Tropical fruit, butter and orange blossom are some of the signatures in the 2014 Chardonnay Nielson Vineyard. There is good intensity to the flavors, but the 2014 remains distinctly mid-weight in style.

Ripe, lush and creamy with hints of citrus, pear and honey; smooth, balanced and long.

Bright, green-tinged gold. Ripe pear, nectarine and pungent herbs on the perfumed nose. Fleshy and broad but dry, offering pliant orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a hint of bitter peach pit. Picks up a buttery quality on the subtly sweet finish, which shows good breadth and smoky persistence.

Deep, bright yellow. Powerful aromas of pear skin, smoked meat, lees and anise. Lush creamy and smooth, offering sweet orchard fruit and melon flavors and a strong undercurrent of baking spices. Ripe but energetic, finishing with good breadth and cling.

Bryon's regular Chardonnay has historically been a very good wine. This continues that tradition, rich in tropical fruits, but extremely dry, with a stony minerality and high acids that stimulate the taste buds and call for rich fare.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2016 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is pretty, if a touch ethereal and fleeting in overall feel. Sweet red cherry, mint and rose petal grace a lifted, beautifully perfumed Pinot that will drink well upon release. The 2016 is attractive, but not as plump or giving as it usually is.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2016 Chardonnay Hapgood feels heavy and overripe. I find only modest complexity, especially within the context of the other Chardonnays in this range, all of which are more exciting.

53% Merlot; 21% Petite Sirah; 20% Syrah; 6% other. Merlot might comprise the larger percentage of this weighty and fairly robust, blended bottling’s mix, but it is the wine’s Rhônish pieces that stand out the most and contribute an obvious and insistent streak of slightly peppery and vaguely gamy spice to its very ample and well-extracted, blackberry-like fruit. It runs into a fair amount of youthful finishing tannins without losing its fruity bearings, and its emphatic richness directs it to drinking with heartier fare whether poured early or, as it should be, after being allowed three to five years of age. One star.

A soft and fluid red with lots of ripe and dried fruit. Figs too. Full and simple.

Zesty and plush, with lively strawberry and peach accents. 88 points. Very good.

Zesty and plush, with lively strawberry and peach accents.

Bright aromas of lime, pear and crushed chalk rise to the nose atop a slight bit of effervescence in this latest release from the actress Drew Barrymore. The sip is bright and playful with lots of fun energy and a compelling texture, proving easy to quaff if simple overall.

This white gold colored Pinot Gris from Drew Barrymore opens with a mild Bosc pear bouquet. On the palate, this wine is light to medium bodied and slightly acidic. The flavor profile is a mild mineral and green apple blend with hints of lemon verbena and a dash of white pepper. The finish is dry and pleasant. This easy to drink Pinot Grigio will compliment lots of foods. I would pair it with a garlic and herb butter roasted chicken. Very good.

Actress Drew Barrymore’s project with Carmel Road shows aromas of sliced golden and red apples, wet cement and freshly cut grass. It’s slightly salty on the palate with a tremendous amount of apple cider-like zing that runs through the whole sipping experience, showing both the floral and bitter flavors of ruby-red grapefruit pith.

Smooth and lush with creamy texture and juicy style; bright and tangy, long and balanced.

Spicy, peppery aromas lead to a trim, complex mix of flavors. Maintains a taut profile throughout, ending a bit clamped down.

People often forget that Dick Arrowood was one of the pioneers of Rhone varietals in California, and did a bang-up job with Syrah from the Saralee’s Vineyard. That has continued under Heidi van der Mehden with the 2011 Syrah Saralee’s Vineyard. Made from 100% Syrah and aged 19 months in one-third new French oak, it is soft, round and richly fruity, with plenty of blackberry and licorice notes intertwined with hints of camphor and spring flowers. This velvety-textured, medium to full-bodied Syrah should be drunk over the next 3-5 years.

Ruby-red. Ripe, smoky scents of deep blackberry and plum complemented by suave oak spice. Weighty and round, the dark fruit flavors lifted by soft acidity and firmed by gentle tannins. Finishes sweet, with good length.

The 2013 Bordeaux Blend is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and the rest Malbec, aged 24 months in mostly French cooperage, of which 36% was new. This wine has a dense ruby/purple color, a sweet kiss of licorice, tobacco leaf, black and red currants, dusty, loamy soil scents and similar flavors in a medium to full-bodied, fleshy style that should drink nicely for 10-15+ years.

Deep ruby. Complex aromas of dark berries, cherry, smoke, dark chocolate and licorice. Suave and sweet but showing a hard edge that softens somewhat with aeration. Offers an array of dark fruit flavors complicated by olive and candied violet. The emphasis is on the syrah today. Finishes with a gentle grip and an echo of licorice.

Light purple color. Nose show juicy black cherries, plums, kirsch, along with sweet coffee, roasted herbs, vanilla and anise. Full-bodied with a plummy, ripe, juicy feel and velvety tannins, medium-low acidity. Plums and candied black cherries mix with coconut, anise, sweet vanilla coffee and some roasted earth notes. Forward, ripe, fun, crowd-pleasing stuff. Includes 16% Merlot and 4% Malbec aged 24 months in French and American oak.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Estates, their largest cuvée of 10,600 cases, is a reasonably good bargain in Cabernet Sauvignon (88% Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot). This is an attractive wine and for points per dollar spent, one of the best values in the lineup. Loads of blackcurrant fruit, a deep plum/purple color and medium to full body make for quite a tasty, savory Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 7-8 years.

Equal parts Malbec and Merlot add to the whole of this wine, which is thick and extracted in black fruit and firm tannins. With a floral undercurrent and spicy rocky tones, it combines blackberry and currant with a rich addition of caramel. 88 points.Very good.

Exhibits good tension between the taut dark berry flavors, firm tannins and the complex mix of cedar, tobacco and road tar notes, ending with dried herb and savory details.

Savory herbs, tobacco, dried flowers and black fruit are some of the aromas and flavors that emerge from Arrowood's 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County. The savory notes typical of Sonoma Cabernets come through nicely in a mid-weight, accessibly priced wine to drink now and over the next handful of years.