Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part One The 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard offers striking aromatics to play off the translucent, beautifully layered blue/purplish berry fruit. A wine of energy and cut, the Solomon Hills has so much to offer. It will be utterly irresistible upon release. Lifted floral notes reappear on the finish to add a closing burst of drive.

Medium ruby color. Enticing aromas of raspberries, blackberry and strawberry jam, this is a darker, saucier aromatic display with notes of sweet cola, rhubarb, rose petals and barbecue sauce. Medium-bodied on the palate with velvety tannins and medium acidity. Pretty black cherries, raspberries and summer plums, backed up by menthol, earth, roasted chestnut. Elements of rhubarb, white pepper and mushroom add complexity. Fruit but deep, accessible but can age.

2015 PINOT NOIR, LA ENCANTADA VINEYARD the nose is an edgy herbal tapenade with forest floor, garrigue and plum. The palate entry is polished cherry, black plum, tobacco leaf and a silky, luxurious core of powdered red berries finishing with notes of mint.

Broad and plush, with concentrated notes of cardamom to the dried cherry and berry flavors. Elegantly framed, with rich spiciness and minerality that lingers on the polished finish.

Bright ruby color. Gorgeous nose of chilled strawberries, raspberry jam and black cherries, along with cola, rhubarb, white pepper and roses. Plush but fresh, dusty but bright, fruity but it’s tangy and lively. Tart black cherries, raspberry jam, fresh strawberries, the fruit mixes nicely with flavors of roses, rhubarb, sarsaparilla, cola and mushroom. Fresh and vibrant but can improve for at least a few years.

Bright ruby color. Juicy and tangy fruits on the nose (raspberries, strawberries, cherries), beautiful and fresh with rhubarb, rose petals and tomato leaf. Medium-bodied and really fresh on the palate with dusty tannins and crisp acidity, lots of tart cherry and ripe strawberry fruit. Complex notes of rhubarb, pepper, tobacco and tomato leaf, some fresh green herbs and judiciously-sprinkled cedar. Lovely, fresh, delish.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Boastful black cherry fruit aromas are shy but appealing. Oak-kissed flavors of black cherry and boysenberry are elevated with juicy acidity. Discretely concentrated, with a silky mouthfeel, and some notable fruit engages on the finish.

Silky and elegant with ripe cherry and juicy black currant fruit; notes of earth, spice and bright acidity; smooth and long.

Showing the house style with its silky, polished, already approachable feel, the 2014 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard offers impressive notes of black cherries, dark raspberry, dried flowers and spice. All from the sandy soils of Julia's Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley and vines planted in the 1970s, it was completely destemmed and aged in 40% new French oak, with a good portion of the blend seeing fermentation in barrel. It's already hard to resist and I see no need to delay gratification.

More black cherries, leafy herbs, licorice and dried earth notes emerge from the 2014 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard, and it's medium-bodied, concentrated and textured, with present tannin. It's a touch more angular than the Sierra Madre Vineyard, yet is also impeccably balanced, lengthy and long. This wine is all from vines planted in the 1970s (all Pommard clones), was completely destemmed and aged 16 months in 40% new French oak. Originally founded in 1984, Byron is now owned by Jackson Family Wines with the wines made by Jonathan Nagy. The oak treatment sticks out slightly in a number of these wines, but as I hope the scores show, there’s tons to love here. These are ripe, classic Santa Barbara wines.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. The nose is primary, offering little even with vigorous swirling, except notes of oak-driven coffee and spice. Much more giving on the mid weight palate, offering fresh flavors of black raspberry and black cherry fruits. The satiny texture is very seductive and the wine is impeccably balanced with oak delicately augmenting the fruit flavors.

Aromatic nose; silky, spicy and savory with ripe berry fruit and lovely balance; deep, toasty and long.

Sultry cooked red plum and mulberry fruit meld with rust, mace, sarsaparilla and a touch of wood smoke on the nose of this bottling from the oldest commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Smoked pork loin aromas meet with deep red fruit and the sweet tang of cherry skins on the sip.

Spice, wild strawberry, sappy flowers and black raspberry notes all emerge from the 2014 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard. It comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley AVA and the same vineyard where the Pinot Noir Monument is sourced. This medium-bodied, supple, very polished, elegant and seamless beauty has no hard edges, very fine tannin and a great finish. Destemmed and aged 16 months in 41% new French oak, it's another example of the quality coming from this cool, ocean-influenced AVA.

I'm loving the trend toward lower alcohol levels in California Pinot Noir, especially in wines like this one that manage a plush texture and rich flavors with lively acidity and freshness all together in one glass. Black cherry, leaf, fall spice and a faint citric note are bright in aroma and flavor, and the finish is very long with a focus on the oak spice. It can be done.

Moderately light reddish purple hue in the glass. Elevating aromas of cherry and spice cake that hold up over time in the glass. Very satisfying attack and mid palate presence of mid weight cherry, raspberry and brown spice flavors. Very charming personality, offering delicate fine-grain tannins, buried oak, and a highly approachable demeanor. Still engaging the following day from a previously opened and recorked bottle. Tres Pinot.

This earthy beauty from Byron's Nielson Vineyard shows notes of forest floor and cola, with dark fruits and spice and enough grip on the back end to suggest it will benefit from additional cellaring.

Highly distinctive, deliciously rich and focused, with flavors of anise, blackberry, cedar, pencil lead, graphite and black licorice. Deftly balanced, this maintains a tight focus and emphasis on pure flavors.

Highly distinctive, deliciously rich and focused, with flavors of anise, blackberry, cedar, pencil lead, graphite and black licorice. Deftly balanced, this maintains a tight focus and emphasis on pure flavors.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Monument is a blend of the best barrels, with 80% being barrel-fermented, following by 15 months in 100% new French oak. Beautiful stuff, it offers awesome cassis, toasted spice, licorice and sweet oak to go with a medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated and textured profile that keeps you coming back to the glass. While you can see the oak here, it’s high class and perfectly integrated into the wine. I’d drink bottles over the coming 3-5 years, but I suspect it will evolve for longer.

Lush and ripe with black cherry and meaty notes; savory, spicy and dense with racy fruit; layered and long.

A muskiness is present on the nose of this wine from Santa Barbara County’s first commercial vineyard, along with fruitier aspects of strawberry-boysenberry tart. It’s fruit-forward on the palate, yet cinnamon toast and cedar give it a more serious edge as well.

More focused and energetic than the straight Santa Maria Valley, the 2012 Pinot Noir Nielson (aged 15 months in 40% new French oak) offers beautiful black cherry, sappy herbs, flower blossom and rose petal-like qualities in its seamless, silky profile. It’s the tension and energetic feel that sets this apart and it’s a knockout Pinot Noir to drink over the coming 4-5 years.

Medium ruby color; deep, stewed cherry and plum aromas with earthy notes; deep, stewed plum flavors with earth and spice notes; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Rich, ripe Pinot with just enough toasty complexity.

Brilliant ruby-red. A heady, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes dark berry liqueur, vanilla, mocha and potpourri, with a hint of licorice emerging with aeration. Sappy, penetrating and appealingly sweet, offering vibrant black raspberry and rose pastille flavors and a touch of smoky oak spices. Fine-grained tannins come on late and add grip to the long and floral-dominated finish.