bodied, with a core of plum, black cherry, gravelly earth, graphite and cedar. Never loses velocity or depth, but shows fine earth and road tar flavors on the finish.

Actress Drew Barrymore lends her family’s name to this wine crafted by Carmel Road winery’s Kris Kato. While Drew suggests gnocchi in brown butter and Caprese salad, I would recommend grilled shrimp a la Chef Ted served with spinach salad and artisan bread. Enjoy light aromas and flavors of citrus and honeydew melon with mineral notes and crisp acidity.

The 2012 Bosché is just plain delicious: rich, balanced and full of complex flavors around a core of red and black fruits.

Matanzas has always been identified with three grape varieties: merlot, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. That's no accident. They've long been among California's best at all three and this latest Sonoma County chardonnay makes the point. It allows the fruit to shine without undue influence from an oak barrel. With bright aromas of pear and apple and a touch of lemon, complemented by notes of nutmeg and vanilla, it is downright delicious and at $28 modestly priced given the winery's stature.

What a beautiful 2010 Chianti Classico now with dark fruits such as blackberry and blueberry, plus hints of tea and bark. It's full and dense yet fresh and agile. Fascinating wine. Drink or hold.

Impressive intensity of fruit here with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry character yet a linear acidity and tannin backbone cuts through the middle of the wine. Fine and racy. Drink or hold.

Soft and fruity with a pretty yet subdued character of cola, berry and flowers. Medium body, good acidity. Pretty finish. Drink now.

Smooth, lush and juicy with sweet new oak and lush pear fruit; minerally and dense with balance and long finish.

Dark fruit shows on the nose with root beer, cola, tree bark and a hint of mushroom. It immediately suggests that it will be incredibly savory. Dark plum, raspberry and cherry are the fruit forward flavors buffered by the forest floor and mushroom aspects, which are not extreme but just enough to tip the scales in favor of the savory side. Dark and deep, it's the purgatory of pinot noir - you don't have to suffer much and the rewards are great.

Coincidentally, Cambria had, in the past, released Bench Break Vineyard iterations of both chardonnay and pinot noir. I pulled this 2011 bottling from my cellar to see how well Cambria wines age. The short answer is very well. Black cherry, boysenberry, root beer and cola on the extremely expressive nose along with a spice regime of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. It has a soft and super silky mouth entry (aging in the bottle plays a big part) with black cherry and boysenberry again as well as candied violets, licorice, cedar and forest floor. While the fruit component is still very apparent, more of the latter savory flavors and spices (including brewed tea) are now seamlessly integrated into the mix. Delicious at 5 years old with no signs of fading anytime soon. Enjoy at will.