Recommended. Attractive, floral, bright cherry fruit aroma; fairly rich, supple, smooth, slightly toasty, ripe black cherry fruit flavors. Enjoyable to drink now.

Soft, cherry fruit and a round finish.

Opens with a lovely, elegant nose leading to delicious juicy fruit with soft, inviting mid-palate flavors.

Among my top three Pinot Noirs.

Their best Pinot Noir to date. Voluptuous.

Lush, ripe, plump flavors. Pure, clean, enticing. Ought to satisfy anyone pining for a good Pinot.

Recommended.

Masterful pinot noir with bright berry flavors, elegant structure. 3 stars, superb.

Deeper, darker pinot noir with sensational complexity and balance. 3 stars, supberb.

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.