The 2018 Pinot Noir Machado is pure class, showing beautiful purity of fruit as well as classic Sta. Rita Hills complexity and spice. Lots of raspberry, strawberry, spring flowers, forest floor, spice, and just a touch of...

Deep, glistening ruby. Hugely perfumed cherry, blackcurrant and vanilla scents show outstanding clarity and pick up smoky mineral and floral nuances and strong suggestion of baking spices with air. Juicy and seamless in...

Extremely aromatic with ripe cherry and berry aromas, as well as flowers and citrus. Medium to full body with fine, polished tannins and a long, caressing finish. This is really well done and one of the most balanced...

I loved the nose of the 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley. It just screams Pinot Noir with its spiced cherry, raspberry, white pepper, and sappy herb aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, fresh, and lively...

The 2018 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 43 shows the more floral, lifted side of Bien Nacido, especially to the Block 8. Red berry fruit, chalk, mint, rose petal and white pepper give the Block 43 a distinctive...

The 2016 Ingenuity is blended of 54% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah, 16% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache. It was made using 10% whole cluster and aged 19 months in 75% new French oak barrels and puncheons. It has a deep ruby-purple...

(95-97 points) The 2020 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is a showstopper. Super-ripe red cherry jam, spice, rose petal, mint and blood orange explode from the glass. Even with all of the opulence of the year, the Colson...

A year-in, year-out no brainer for those who love impeccably made California Pinot Noir, the 2020 Pinot Noir Estate Sta. Rita Hills reveals a healthy, translucent ruby hue as well as textbook Sta. Rita Hills notes of...

Very alluring, with Damson, griottes and mulberry fruit seamlessly layered with black tea, sous bois and sandalwood hints. Long, refined finish lets all its perfume linger prettily. Drink now through 2029. — J.M.

One of the winery's most celebrated releases each year, this blend of all five major Bordeaux red varieties is an excellent showcase of Carmel Valley's class. Freshly squeezed blackberry and blackcurrant fruit meet with...

Extreme amounts of cracked black pepper spice up the crumbled lilac, dark-black-plum and snappy red-currant aromas on the dynamic nose of this cool-climate bottling. There's a wild zestiness to the palate, where the...

(95-97 points) Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 El Desafio de Jonata has a big Cabernet nose of tobacco leaf and truffly earth as well as beautiful dark fruits, a touch of chocolate, medium to full-bodied richness...

(96-98 points) Lastly, the 2018 La Sangre de Jonata is 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier brought up in 15% new French oak (8% whole clusters). The 2018 will be a gorgeous vintage for this cuvée, offering lots of bloody blue and...

The energy and focus that is typical of the cooler sites within the Santa Lucia Highlands comes through in the 2010 Pinot Noir Rosella’s. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint and spices are woven together nicely as the wine...

The 2017 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, aged 15 months in 30% new French oak, has a medium ruby-purple color and lovely aromas of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and wafts of floral perfume with a spicy...

The 2019 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a very beautiful and expressive wine. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender and spice open in a mysterious, sensual Pinot loaded with class. Vineyards site are Domaine de la Côte, La...

(94+ points) Always a kitchen sink blend, the 2017 Todos checks in as 44% Syrah, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sirah, and the rest Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. It's always a smoking value, and while I...

(94-96+ points) Based on 62% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Merlot, brought up in 20% new French oak, the deep purple 2018 El Alma de Jonata boasts a rocking Cabernet Franc nose of smoked black...

The 2018 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is bursting at the seams with energy and intensity. A touch of whole clusters (25%) adds energy to a Pinot that impresses with its explosive power and overall tension. The...

Deep, brilliant red. Expressive red and blue fruit, potpourri and allspice aromas show excellent clarity and pick up vanilla and star anise notes as the wine opens up. Sappy and energetic on the palate, offering...

Deeper ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir De Villiers Vineyard reveals more black raspberry, sassafras, tea, and spicy notes. It's medium-bodied, with a juicy, elegant style and a great finish.

The 2018 Zinfandel is a gorgeous wine, blended with 9% Syrah and 1% Viognier and aged 18 months in concrete and neutral oak. It has a medium to deep ruby-purple color, and the nose explodes to tricolored berry fruits and...

The 2016 Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard is another head-turner and offers complex red fruits, white flowers, pepper, and floral notes as well as incredible balance and purity on the palate. About as seamless as they come...

From a windswept ridge on the northern end of the Sta. Rita hills, this is not a shy wine. It’s driven by brisk red fruits—raspberry and red cherry—and by a weighty rasher of oak. There’s no denying its power and...

The 2019 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard comes from the Sta. Rita Hills and was brought up in 65% new French oak. It shows the spicy, savory, salty style of the appellation, yet all with restraint, and it's the...

The 2016 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard is fabulous and also shows just how well suited parts of this site are to Syrah. Dense and pliant, with tremendous character, the 2016 has so much to say. Inky dark fruit, leather...

Showcasing the Pisoni signature of huge, bold fruit, this wine has ripe and savory flavors of raspberry, cherry, pomegranate, persimmon. The wine tastes of oak, too, in the form of vanilla and smoky butter. It's a...