Santa Barbara Chardonnay And Pinot Noir Are Made By The Ocean 2016 Cambria Vineyards & Winery Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley: dark fruit, white tea, savory, cardamom, lean and focused.

Pinot Noir Masters 2019: Gold

Of course, we can’t forget mom. Barbara Banke has her own section of the Cambria estate dedicated to Pinot Noir as well. Given the fact that the Santa Maria Valley is one of California’s coolest appellations and boasts one of the longest-growing seasons in the state, it’s no surprise that the cool nights and warm days produce Pinot Noir grapes with balance and elegance. The 2015 Cambria Estate Winery Barbara’s Signature Collection Clone 667 Pinot Noir offers aromas of roasted spices, red raspberries, lilacs and earth. Textured flavors of red berry fruit, cocoa nibs, black cherry and vanilla flows over the tongue. The finish is rich and silky, with supple acidity.

Taking it one step further in Julia’s vineyard, the 2015 Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard Signature Collection Pinot Noir is definitely a collectible wine. Using a combination of two clones, 23 and 4, Jackson describes this wine as “the cabernet sauvignon wine lover’s pinot noir.” It has a lovely perfumed nose of ripe red raspberries, red plums and earthy aromas. The palate reveals a very straightforward arsenal of dark fruits, including blackberry and ripe plums. Toasty oak and hints of mocha are prominent on the persistent yet supple finish. Check out the cool etched bottle, designed by Jackson and featuring an ancient seashell, which can be found throughout the vineyard.

Wine of the Week: Thanksgiving wine recommendations Of course, no decent Thanksgiving dinner would be well dressed without a versatile pinot noir. The elegant and charming 2015 Cambria “Julia’s Vineyard” Pinot Noir hails from the Santa Maria Valley, located in the Central Coast region of California. This classic Pinot has it all: a nose bursting with aromas of baked raspberries and pomegranate fruit and a richly textured mouthfeel that offers up plenty of gorgeous red strawberries, ripe blueberry and hints of cranberry and clove on the elegant finish. Pretty and refined, the polished tannins and fresh acidity provide a long, generous finish.

Julia’s eponymous vineyard parcel was created in 1988 and shares similar a similar soil composition with her older sister’s plot, including limestone, shale and sandy soil terroir. However, Julia’s vineyard is dedicated to growing Pinot Noir. The 2015 Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir starts off with a lovely bouquet of lavender with hints of wild strawberry and boysenberry. The palate is rewarded with well-defined flavors of red berry fruit and cloves are buoyed by vibrant acidity that leads to a silky finish.

Wines of the Week Julia’s Vineyard at Cambria Estate Winery in the Santa Maria Valley was planted beginning in 1974 making it one of the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards in the area. Mature vines yield the finest fruit, and my tasters appreciated cranberry and cherry fruit with earthy mineral and baking spices. A nice acid balance makes for excellent pairing with our grilled salmon.

10 wines worth sharing for Thanksgiving Based in the Santa Maria Valley, this chardonnay and pinot moir specialist makes fruitful, appealing wines sustainably farmed and estate grown. Named after the founding Jackson family’s daughters: 2015 Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard and 2015 Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard.

Cambria: What's old is new again A fine whiff of blackberry and red cherry fruit on the nose with a slight bit of lavender, barrel spice and complex earthiness, plus an interesting floral component. Dark berry on the palate: good, deep fruit flavors along with pomegranate, lavender, barrel spice and subtle notes of wet earth after a rainstorm. With eight months in French oak (one-third new), it's full-bodied and well-rounded, resulting in a rich mouthful of flavorful pinot noir. Firm tannins on the back end make for a complete and savory finish.

Smackdown Pinot Noir: Santa Maria Valley -v- Santa Lucia Highlands There is an earthiness and richness to this wine, showing a strong mid palate acidity. There is the red raspberry, strawberry, plum and with back notes of wild flowers and fresh herbs, licorice and blackberries.

It’s hard to find a decent pinot noir at this price, but every year Cambria manages to do make one. Simple, ripe blackberry and cherry fruit flavors with a dash of spice.

Jackson Family Wines has another winner in the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Cambria Wine Estate… Now the 2015 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was very rich and vibrant with a slight transparent hue. The nose was very perfumed and the finish of the wine long in length and quite elegant. I could see pairing this with a substantial dish like Salmon and also risotto. The estate is owned by Katie and Julia Jackson, and located in the coastal Santa Maria Bench of Santa Barbara, where all the best wines come from. When I taste Jackson Family wines, I often wonder how they can deliver such great quality at an affordable price. These are two great wines to try.

Cambria, on the Santa Maria Bench, crafts single clone Pinot Noir wines, along with blends of key clones that the family has found highlight the fruit and the region, like their Mesa Terrace. A blend of four SIP certified, sustainably grown Pinot Noir clones revealing wild-strawberry, woody herb, and wildflower notes.

The Cambria “Mesa Terrace” Pinot Noir 2015, Santa Maria Valley, aged in a different direction, 10 months in French oak but with 62 percent new barrels. The color is a similar dark ruby shading to an invisible rim, but the focus here is on red fruit — cherries and currants — and a fuller exploitation of spice in the form of sandalwood, cloves and sassafras, with a smoky-beetroot background; it’s a dense and chewy pinot noir, not just satiny and succulent but close to opulent on the palate, though balanced by keen acidity and a scintillating flinty quality; the finish adds loam and forest floor. 14.2 percent alcohol. Again, a pinot noir that’s impressive for its detail and dimension. Now through 2021 to ’23. Excellent.

2015 Mesa Terrace Pinot Noir has aromas of strawberry jam and fresh herbs such as sage, the company reports. Bing cherry and raspberry notes emerge on the palate with warm spice notes, with a velvety texture and barrel toast on the finish. This wine pairs well with dishes such as wild mushroom tartlets.

If you want to find out how hearty a Santa Maria Valley pinot noir can be, pop this bottle (though you might want to wait a few years, so be sure to decant if you drink now). This wine comes from old vines (by Santa Barbara County standards — they were planted in the 1970s), and it gets pumped up with 11 months in 39 percent new French oak (hence that need for some bottle age). But that formula all adds up to rich deliciousness. It begins with a very powerful nose, with some of that oak but oodles of dark fruit, and the cherry and blueberry keep coming when you sip, augmented by lovely notes of tobacco and earth. No doubt this would be perfect with some Santa Maria tri-tip.

We’re on steadier ground with the pinot noirs, fashioned in a big-hearted, full-throated style that touches on many aspects of the grape. The Cambria “Element” Pinot Noir 2015, Santa Maria Valley, aged 11 months in French oak, 39 percent new barrels. The color is dark ruby shading to a transparent magenta rim; it starts with notes of iodine and iron, spiced and macerated black cherries and raspberries, with hints of cranberry, pomegranate and sassafras; it emphasizes the dark, earthy and loamy character of the grape, though also its potential for a satiny, supple texture and succulent fruit; this is very dry, quite lively and spicy, and a few moments in the glass bring in touches of raspberry with slightly raspy and astringent raspberry skin and stem. 13.6 percent alcohol. Very pleasing in depth and complexity, for drinking through 2021 or ’22. Excellent.

2015 Element Pinot Noir possesses an aroma of dark cherry, ground coffee, and baking spices, with blueberry, baking spices, and a hint of orange peel on the palate, the company reports. This wine pairs well with rich dishes such as duck confit.

Just from the color, you can sense this pinot is going to have great density and concentration. Plenty of red fruit on the nose along with well-delineated wood spice (one-quarter aged in new French oak). Both red and black cherry fruit are apparent as well as pomegranate and blueberry buffered by cinnamon and cardamom. Both complex and elegant, it has deep dish berry pie flavors that make you sit up and notice but also has an exquisite balance that keeps you coming back for another sip. Old-school pinot in the best possible way.

Another winner from the Jackson Family Wines group. A very well-balanced pinot noir with lovely ripe cherry notes and nicely accenting cinnamon spice notes. It manages to avoid the overblown fruit notes of some contemporary pinot noirs. Try this elegant wine with salmon or chicken dishes.

Wines of the Week Cambria Winery is located on the Santa Maria bench in California’s Santa Barbara County. This cool coastal growing area is excellent for the production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A perennial favorite with my tasters, their Benchbreak Pinot Noir is a combination of different clones and vine ages yielding a rich, dark wine with ripe berry and earthy mineral flavors – a great complement to salmon from the grill.

The wine is fresh and vibrant, with just a wedge of rich fruit. The nose is all about the wildflowers: daisies and violets. On the palate, baking spices back up the rhubarb and bing cherry flavors and a wash of minerality adds some serious backbone to the enterprise. The finish brings in some complex forest-floor notes. 4 stars. Try this wine with oven-roasted shitake mushrooms and shaved Manchego cheese.

Have a blast this Fourth of July with American wines Some people think zinfandel is a bit rustic or just too high in alcohol for the weather. The most flexible barbecue drink may be the popular and lighter pinot noir. Cambria “Benchbreak” 2014 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir smells earthy and full of black cherry with tastes of baking spices and cherry liquor and a light finish.

A statewide tour of California pinot noir 2014 Cambria "Benchbreak" Santa Maria Valley dark fruits, intense.

This pinot, formerly known as Julia's Vineyard, is also produced from six different clones planted on the estate bench land. Raspberry, cherry, red plum, beet root and rhubarb on the nose. Refined palate of flavors that include cherry, cranberry and pomegranate with hints of tree bark, blueberry and Asian five spice powder. So well-structured that it's tightly wound and needs vigorous swirling in the glass or, better yet, decanting. Again, it's hard to find an entry-level pinot from this area that's this appealing for such a low tariff.