Red Wine from Central Coast

jebdunnuck.com, 98 points: The flagship 2017 Estate Cuvée (49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 21% Petit Verdot) spent 15 months in 90% new French oak, and I certainly blew the barrel review on this wine. It offers a brilliant bouquet of crème...

jebdunnuck.com, 100 points: The 2018 Estate Cuvee checks 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot brought up in 90% new French oak. Tasting like the straight Cab, yet with more sex appeal, it offers a huge nose of crème de cassis, white...

jebdunnuck.com, 94 points: Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Sta. Rita Hills, which comes from vines around the estate and saw 40% stems, it reveals a medium ruby hue as well as a great bouquet of ripe cherry and raspberry fruits intermixed...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: 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...

Vinous, 96 points: 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...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: (94 - 96 points) The 2018 Relevant is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot from younger vines and blocks on the property, and it is still aging in barrel. Deep ruby, if offers classic...

Vinous, 96 points: 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...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: 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...

Wine Enthusiast, 92 points: Fresh boysenberry and cranberry aromas are wrapped in a rusty iron note on the nose of this bottling. There's a tarry tone to the sip, which is firm in tension and offers flavors of black plum, lavender and cracked pepper.

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: Lively aromas of hibiscus, raspberry, cherry, star anise and the slightest gamy funk show on the nose of this bottling. There is a more hearty tone to the complex palate, where riper strawberry and raspberry flavors meet...

jebdunnuck.com, 93 points: The 2016 Pinot Noir Estate is the larger production red from this team, yet it certainly gives a good view into the quality coming from the Hilt wines. Black cherries, black raspberries, graphite, peppery herbs, and...

Vinous, 94 points: Sandhi's 2017 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict is beautifully layered and nuanced. Sweet red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, mint and white pepper all grace this exquisite Pinot. The 2017 is wonderfully deep, fleshy and...

jebdunnuck.com, 93 points: The 2016 Red Wine checks in as a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. Brilliant notes of cassis, tobacco leaf, damp earth, cedary herbs, and graphite all emerge from this...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 90 points: 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...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: (94-96 points) The 2020 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard also shows lots of richness, yet it never goes over the top, and the purity as well as the quality of the tannins are spot on. Full-bodied, perfumed, and complex, with...

Wine Enthusiast, 92 points: 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...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Intense aromas of blackberry and cassis meet with smoked meats, strong oak and light herbs on the toasty, layered nose of this bottling, which includes 21% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Chipped wood flavors decorate the...

Vinous, 96 points: Inky ruby. An assertively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe, mineral-accented black and blue fruits, candied violet, pipe tobacco and incense, and allspice and licorice notes emerge as the wine opens up. Powerful, spice-laced...

jebdunnuck.com, 97 points: The 2017 Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard is slightly deeper colored (it's still translucent) and offers a gorgeous nose of ripe redcurrants, cherries, spring flowers, sappy forest floor, and ample spice nuances. With medium to...

Wine Spectator, 93 points: Sleek and multilayered, with dynamic yet elegant raspberry, grilled fennel and cracked pepper flavors that build structure and richness on the long finish. Drink now through 2030. 4,300 cases made. — TF

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Aromas of dried cherry, dark-red flower, smoked meat and black plum pudding come together in subtle ways on the nose of this bottling. The palate picks up more spice in the form of star anise and gingerbread, with...

Vinous, 95 points: 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...

jebdunnuck.com, 91 points: 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...

Wine Spectator, 90 points: A chiseled red, with notes of underbrush to the dried raspberry and red currant flavors that feature accents of persimmon and pomegranate. Cardamom details show on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 4,676 cases made. — KM

Wine Enthusiast, 92 points: Intense aromas of smoky oak, ripe berries and caramelized cherries make for a lush nose in this reserve bottling. It lands large on the palate, with smoked meat, black-cherry compote and oak-dust flavors, framed by firm...

Vinous, 95 points: Deep, shimmering ruby red. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes fresh red and blue fruits, baking spices and potpourri, and a zesty mineral overtone builds with air. Juicy, seamless and energetic on the palate, offering...

Wine Enthusiast, 90 points: 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...

Vinous, 92 points: The 2015 Pinot Noir Estate Sandy's is exquisite. Lifted and precise, with lovely overall balance, the Sandy's is wonderfully complete in 2015. All the elements seem to fall into place effortlessly. The 50% whole clusters...

Vinous, 95 points: 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...

Vinous, 96 points: The 2018 Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard Block 5 is a total knockout. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage give the 2018 so many shades of nuance. A dark, somber expression of Pinot comes through loud...