Savory and floral, the 2022 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) is every bit as composed as it is year after year, especially considering the stress of the growing season. Black raspberry, black sage and exotic spice tones introduce this neatly proportioned Pinot, finishing with a waft of dusty rose petals. There’s so much to like. It’s always exciting to pick up this much character in an appellation-level wine.

Pouring a hazy pale yellow color, the NV Lasow Sparkling Wine was produced as a traditional method sparkling wine and is lifted with notes of almond, yellow pear, and citrus pith. Medium-bodied, refreshing, and easygoing, it’s a low alcohol wine designed for picnics and only being sold in the winery in four-packs. (“Lasow” stands for Low Alcohol Sparkling Orange Wine.”) Bottled under crown cap, this fun wine has a delicate pithy texture and would be a very nice wine to drink at, well, a picnic.

This smells like aging beef, its spice and cumin-like heat adding some burn in the end. Brown and spicy. (319 cases)

With bitterness on top and florals underneath, this is a softball of a chardonnay, wrapping its alcohol with scents of buttery puff pastry, white plum and nectarine. Leafy and simple. —J.G. (313 cases)

This chardonnay has cool coastal power, even as its clean, sweet pear and lime flavors give it taste of a margarita—salty, candied, lasting on sweetness. —J.G. (60 cases)

Pale straw colored,  light to medium-bodied, Wine Advocate calls it “gregarious and energetic” - lacking polish and balance, round and bright, flavorful notes of buttery stone fruits, white and yellow peaches, quince, wet stone and hints of pineapple and citrus and subtle layer of spice with tangy acidity on a lingering mineral finish. 

A light, open-knit bramble matrix supports this red's bouncy cherry and raspberry fruit, backed by a dash of anise on the finish. Drink now through 2026. 3,019 cases made.

Soft and forward, with friendly notes of sassafras, cherry and mulberry that bring a touch of briary energy to keep the finish going. Drink now through 2025. 321 cases made.

Black tea and savory notes infuse an open-knit core of black cherry and blackberry fruit. There's a brambly edge to the finish. Drink now through 2026. 15,089 cases made.

A forward red, displaying overt notes of boysenberry and cherry compote laced with sassafras and licorice accents. The fruit is ever so slightly jammy but offers enough juicy energy to keep this going. Drink now through 2026. 202 cases made.

Racy and fresh notes of raspberry and savory meld nicely through the sleek, lightly toasted finish.
Drink now through 2026. 650 cases made.

Tea leaves, earth and tabacco with oaky vanilla and chocolate. Mature red berries and plums with fresh acidity and a rounded finish.

This is appealing for its focus on fruit flavors, with guava, pineapple and peach notes backed by juicy acidity, with accents of lemon zest and green tea, plus a lingering note of lemon balm. Drink now. 221,396 cases made.

La Crema makes wines from multiple appellations, so check the label carefully. This wellpriced versatile Monterey Chardonnay is a crowd-pleaser because it combines a touch of creamy buttery flavors with green apple ones. It is soft enough to savor a glass before a meal and has enough verve to accompany a roast chicken. In keeping with current trend of lighter California Chardonnay, it weighs in under 14% alcohol.

This Pinot Noir comes from coastal California vineyards, including Arroyo Seco, Santa Maria Valley, and Monterey. The cooler sites help the acidity levels that keep the wine fresh. It’s aged eight months in French and American oak (only four per cent is new), adding some vanilla but mostly helping to expand the soft, round, earthy, cran-cherry fruit with a dash of spice. Ready to drink with simple foods, like a pulled pork sandwich. The fruit is 47 per cent Sonoma coast, 44 per cent central coast, and 9 per cent Mendocino County.

Fat and ripe aromas of black cherry meet with cola and coffee bean on the nose of this bottling. There’s ample oak spice to the palate, which is dense with ripe fruit that’s wrapped in a smooth, slightly flat texture.

The nose of this Chardonnay is dominated by warming aromas of vanilla bean, bananas Foster and cinnamon. The weighty palate shows flavors of buttery popcorn and very ripe apple, with a toasty, warming sensation on the finish.

KJ has always been about cool coastal fruit, and this wine has been splattered with it despite its California moniker. It's been getting skinnier, dropping a bit of tropical fruit sweetness for a fresher, cooler underside of citrus and grapefruit in the last few versions. In 2022, the melon, lemongrass, grapefruit, and honeysuckle led with a hint of minerality in the back end. Soft, round, and easy sipping, this is one to drink this spring and summer. Pleasantly full and fresh, making for an excellent in-between style.

Shows round, supple notes of hay, chamomile, Meyer lemon, pineapple and Fuji apple, with hints of tarragon on the long finish. Drink now. 240 cases made.

Much like 2021, ’22 is unabashedly Napa with a rich, honeyed pineapple nose flecked with oranges and wood spice. The palate continues themes with warm caramel, pineapple, and lemon curd. Don’t get me wrong, the wine is well-made and has a large audience, but it is a bit old school. Lobster is a fine match as are cream cheese and smoked salmon with a dab of caviar, or pan-seared scallops in white wine. The wine is 78% barrel fermented in 43% new French oak barrels before aging in a 78/22 spread of oak and stainless steel for 9 months.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley is soft and approachable, with an array of fruits of the forest and damp earth aromas, and nice touches of hambone and rose petal. Fresh and vibrant, layers of soft berry and sour cherry flavors follow with a supple texture. Slightly hard herbal/stalky tones build on finish.

This herbal pinot is a bit sweet, but panelists appreciated the tension between the ripeness and tartness in the wine. One taster described the tannins are velvety but not overly polished, and suggested the wine would benefit from age. (3,135 cases).

This offers loads of savory complexity for the price, combining a scent of beeswax and sea wrack with flavors of beetroot and plum skin. Let it settle for a few months in the bottle.

The 2021 Chardonnay Willamette Valley lifts from the glass with a honeyed mix of florals and candied citrus. It’s lively and energetic, with vividly ripe orchard fruits and juicy acidity. This tapers off with zesty tension and lovely inner sweetness as hints of sour melon fade.

Unabashedly Napa, the 2021 pitches a full-on opening of honey, pineapple, oak spice, and orange. The palate is no less boisterous, with more warm, spicy pineapple and lemon curd, with creamy caramel and apple pie on the end. It's a bit old school, but no doubt there is a large audience for this style. Lobster is a fine match, or a brown butter pasta dish. The wine is 84% barrel fermented in 40% new French oak barrels before aging for 10 months in an 85/15 oak and stainless steel spread.