A statewide tour of California pinot noir Dark, savory, lavish, fine value.

Structured, buoyant, elegant; this one will float your boat, Pinot-lover. A-

Back to where it all began for them, and acting like they never left. A-

Rosé Is Always Sweet — and Other Popular Rosé Myths, Debunked Myth: Rosé Is Always Sweet Not usually! In fact, most rosés are actually on the dryer side. When tasting wine, it’s important to remember that fruity doesn’t always mean sweet, and just because a wine may have notes of strawberry and guava, it doesn’t have to be sugary. Take La Crema 2018 Pinot Noir Rosé for example. This elegant bottle boasts aromas of pink grapefruit and mandarin and hits you with flavors of watermelon and strawberry. Don’t be fooled though — the undertones of minerality round out the wine, proving the very important fact that light, fruity and fun rosés aren’t always sweet. La Crema winemaker Craig McAllister says, “Despite fruit forward, delicately sweet aromas and flavors, this wine is bone dry. What I love the most about our rosé is its balance; it is light on its feet with fresh-crisp fruit, juicy acidity and just enough minerality to bring some structure.”

What to sip this weekend: A guilty pleasure wine The pick: Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, 2017, a guilty pleasure wine if there ever was one. Backstory: Chardonnay is a victim of its own success. It became so popular in the 1980s and 1990s that it even inspired a backlash known as ABC—Anything but Chardonnay. Some ABCers objected to the dominance of Chardonnay in that it was literally squeezing out other varietals, since growers had to plant acres and acres to keep up with demand. Others, though, came to resent a particularly popular version of the wine, namely, the heavily-oaked Chardonnay that was especially common in California. The oak-ageing, some argued, disguised the virtues of the grape and, since it was less acidic than a more “naked grape” and didn’t pair well with a lot of food. Oaked Chardonnay-lovers responded by continuing to buy it, especially Kendall-Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve, which remains one of the top-selling Chardonnays in North America. Why you’ll like it: If you like rich and indulgent whites with a full body and a lot of vanilla, this one’s for you. The 2017 Vintner’s Reserve is rich, smooth, full of cantaloupe and vanilla notes—all in perfect harmony with the buttery character that the oak-ageing brings out. Not everyone appreciates that buttery aspect of oaked wine, which is good news to the legions of loyal fans who don’t particularly want to share their special treat. Pair it with ceviche, sashimi or a short story collection.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Smooth with ripe dark cherry, floral notes, tea.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Ripe cherry, herbs, lingering finish.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine With both Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley fruit, earthy with ripe blackberry and black tea.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine With fruit from Santa Maria, Sta. Rita Hills, and Los Alamos, powerful with leather, rose petal, and black cherry.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Forest floor, baking spice and cranberry.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Citrus, salinity, and jasmine.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Tropical fruit, brûlée, and vanilla spice.

A Taste Of The Pacific - Santa Barbara Wine Rich peach, apricot and pineapple fruits, stony minerality, pronounced acidity.

Pretty (delicious) in Pink The 2019 Guide to PNW Rosé Wine Passionfruit and zested grapefruit with minerality and luscious mouth feel.

Red Hot? Hot and cool on new Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from Siduri A cooler customer yet, Siduri's 2017 Edmeades Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($50) has an even more limpid, raspberry red hue, and a charming scent of raspberry pastille—pardon the fancy wine argot, but Jolly Rancher just won't do—and milk chocolate. This is silky, too, but higher acidity lends it a sterner, more structured palate impression. The better option to serve with lighter summer fare off the grill, or to put in a bag and blind taste alongside a wine from Burgundy, France—where it's forecast to hit 100 degrees on Wednesday, June 26.

Red Hot? Hot and cool on new Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from Siduri Siduri's 2017 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($40) blends fruit from three vineyards, up to 2,000 feet in elevation. This silky, light-hued Pinot shows woodsy and spicy, like split redwood. With flavors of strawberry and cranberry jam, and a hint of mint—or that Anderson Valley hallmark, pennyroyal—it's on the warmer side of cool Pinot. Crack the screw cap and sip as an aperitif.

Drink Like the Monterey ‘Five’ and Try These California Wines while Watching ‘Big Little Lies’ This rosé is as delicate as our dear fragile Bonnie (Zoë Kravitz) but it still radiates with vibrant personality similar to the woman we knew before she fatally pushed Celeste's abusive last season. Aromas of pink grapefruit and guava are unmissable while the wine fleshes out with crisp notes of watermelon, strawberry and blood orange.

It needs no introduction – Vérité: La Joie is one of the world’s most magnificent red wines. Produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and varying proportions of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2015 is really starting to hit is stride. Its California’s ultimate gift to the oenophile, an outstandingly complex and elegant wine effortlessly merges force and finesse. It may not have quite the status of Lafite, but it is every bit the equal in quality – and even, some would say, superior. Today it remains one of California’s finest wines.

Incredibly approachable today but with enough concentration and structure to evolve beautifully in the bottle, this 100% Merlot wine is beaming with elegant red fruit aromas intermingled with hints of vanilla, dark chocolate and a touch of earth. Medium(+) body with a long, memorable finish. One of the most enjoyable Merlot’s I’ve had in a long time.

Sourced from a single block of bush vines planted in 1962 at 225m altitude on the estate, the Elder Hill 2016 Grenache is one of my favorite wines from this winery’s current release. Great balance, medium(+) body, it opens with aromas of juicy red fruit followed by floral and spice notes. It has fair amount of tannin on the finish which will soften with time but I’m loving the way this wine is drinking right now.

Named ‘The Peake‘ after the founder of Clarendon – Sir Edward John Peake, this blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Shiraz is the crown jewel of Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyards and one of the most revered wines in Australia. Full-bodied with layers and layers of complexity this wine keeps on giving. Profound notes of black fruit, cedar, chocolate, herbs and spice. Theres a lot going on here. Pure elegance but with the power to evolve for years to come. A phenomenal wine that beautifully demonstrates how special the Hickinbotham Clarendon vineyards truly are.

Glamping wine recommendation

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2019: Gold

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2019: Gold

Cabernet Sauvignon Masters 2019: Master