Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Giving aromas of boysenberry, blackberry, cardamom spice, tilled earth, flower blossom and a touch of toasty oak. Mid-weight and forward-drinking in style, with flavors of black cherry, black plum and blackberry with a riff of oak in the background. Silky in texture, with quenching acidity and a modest but satisfying finish.

For three decades Cambria Estate Winery has helped define the Santa Maria Valley. This Chardonnay offers a bevy of subtlety; lemon-lime, guava, honeysuckle, granny Smith apple and white peach. Nothing here is over the top. Four different clones were used on their estate property. “I sourced mainly older vines planted in 1971,” says winemaker Jill Russell. To that she added fruit from “younger blocks planted in 2012.” The 2019 strikes a deft balance between the use of oak aging (nine months), stainless steel, barrel and malolactic fermentations. This allows for enough acidity to make it fresh and lively, while still having a smooth and seamless feel. Though this is a ubiquitous Chardonnay, the 2019 shows the quality of the fruit and land.

This red offers ripe dark cherry and plum compote flavors, with loamy richness. There is pomegranate and dried strawberry midpalate, with forest floor notes on the savory finish. Drink now through 2024.

Svelte and elegantly styled, with dried cherry and berry flavors that feature fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Sandalwood, tea and cooking spice notes fill the rich finish. Drink now through 2024.

The sand is deepest at the highest point in the Yangarra vineyard, where this 4.2-acre block of grenache, planted in 1946, grows as bush vines, dry farmed under biodynamics. Peter Fraser allows the wine to ferment spontaneously in open vats, half of it as whole berries, then ages it in older French oak. It’s a lean, peppery grenache with a dark raspberry bite, chewy in its broad tannins, lasting with a black savor. The tight structure benefits from time in a decanter, as it will from the company of grilled lamb.

I really enjoy when fine wine wineries do rose. Come on in, the water is fine. Tangy and tart rose style, leaner than expected with terse, sherbetty acidity a feature. Pomegranate juice, cherry juice. Light spice. Refreshing, but that acidity is just off the pace and feels a bit coarse and forced. Cold, no probs. Good drink.

This has very fresh strawberry, peach and watermelon aromas with plenty of red-floral perfume, too. The palate has fresh, mouthwatering strawberries and a glossy, more-ish finish. Drink now. Screw cap.

Medium to light coral-pink colour, with a youthfully fruity aroma, toffee apple with hints of fresh herbs and strawberry, bright and straightforward. The palate is intense and dry, enlivened by fresh acidity which leaves us with a lip-smacking crisp aftertaste. No great hurry to drink this - indeed, a few more months in the bottle will help bring it on.

Marcia Torres Forno, Matanzas Creek’s winemaker since 2010, has clearly influenced the stylistic direction this estate’s wines have taken. Like most talented winemakers these days, she is relentlessly active in the vineyard as well as the winery, overseeing such operations as selective leaf removal, which helps reduce extreme herbal aromas and flavors in Sauvignon Blanc. The 2019 vintage is a particularly savory white wine that suggests deliciously ripe fruit flavors dominated pink grapefruit, with vibrant acidity on the finish. There aren’t a lot of $20 wines out there that offer as much satisfaction as this one.

This is a sleekly built red, with vibrant and delicately layered rose petal, raspberry and black tea tones that pick up speed and tension on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2026.

The 2019 Zinfandel Russian River Valley was aged in French oak, 40% new, for 10 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slowly emerges from the glass with notions of wild blueberries, black raspberries and raspberry pie plus hints of potpourri, incense, rose petals and hoisin. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is velvety and refreshing, featuring loads of baking spice and floral layers, finishing on an earthy note.

Done in the Méthode Traditionnelle, this vintage-dated brut is the first Oregon sparkler from La Crema. It opens crisp and clean, showing little impact from four years en tirage. There is green-apple fruit and sharp acidity but little complexity. Give it ample aeration (open the bottle, re-seal it, and let it sit for some hours) and it shows much better, with touches of straw, toast, citrus and good length and texture. Drink 2024–2035.

This pale copper colored "Brut Rose" from Gran Moraine opens with a beautiful array of fine bubbles. Its bouquet features bread dough and strawberry with hints of almond, peach and pineapple. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with plus acidity. It is crisp yet has a round mouthfeel. The flavor profile is a mineral influenced strawberry and watermelon blend with notes of grapefruit and brioche. We also detected hints of clementine and lemon in the aftertaste. The finish is pleasantly dry and quite refreshing. This Brut Rose would pair well with fresh sliced Norwegian salmon or sushi.

The nose wafts a dessert table of caramel apple, lemon meringue, and graham cracker crumble. Medium bodied with slightly crisp acid nestled nicely in the center of a lush palate. Flavors include green and Opal apples, lime sorbet, gravel minerality, and white pepper. It finishes on orange marmalade. A nicely profiled and structured chardonnay, the quality outshines the depth.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesFermented in neutral puncheons and foudres and stirred monthly during aging, the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point Vineyard charges out of the glass with bold notes of ripe peaches, pink grapefruit and passion fruit with hints of struck match and lemongrass plus a waft of elderflower. Medium-bodied, the palate packs a wallop, delivering bags of citrus flavors and a lively backbone, finishing long and zesty.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesComposed of 80.2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.8% Merlot, 4.7% Cabernet Franc and 2.3% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Proprietary Red Wine was aged in French oak barrels, 43% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it saunters out of the glass with graceful red currant jelly, warm cassis and fresh blackberries scents plus hints of wild sage, lavender and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm, grainy texture supporting loads of red and black fruit layers, finishing savory.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2019 Chardonnay Russian River Valley was 100% barrel fermented in French oak barrels, 26% new, and aged for 9.5 months. It slips slowly, cautiously out of the glass with crushed rocks and sea spray scents over a core of green and yellow apples and Bosc pears plus a hint of marzipan. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with apple and pear flavors with a racy backbone and savory finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesMade from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (coming from the vineyard surrounding Cardinale winery), the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville was aged for 27 months in French oak barrels, 58% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it bursts on the scene with bold cassis, plum preserves and red currant jelly scents plus hints of pencil shavings, dusty soil and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied with a firm, grainy texture and bold freshness, it delivers bags of black fruit and a lively herbal lift on the finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2019 Chardonnay underwent 50% malolactic and spent nine months in oak barrels, 40% new. It opens with expressive poached pears and apple pie scents plus nuances of powdered ginger, honey toast and mandarin peel. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating spiced-apple flavors with a racy line and great length.

This pale garnet colored Pinot Noir from WillaKenzie opens with pleasant strawberry licorice and maraschino cherry bouquet with hints of wet slate and cola. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, round and slightly lush. The flavor profile is a very tasty red plum and red currant blend with notes of earthy minerality and vanilla. I also detected hints of strawberry licorice and maraschino cherry similar to what I found on the nose at the very end. The finish is subtle and the flavors drift away nicely. While this is not the most complex Pinot you will try, it is very yummy and the bottle will not last very long. I would pair this crowd pleasing Pinot with good music and cooking.

This opaque and dark purple colored Cabernet Sauvignon from Galerie opens with a dark chocolate, oolong tea and black currant bouquet. On the palate, this wine is full bodied, slightly acidic and round. The flavor profile is a black olive and blackberry blend with notes of cedar, crushed stone and dark chocolate. There is hints of stewed plum and black pepper towards the end. The finish is dry and its dusty tannins drift away nicely. This Cabernet would pair well with savory British beef olives.

Another new cuvée from Willakenzie, the pale ruby colored 2017 Pinot Noir Clairière has earthy tones of underbrush, bay leaves and tobacco with fresh cranberry and citrus fruit. The light-bodied palate is delicately styled with elegant, pure, lifted fruit character and a long finish.

Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard opens with delicate notions of charcuterie, aniseed, forest floor and dried blackberries, offering up more nuance with time as it sits in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is firm and juicy, with broody, earthy fruits and loads of energetic lift, finishing long and savory.

The 2019 Viognier explodes from the glass with lychee, dried green herbs, white peaches and musk. The palate is medium-bodied, silky, fresh and bright with loads of floral fruits and a lifted, energetic finish. Lovely!

73% Pinot Noir, 27% Chardonnay. Another faintly hued wine, which is slightly more orange than pink, but it is definitely in the splitting hairs realm of argument. Tart on the nose, quite lovely, even. Heavy on tartness, subtle fruit, layered. Yeah, I could hang out here for a while, even a long while. Perhaps not to the level of the top wines here, but it is close, really close. Excellent.