Light and lacy, with a delicate filigree of red fruit flavors (notably cherries) this is an exceedingly appealing wine for Pinot Noir fans who value wines that whisper rather than shout. It has just enough oak to add an extra subtle note of complexity, but that oak never calls attention to itself in a showy way. If you want an affordable food-friendly Pinot Noir this one from Byron is for you.

Smooth, silky and bright with bright cherry and raspberry; fresh and balanced with lovely structure and depth.

Smooth and rich with juicy cherry and plum; bright acid structure and along finish; supple, balanced and showing notes of earth and spice.

With a rich, full-flavored profile and solid back-end structure, the 2010 Pinot Noir Clone 667 dishes out plenty of black raspberry, black cherry, licorice, mineral and earthy/underbrush aromas and flavors. Structured and with some tannin to integrate, give it another year in bottle and enjoy through 2018. Drink 2014-2018. Relatively firm, structured efforts, these should all benefit from short-term cellaring.

Luscious cherry pie, blackberry jam, cola, sweet cinnamon toast and sandalwood flavors characterize this dark, soft, dry Pinot Noir. The wine is a barrel selection that has more intensity than others, in the words of winemaker Jonathan Nagy. It truly is a big wine, with the weight of Grenache. With Pinot’s noble structure, it’s drinking well now.

Deep ruby color; complex, deep spice and toasty cherry aromas; big, dense earthy cherry with spice and oak notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, spicy Pinot with nice structure.

Bright ruby. Intense violet and licorice-tinged black raspberry and cherry aromas expand with air, picking up a sexy note of oak spices. Palate-coating cherry-cola and dark berry flavors show very good intensity and power but come off as quite elegant. Finishes long, spicy and fresh, with a lingering note of candied licorice.

Bright ruby.  Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of candied red fruits and rose, with a hint of musky herbs coming up with air.  Supple and open-knit raspberry and cherry flavors pick up smokiness with air and show good depth.  Finishes sappy and long, with sneaky tannins and lingering spice notes.

Bright ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of red and dark berry preserves and potpourri, with a deeper note of licorice in the background. A smoky quality builds with air and carries onto the palate, which offers sweet raspberry and blackberry flavors. A dense,, chewy wine that possesses unlike finesse, finishing with very good clarity and persistence.

Ruby-red. A sexy, fragrant bouquet displays black raspberry, sassafras and baking spices, with a hint of smoky oak. Sappy and bright, offering juicy dark berry flavors and a touch of candied rose. Attractively seamless, with very good back-end punch and finishing persistence.

One of the Year's Best Pinot Noir's - Big and brash up front, this pinot noir has some jazz in its acidity, a firm, lively finish that breathes with black cherry and smoke. The tannins are fine, holding the warmth of the wine in check. Ready to serve with Peking duck.

Big and brash up front, this pinot noir has some jazz in its acidity, a firm, lively finish that breathes with black cherry and smoke. The tannins are fine, holding the warmth of the wine in check.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard, which is produced from Burgundian Dijon clones as well as the old Joseph Swan clone, exhibits plenty of raspberries, black cherries, cola, and roasted herbs in a full-bodied, round, generously endowed style. This is an impressive Pinot Noir to drink now and over the next 3-5 years.

This is a quite impressive New World Pinot Noir, meaning a wine of compelling fruit quality, with a seductively silky texture and a clean, long, ever-evolving finish. Unlike the great red wines of Burgundy, which must remain the benchmarks for both winemakers and wine drinkers who love this grape, this Californian does not display any earthy or so-called barnyard notes, its legitimately complex mélange of aromas and flavors coming wholly from the interplay of fruit and oak. That's in no sense a criticism, just an indication of Golden State style.

The generic and least expensive Pinot Noir, the 2008 Santa Maria, is a user-friendly, yet seriously endowed Pinot Noir with loads of fruitcake, roasted herbs, black cherry, and plum notes. The wine has a dark plum color, deep, lush flavors, and succulence and fleshiness that are totally seductive. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Smooth, bright and fresh with restrained fruit; lively balanced and long.

Medium red. Highly aromatic nose shows musky cherry and dark berry scents complicated by smoky herbs and dried flowers. Sappy and attractively sweet, with deep raspberry and cherry flavors and no rough edges. This smooth, seductive wine is drinking well right now.

The 2007 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard comes from high density blocks planted with Dijon clones. Its dark ruby/purple color is followed by sweet black cherry and blueberry aromas interwoven with notes of damp earth and forest floor. Vibrant, pure, full-bodied, and beautifully textured, it should drink nicely for 5-7 years.

A very good bargain. The sexy 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Maria offers sensual, soft, floral, berry, and plum fruit notes intertwined with a subtle notion of smoke. This silky-textured, medium-bodied endearing Pinot smells good, goes down easy, and should have many fans among both neophytes and connoisseurs. Enjoy it over the next several years.

Medium ruby color, deep red cherry and clove aromas; rich, ripe, bright cherry flavors with spicy, clove notes; forward fruit; silky texture, good structure and balance; long finish. Rich and bright flavors make this medium-weight Pinot a great choice for the table.

A blend of grapes from two vineyards, including Bien Nacido, this polished Pinot shows the crushed hard spices and deep, black-cherry flavors typical of the appellation. It's still a young wine, brimming with acids and tannins, and is drinkable now, but has the stuffing for medium-term aging. It's a good value for a Santa Barbara Pinot of this quality.

Red delicately balanced, elegant and graceful, with a firm, supple beam of black cherry, mineral, mushroom and forest floor. The tannins and acidity give it a great backbone, making it tempting to drink now. Drink now through 2011.

A true GSM, made from equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the 2010 GSM Santa Maria Valley is a rich, concentrated and medium to full-bodied effort that possess outstanding notes of blackberry, toasted spice, pepper and sweet oak. Fermented with 100% whole cluster, and spending 26 months in 100% new French oak, it’s a rock-solid Rhone blend to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.

There is a strong amount of smoke and oak on the nose of this bottling, but there's also elegant touches of creamy Asian pear and lemon rind. That citrus and smoke combination shows on the sip as well, along with sweet touches of apple flesh and a compelling sandalwood flavor.

Offers lemon-lime hints to the ripe pear, cream and baked apple flavors, lusciously spiced. Dried sage notes show on the rich finish.