Here's a strong argument for more syrah in the Santa Maria Valley, especially at the Tepusquet vineyard where Cambria grows 19 acres of the variety. This isn't the most complex wine in the world, but it feels so good in the mouth, perfectly balanced, statuesque. Dark plum skin plays a role in the color and in the savor of the aroma. And there's a mouthwatering, gentle acidity, like that of a rich, ripe pear. The flavors are persistent and dynamic, soft and concentrated, moving out in all directions. Get a case.

Santa Maria Valley. This vintage-driven wine has come through with marvelously balanced ripe fruit played off against a tightly would structure and will simply get better and better over the next few years. A minerally, gunpowder note adds to the wine's range just as creamy, toasty oak adds to its overall richness, and what passes for a wonderfully solid effort seems likely to grow into even better.

Verite is the new, top-flight, merlot based red from Jackson Family Farms, Jess Jackson’s latest project after his remarkable success with Kendall-Jackson. His goal was to produce a wine of the quality of Petrus in California, and he brought in a Frenchman, Pierre Seillan, to grow it and blend it. So the wine comes with high expectations – it’s a blend of lots from the best vineyards in Jackson’s stable. And to be honest, I was more impressed tasting the wine six months ago with Jackson and Seillan than I was tasting it blind. On the first day, I scored it at 90+, clearly an exceptional wine but not showing much. It was closed in, the plummy fruit coming up after plenty of air, the texture rich and mouthcoaing, the character austere, that of a wine packed for age. So I marked it as a wine to retaste the next day, still blind, when it was considerably juicier, yet still completely black, the oak (albeit fine oak) more apparent in a cinnamon savor. Perhaps I am old-fashioned, constantly trying to find a reason, a there there in a wine of such ambitions as this clearly has. Perhaps that reason will come with a succession of vintages, as this wine defines a style, as Seilland begins to state its case. For now, it’s just about great ingredients, made well, built to age.

Ripe and smooth with a slightly syrupy, extracted quality, this black fruit-and-licorice pleasure ball delivers the goods. Full on the palate with dark chocolate flavors and plenty of toasty oak, it finishes dry, rich and flavorful; well-fruited to the end.

Santa Maria Valley. One can see similarities between this wine and its more impressive cellarmate above in the tight, brisk build they share, but whereas the previous wine is more than amply filled out, this one hews to bright angularity and will probably remain that way. Its fruit and energy raise it to recommendable levels, especially in service with dishes like Prince Edward Island mussels in a tangy broth.

Lively, with good depth to fresh herb, plum and currant flavors, nicely underscored by firm tannins and toasty oak.

Well-proportioned, with enough soft, ripe currant and cherry fruit to fill in the holes; turns tannic and austere on the finish.

Well-balanced, and with good concentration to its blackberry, toasty oak and plum flavors. Herbal tones integrate with firm tannins on the finish.

A mix of up-front, supple-textured mocha, currant and vanilla, and harder-edged tannins that gang up on the finish, firming, with leather, herb and a chewy aftertaste. Cabernet (Sauvignon) and Merlot. Drink now through 2008.

Well-focused, with rich cola, black cherry, blackberry, spice and mineral flavors that are intense and lively. Drink now through 2005.

Dark ruby, with ripe, rich, fleshy herb-scented cherry and berry flavors that offer depth and moderate complexity.

A curious wine. Mint makes a strong presence, overshadowing the tart cherry and wild berry flavors in an otherwise rich and concentrated style. Fans of minty Pinots will find this especially appealing. Drink now through 2004.

From the very good '99 California Pinot vintage, here's an affordable and elegant choice, offering pleasant black cherry and red currant flavors that are round, firming up on the finish, where the tannins show their strength.

Modest floral, plum and cherry flavors turn citrusy midpalate, their focus ebbing on the finish. Ultimately rather simple. Drink now.

Medium gold; butterscotch bouquet; lively bite; apply and honey.

Add some cream to white corn and you'll have the signature flavor of Central Coast, or more specifically, Santa Maria Valley chardonnay. The particular richness the grape takes on in this mountain-ringed coastal valley often expresses itself in that flavor, a character you'll find in the scent of the Cambria…Its modest richness and finesse creates a bridge to the Cambria, the most intensely flavored of the three (compared to Kendall-Jackson 1999 Santa Maria Valley Camelot Vineyard Chardonnay and Cinnabar 1999 Central Coast Quicksilver Chardonnay) -- and also the most tightly knit. Here's that creamed-corn pungency, along with a plump feel in the mouth. The balance of the ripeness rides an edge between dark tones and brighter orange peel and lemon peel freshness. A sip of (Sonoma- Cutrer 1998 Chardonnay) Les Pierres will make this appear sweeter, the oak showing more in vanilla sweetness, but the Cambria still comes together into a tight finish, holding its own. Not a bad Central Coast benchmark for twenty-two bucks.

Un nez classique, avec du cassis et des notes minérales qu'égayent le thym, des notes mentholées. La bouche est très médocaine: architecture stricte, bon équilibre entre chair et vivacité, finale expressive et longue. Un vin réussi dans un millésime difficile. (Classic aromas of black currant and mineral notes, with lively notes of thyme and mint. The mouthfeel is Medoc like, well structured, good balance between texture and acidity, all with a long finish. A well made wine in spite of the vintage.)

...There's a nuttiness to the aroma (that's a bit of wood age speaking) as well as a cool, ripe pear scent. Then in the mouth, it just floats along, juicy as a pear, creamy and deeply rich even thought the texture is relatively light: think of the richness of mascarpone cheese, then cut it with the cool, Pacific-tinged acidity...more mineral and breezy...more integrated, less rich but no less creamy, a comfortable and mouthwatering wine..."

...a great value for its quiet, clean chardonnay flavors sharpened and focused by oak. The fruit and wood meld into a brown butter flavor, drawing a line down the middle of the palate...

A clear departure from the refined and fruity Merlots that were once issued from Matanzas Creek Winery, this highly ripened effort goes for maximum extract and richness from the outset, and its aromas and flavors are brimming with abundant oak, very ripe fruit and a complex streak of earthy spice. Plush on the palate with a fat, fleshy feel and plenty of weight, the wine ultimately bows to ripeness and ends with undisguised alcohol heating up its ragged finish.

Dark, rich and chocolaty, with black cherry and blackberry fruit that's deep and concentrated. Gains complexity with mineral, cedar, coffee and tarry notes, turning dry and tanic. Best from 2002 through 2010.

Spicy cherry, red currant and herbal flavors have a hint of candy, with tart tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2003.