Red Wine from Santa Rita Hills

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 93 points: 93+ Once again, the 2015 Pinot Noir Estate Block M is the most complex Pinot in the range. It is also the only Pinot where the fruit feels like it has three, rather than two, dimensions. Translucent and yet powerful, with...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Light raspberry-sorbet notes meet with fresh fennel fronds, pepper and cinnamon on the nose of this bottling from Chad Melville and family. It's tight and tart on the palate, with dried cranberry, pine needle and...

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 94 points: The 2013 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard is another delicious, vibrant Pinot Noir from Jeannie Bonnaccorsi. Sweet red plum, mint, lavender, game and sage open up nicely. Intense but also translucent in style, the 2013...

Wine Spectator, 91 points: Starts trim and focused, and then the fruit accelerates and expands, with a burst of spicy raspberry, fresh earth, wilted rose and black licorice. The texture smoothes out, but this is appealing for the zesty personality...

View From The Cellar, 94 points: (94+) The 2014 Sanford and Benedict bottling of pinot from Sandhi is truly a stunning young wine. The very complex nose wafts from the glass in a complex blend of dark berries, black cherries, a complex base of soil...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: Similar to the Mt Carmel 3 5 bottling, except with more tension and vibrancy, the 2013 Pinot Noir Mt Carmel Vineyard spent 16 months in 33% new French oak, with the balance all in neutral oak, before being bottled...

Vinous, 92 points: The 2015 Syrah Estate (Sta. Rita Hills) is very pretty, but like all of these 2015s, it also needs time to be at its best. Floral and lifted, with tons of energy and tannin, the 2015 is shaping up to be a real beauty...

Decanter, 94 points: The most lovely bramble fruit notes hover over raspberry and red cherry aromas, set against a touch of smoke. The winemakers believe that structure should come from the grape rather than oak, and thus 80% of the fruit was...

Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: This new project from Steve and Chrystal Clifton from Palmina and formerly Brewer-Clifton is exciting and tasty. Plump red cherry, fine-grained clove, allspice, nutmeg, sage, kola nut and a touch of chile spice show...

Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: All manners of sultry hibiscus greet the nose on this wine from Doug Margerum's cool-climate brand, alongside scents of crushed peppercorns, strawberry juice and a slightly barnyard smoked meat element. The palate shows...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: The silky and finesse-oriented 2014 Pinot Noir Terraces (60% destemmed and aged 14 months in neutral oak) offers tons of dried flowers, spice, red currants and sweet cherry fruit in a medium-bodied, nicely textured and...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: It’s hard to pick a favorite from this new music-inspired lineup by Steve and Chrystal Clifton, but this slightly older vintage wins, thanks to its dense color, depth of mouthfeel and layers of aroma and flavor. The...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: Fleshing out beautifully since I tasted it from barrel last year, the 2013 Pinot Noir Mt Carmel Vineyard 3 5 offers lots of minerality and saltiness to go with darker-based fruits, crushed violets and cassis. Slightly...