Cambria's 2010 Pinot Noir Barbara's Clone 667 is the estate's top of the line bottling... Plums, dark cherries and generous French oak linger on the close.

Pretty and expressive, the 2011 Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard makes a great introduction to the wines of this property. Lemon peel, almonds and spices all emerge from this nicely layered Chardonnay. The creamy, generous finish is particularly attractive. This is a terrific value from Cambria.

Medium ruby color; deep, cherry/berry aromas with some toasty oak notes; rich, ripe, full berry and cherry flavors with earthy notes; some oak and tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Full and rich Pinot that needs time in the glass to open up.

Medium ruby color; ripe, smoky cherry aromas; rich, earthy cherry flavors with some oak notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Lighter, earthy style of Pinot that would pair well with a lighter pasta dish.

We enjoyed this reasonably priced chardonnay for its juicy pineapple and peach flavors. It's a nice match to summer fare, such as seafood.

This wine has a creamy texture with honey and citrus aromas followed by apple and orange flavors.

66 year-old dry farmed, free standing bush vines can tell a story of the vintage when handled with care, and this Grenache from Yangarra spins a beautiful tale of one of the coolest, wettest years ever in McLaren Vale. Low yields and careful bunch selection to sort out rot and mold have produced a brilliant ruby red wine with aromas of cherry, raspberry, white pepper and fennel. Vibrant acidity helps translate the aromas directly into flavors on the palate, and keeps things lively through the long, zesty finish. It’s really begging for food -- I’d go for lamb. Nicely done!

Solid and full-bodied with green apple, vanilla and butter aromas. Very classic and typical of cool climate Californian chardonnay. The region of Monterey keeps its cool from ocean breezes, which add the zest and balance to this wine. Creamy and toasty with a long, satisfying finish. Yum!

Solid Santa Barbara County pinot noir does not come at any better price than this: from estate-grown fruit in Cambria's Julia's Vineyard on the Santa Maria Bench, just down the road from Bien Nacido Vineyard. This vintage shows the classic Santa Maria pinot nose of black plum, mulberry, root beer, cola, tree bark and forest floor. It's complicated on the palate as well with dark fruit, like black plum, mulberry and olallieberry, happily mixed in with strawberry and red raspberry. That's plenty of fruit for the barrel spices, like vanilla and cinnamon, to conveniently envelop and support. The dark fruit, as well as root beer, cola and forest floor, expand on mid palate and extend to the lengthy and luxurious finish.

Rock ‘n’ roll baby: Such a nice combination of great fruit fermented in stainless steel — to preserve the fresh fruit character — and in French oak barrels to add more dimension and complexity. It’s crisp and minerally with apple, pear, melon and stone-fruit tones. The Byron Estate vineyard is located at the site of the first commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County, planted in 1964. Byron is owned by Jackson Family Wines

Overall Score: 18.8 (8.8 for quality, 10 for value) Our tasters: Missed giving a unanimous recommendation by one-tenth of a point with a high score of 9. Smooth and mineral-y with an enticing nose. My score: 8.8. Full of cherry and earthy notes with a trace of chocolate, this Monterey County-designated wine is rich, round and well-balanced.

I have long been a fan of most La Crema Pinots, and this vintage is no exception. As a wine coming from a cool growing region ought to be, this one is blessed with just enough sweet fruit to balance nicely against the inherent tart, lean character of good Pinot Noir.

Black cherry, cola, cedar, dusty leather and vanilla with savory black cherry skin and spicy tannins.

A fleshy sauvignon blanc with tangy flavors. Notes of melon, pear and a hint of jalapeño. Nice texture. Lingering finish.

Floral with sweet black cherry, leather, black tea and weighty, black peppered tannins.

Strong purple-crimson, it's a technique more common in cool regions but works very well here, with regional bitter chocolate and savoury black fruit flavours lifted by the spicy notes and extra texture from the use of whole bunches. Sophisticated winemaking.

A stunning wine with deep, rich plum, blackberry and cassis; sweet vanilla oak with notes of spice, licorice and chocolate; a beautifully crafted wine with depth, complexity and finesse; long and lovely. 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot.

Light but bright and clear crimson-purple; some estate owned vineyards were able to rise above the challenges of the vintage, and some winemakers sorted the grapes berry by berry in the winery to achieve results such as this - a highly aromatic and pure red-berried wine, with supple mouthfeel and no hint of green fruit.

Deeply coloured, bright purple hue; the bouquet reveals black fruits, prune, mocha and licorice the palate is densely packed with tannins, ironstone minerality and is about as muscular a rendition of Grenache as can be achieved.

Deep colour, bright; an uncompromising bouquet of essency red and dark fruits, with licorice and tar also on display; the palate is finely poised as the fresh acidity plays the perfect foil to the ample and chewy, medium-grained tannins that simply roll around the mouth, and provide a long and distinguished finish.

Berry-sorting, 12% whole bunches, pre-fermentation cold soak and some carbonic maceration, wild yeast fermented, and kept on lees in French oak (20% new) for over 12 months has produced the best shiraz yet from Yangarra (other than Small Pot). Medium-to-full bodied, it has multiple layers of juicy black fruits, plus touches of licorice and dark chocolate supported by ripe tannins on the long finish.

Bright purple hue; an intoxicating and fragrant bouquet of spicy red fruits, earth tones and provencale garrigue; the medium bodied palate is juicy, meticulous, energetic and poised, offering harmony of all parts to conclude with a long and expansive finish.

Medium yellow-green; the wine has clear varietal expression, with a mix of apricot, peach and citrus, the finish fresh, bracing and without any phenolic load.