Once again the nose is mildly reduced and it’s enough to warrant a thorough aeration first. By contrast there is good verve and freshness to the rounded and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that possess a sleek palate feel before terminating in a dusty, sappy and sneaky long if again mildly warm finish. This appears to be still on the way up and should benefit from a few more years of age.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County is a tasty entry-level offering. Sweet red berries, cola, hard candy and flowers meld together in a racy, pliant Pinot that will drink well for the next few years. Best of all the 2013 is a terrific value in California Pinot Noir.

A smoking value in Pinot Noir is the 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County from Byron. Aged eight months in neutral French oak, it has a pretty, fruit-forward bouquet of sweet strawberries, underbrush and rose petal. This is followed by a medium-bodied, beautifully pure, balanced and delicious 2013 that has real Pinot flair and character. Buy it by the case and drink it over the coming 2-3 years.

This solid, no nonsense Pinot from Byron is nicely structured, with good weight and mouthfeel, pleasing red-fruit aromas, and a spice note that is attractive and inviting. A steal at the price.

Looking at the reds, and a beautifully done Pinot Noir that has solid typicity with its black cherry, underbrush, flowers and earthy nuances, the 2011 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley is medium-bodied, juicy and pure on the palate. Already delicious (especially for a 2011), there's enough ripe tannin to allow it to evolve gracefully for 4-5 years. Drink now-2018.

A very rich, jammy wine, in fact a little heavy, with extracted black cherry and cola flavors, liberally enhanced by oak. Sure is delicious, but not an ager, so drink soon.

Deep ruby color; deep, earthy, herbal berry aromas with some oak notes; complex, berry and cherry flavor with herb and oak notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, herbal Pinot with lots of depth.

Ruby-red.  Smoky cherry and dark berry aromas are complicated by hints of roasted coffee, licorice and dried rose.  Ripe cherry and plum flavors possess good depth and a supple texture, with an undertone of smoked meat and minerals.  Gentle acidity adds lift to a warm, clinging finish.

A classy Pinot for the price, rich and gutsy, with intense plum and raspberry fruit and firm tannins. Drink now through 2020. 14,000 cases made.

Given its entirely modest price, we would be more than happy with the clean and very precise fruit provided by this altogether engaging youngster, but the wine is about more than fruit and shows a sense of crafting and complexity that makes it an out-and-out steal. Its ongoing themes of ripe cherries are accented with hints of vanilla and a wisp of dried-flower sweetness, and it is as trim and carefully balanced as it is just plain delicious. We would not argue with those who would drink it right now, but its structure and very fine fit of pieces ensure that it will keep. Good value.

The 2007 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard exhibits notes of beef bouillon, root vegetables, earth, and a hint of cherry cough syrup. The softest of the single-vineyard offerings, it is a round, attractive, medium-bodied Pinot to consume over the next 3-4 years.

Medium red. Sexy, strongly perfumed bouquet evokes wild strawberry, redcurrant and bitter cherry. Tangy red berry flavors are firmed by silky tannins and given a boost on the finish by lively acidity. Finishes with suave oak and cherry skin character and lingering sweetness. I like the combination of sweetness and bitterness here.

Supple, with a delicate mix of ripe cherry, plum and raspberry fruit, it wins points for its understated nuances, gaining complexity on the aftertaste. Drink now.

Sour lemon aromas meet with strong sandalwood and charred oak on the very woody nose of this bottling. Tangy lemon skin, lighter lemon blossom and viscous, nearly sweet oak flavors show on the palate, which is dominated by wood.

The 2014 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard soft, pliant and delicate. This is a relatively small-scaled, delicate wine from Bien Nacido, with only modest expression of site and some elements of dilution. Citrus and floral notes are nicely delineated, but there simply is not as much Bien Nacido pedigree here as there should be.

Moderately light golden yellow color and clear in the glass. Toast dominates the nose that also offers scents of citrus, white peach and pear. Much better with time in the glass with more energetic fruit aromas. The flavors of lemon, white peach, pear, fig and butter echo the nose but with more citrus singing. Sleek and clean, with a razor finish.

Zeroes in on a rich core of tangerine-laced green apple, melon and subtle spice flavors, ending up as a tasty, one-note effort that is complex within a narrow range.

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.