Lightly aromatic and medium weight in intensity and flavor, with supple plum and raspberry amid fresh-turned earth and floral scents.

Nielson is another in the growing field of pinot producers crafting a respectable pinot noir that is both tasty and easily affordable. The second label for the well-respected Byron winery, Nielson's 2014 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir delivers solid pinot aromas of cherry and strawberry, with an earthy essence on the finish. This vintage shows some grip on the finish that should mellow in another year or so.

A fresh, cool and complex nose offers up notes of both red and dark cherries long with subtle spice and floral nuances. There is both good volume and texture to the caressing flavors that culminate in a dusty finale. This is really quite supple, indeed this could easily be enjoyed now though one year of bottle age should help to develop a bit more depth. Fine value.

The 2015 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County offers notes of ripe apples, fresh peaches and cream with a hint of almonds. Medium-bodied, this is a delicate and refreshing expression with appealing purity and good intensity. 88 points.

This pale straw colored Chardonnay from Nielson opens with a lively fruity bouquet featuring apricots and pear with hints of honey and wet stone. The medium bodied palate was smooth with featuring apricots, lemon and pear. I also detected some hints of ginger and a light touch of oak. Finally, I enjoyed its balanced minerality throughout. Its fine citrus finish fades away nicely. I would recommend serving this Chard with scallops wrapped in bacon that were drizzled with some pure maple syrup. Very good.

Pure baking spice and light hazelnut notes stand out, fading into light citrus and oak shadings, making this an elegant rendering.

Fleshy fruits of white peach and guava and fragrant white flowers trend tropical on the nose of this bottling, but are cut by green apple and citrus skin flavors. The palate is broad with guava cream, apple blossoms, mango and lime chiffon flavors. Quite tasty, but very tropical.

Flavorful and unusually gutsy for the varietal, this wine has almost meaty aromas, lots of grape-skin and grapefruit flavors on the palate and a sense of density the comes from a little tannin in the texture.

Ripe and dense but with surprising brightness and assertiveness.

Smooth and silky with juicy cherry and plum fruit; tangy and balanced with a long, lively finish.

Smooth, crisp and silky with tangy acidity and fresh cherry fruit; clean and decent.

Smooth, clean and juicy with bright plum and racy acidity; fresh, balanced and long.

Appealingly soft and supple, offering aromas of black cherry and toasty vanilla, with accents of spice and bay leaf.

Here's a good, robust red wine. It's not particularly Merlot-like, with its pepper, herb, cherry, red currant and cola flavors, wrapped into sticky tannins. But it's very dry and elegantly structured, and the alcohol is moderate. fine with a nice steak or chop.

Sunny well-ripened cherry and plum flavors give a lot of pizazz to this full-bodied and smooth-textured wine. It's on the rich side of the spectrum but has a light touch of tannin and fruit acidity for good balance.

An easygoing blend, offering notes of blueberry, pepper and smoky anise. Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petite Sirah.

This blends a majority Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot, coaxing soft, rounded texture and substantial flavors of red berry and vanilla. With a density on the palate, it carries with it a streak of smoked meat.

This is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, which come together to form a full-bodied package of earthy compost and generously ripe blue and black plum. Soft tannins make it easy to enjoy.

Smooth, ripe and lush with black raspberry and blueberry fruit; mellow and rich with spice and good balance; long and stylish. Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel.

A blend of merlot (64 percent) with cabernet sauvignon (29) and petit verdot, this is soft and casual. The structure has been polished to a milk-chocolate richness though the flavors remain fresh, with scents of plum and woodsy pine.

This wine bridges the gap between mass-market wines that are soft and sweet, and more serious dry ones that have better structure and more powerful fruit. It is nicely fruity but dry, has generous aromas and flavors supported by light tannins and good acidity.

Graceful and pleasing, with a solid mix of gravelly earth, dried dark berry, cedar, mocha and tobacco flavors, ending long and firm.

Fruity and fresh, this medium-bodied wine has dark plum and blackberry aromas, along with ripe and almost sweet blackberry flavors. A lightly gripping texture helps make it appetizing.

Smooth, clean and juicy with bright plum and racy acidity; fresh, balanced and long.

This 100% varietal wine opens with beautifully lush aromas of blackberry and licorice, before a seamless, soft layering of leather comes in. Soft tannins mark the midpalate, followed by a finish steeped in smoky vanilla and herb.