Wine from Central Coast

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...

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...

Wine Enthusiast, 96 points: Dense in the glass, this blend of 58% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, 17% Grenache and 6% Tempranillo begins with intensely smoky dark fruits as well as blackberry jam, violet, wild sage and mint. The mouthfeel is full and rich...

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, 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...

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...

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...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2018 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict, sourced from the old, ungrafted vines, has pretty notes of pears, white blossoms, hazelnut and stone, with a silky, expansive palate that offers up an array of citrus, flowers...

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.

jebdunnuck.com, 97 points: The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated cuvée is the 2017 El Desafio De Jonata, which includes 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. It's another inky colored wine from this team and offers a brilliant...

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...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: 93+ The 2017 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict is pale to medium ruby and slowly reveals spiced cranberry, crushed raspberry, orange peel, tree bark and amaro hints with savory notions of peppered meats, dried rose petals...

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 91 points: This was previously called "Chardonnay Santa Barbara County," but winemaker Sashi Moorman says they've begun sourcing fruit from other areas of California like San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Lucia Highlands, so this...

Wine Enthusiast, 95 points: Deep and hearty aromas of stewed plum, blueberry and a touch of violet stay smooth and balanced on the nose of this blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache. The texture is immediately compelling, with firm...

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, 94 points: The 2016 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard comes from the Z block and is co-fermented with 2% Viognier. It has a very deep purple-black color with vibrant magenta hints and an exuberant, wonderfully powerful nose of black 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...

jebdunnuck.com, 95 points: The 2016 Pinot Noir comes from a great site on the western side of the SCM and was fermented with 40% whole clusters and spent 11 months in 25% new French oak. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with a rocking bouquet of ripe...

Wine Enthusiast, 93 points: This winery's Chardonnays have existed on their own unique plane since the days when Greg Brewer was the winemaker. There's a yogurt-like dairy kick to the nose alongside orange peel, dried pear and sea salt. The palate...

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...

jebdunnuck.com, 97 points: The 2018 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard comes from a site outside of Santa Maria and was brought up in 60% new French oak. Awesome notes of white flowers, white currants, toasted spices, honeysuckle and a...

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...

jebdunnuck.com, 96 points: The 2018 Nuts & Bolts checks in as 100% Syrah from a mix of vineyards that spent 18 months in 85% new French oak. This cuvée always delivers the goods. The 2018 sports a deep purple color, rocking Syrah notes of...

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 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...