Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2017 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) is soft, fruity and delicious. Sweet red cherry, raspberry and crushed rose petal are nicely pushed forward. Drink this easygoing Pinot over the next few years.

Santa Barbara: An In-Depth Look at the 2018sThe 2018 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard is very aromatic and lifted in style, but it is also light in color, depth and structure. This is a decidedly fleeting, ethereal style. I would prefer to drink it over the next few years.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyAlong the same lines, the 2017 Pinot Noir Monterey County offers solid notes of spiced cherries, forest floor, and a touch of flowers in its medium-bodied, charming, balanced, nicely textured personality. Want a mid-week Pinot Noir that won't break the bank yet offers real character? Give this a whirl.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyThe 2018 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands offers a touch more candied cherry, spice, and sappy flower notes in its medium-bodied, nicely textured, rounded profile. It too is a good value.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyReaders looking for a good value for weekly drinking should check out the 2018 Chardonnay Monterey, as you get a heck of a lot of wine for not much buck. From the cooler Monterey region, it has classic notes of buttered stone and peach fruits as well as medium-bodied richness, good overall balance, and a soft, charming, undeniably delicious style.

The 2018s from Santa Barbara CountyCambria Winery Chardonnay Katherine's VineyardThe 2018 Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard is all Chardonnay that spent 8 months in 20% new barrels. It's a richer, buttery, classic California Chardonnay with plenty of orchard fruit, medium to full body, a creamy, round texture, and a clean, classy finish. It's well done in the style and worth drinking.

This is a well-balanced, well-rounded, dry wine that pairs ripe cherry and blackberry with moderate tannins and subtle oak flavors. It’s full bodied and will be great with comfort food.

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsGood medium-deep red. A bit wilder and more leathery on the nose than the Helena Dakota, with spice cake, mocha and meaty nuances dominating raspberry fruit. Larger-scaled, denser and plusher on the palate, showing more sweetness but also a slight barnyard impingement to its raspberry, milk chocolate and mocha flavors. Finishes with dusty, broad tannins that dry the tongue and palate. I wanted a bit more freshness and energy. Drink up.

Rustic cherry, star anise, smoke and damp earth aromas show on the nose of this bottling. The palate is full of earthy elements as well as darkcherry and cranberry flavors, with a penetrating acidity.

Tart cherry-pie aromas are quite prominent on the nose of this bottling, yet get leveled by turned soil and wet rocks. The palate is all about tart cherry as well, with more flavors still hidden in the young structure.

Sonoma: Another Brilliant Vintage in 2018Coming mostly from Monterey County and just about all barrel fermented, the 2018 Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve reveals a medium gold hue as well as a ripe, exotic bouquet of pineapple, melon, and a touch of caramelized peach. It's nicely balanced, has good acidity, and is a terrific, balanced Chardonnay that would be a great house white.

Ripe apple and pear tart flavors are matched to buttery notes in this juicy style. The spicy finish shows honeyed accents. Drink now.

Natalie MacLean's Wines of the Week - May 11, 2020A smoky, toasty California Chardonnay with bright green apple and white-fleshed stone fruit aromas on the nose. Full-bodied with bright tropical fruit, butterscotch, lemon curd and toasty oak spice flavours on the palate. Pair with roast chicken.

Light ruby color. Nose shows jammy raspberries, juicy black cherries, with cola, roses, and sage notes. Full-bodied on the palate with chewy tannins and moderate acidity, a ripe but lively feel. Dark cherries, super ripe plums, raspberry jam fruit, which is laced well with notes of tobacco, mint, earth and leaves. Touches of vanilla and cola. Fun and accessible style but it shows some solid depth and complexity for the price.

Zesty, with smoky pepper and raspberry flavors that finish with briary tannins. Drink now through 2024.

Siduri, known for their single-vineyard bottlings of Pinot Noir has expanded their portfolio to include ones from a variety of vineyards. In this case, the grapes come from throughout the Russian River Valley. Compared to its Willamette Valley bottling, their Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is broader and riper, with dark fruit flavors. There’s no bitterness in the finish in this plush suavely textured wine. The slight increase in stated-alcohol (14.5 vs 14.3%) is noticeable by a hint of heat in the finish. Overall, the greater power and ripeness reflects the warmer Russian River Valley sites compared to the Willamette.

Byron has a long-standing tradition of producing top-tier Pinot Noirs. Some of their single-vineyard offerings are highly sought after for their longevity and power. The Nielson Pinot Noir, although played in a slightly different tune from the Byron label, is still a single-vineyard Pinot but with a different audience in mind. It doesn't have the layers of flavors that the Byron wines are known for, but in its price-point, it has a lot more going on than most. The top layer is baked berry fruits, the mid-section of the wine is cooking spices and the finish is soft with mild acidity. This Pinot Noir would pair well with BBQ ribs or most red meats with a slightly sweet sauce.

Strong aromas of cotton candy, strawberry bubblegum and baked peach flesh show on the nose of this bottling. The flavors fall in line with those prominent pink touches, picking up more strawberry and ripe plum along the way.

Very fruity and nicely polished, this medium-bodied, unoaked wine offers fresh peach and apple flavors and a rounded texture. A light buttery, earthy aroma starts it off before the fresh fruit moves in.

This is an intensely savory and herbal wine, layered in green-tea and rhubarb flavors. The weight is full bodied, with an opulent structure and firm grippy tannin.

This robust wine has a sweet nose of red cherry, cola and vanilla oak, the texture thick and viscously opulent. Baking spice highlights the finish.

This thick, concentrated red is velvety smooth and creamy on the palate, made in an opulent style that displays earthy stemmy wild berry fruit and black tea.

Sharp, somewhat angular aromas of lime pee, wet stone and lanolin show on the nose of this bottling. Apple and lemon-peel flavors are quite brisk and tart, leading into a marmalade-on-toast finish.

The nose is lavender and forest floor with prominent crushed blackberry. The palate entry is a dry, textured red berry leading to a sappy cherry core finishing with creosote-like tar. Drink 2020 -2024.

There’s sour plum and lanolin-like funkiness to the nose of this bottling, which also shows dried red-flower aromas. The palate is loaded with dried flower and fruit flavors, offering sumac, violet, game and dried cranberry flavors.