Santa Barbara

• Santa Lucia Highlands
• Santa Rita Hills
• Santa Ynez Valley

This is 87% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah and 1% Grenache.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, black raspberries, slight spice and some roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Medium tannins.  Seems to be at peak.  Plenty of plums with a bit of black raspberries and slight peppery note.  Long finish.  Drink over the next five years.  A nice match with a stew on a cooler evening.  

I tend to buy a case of these every year and drink them all young.  They would last longer, but at least it helps me keep my hands off of the single vineyard wines.  There has been a change in the ownership of the winery but the wines seem to be consistent.  Purple in color opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, cedar, black pepper, slight black olive and char.  Full bodied.  Good balance.  This is a riper style of Syrah but not over the top.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit with some char and black pepper.  Nice finish.  Drinks great on its own and would

Honestly, I love Viognier from the Rhone Valley, but less so the full throttle Viogniers from California (usually with high alcohol).  Despite that disclaimer, I really enjoyed this.  Unique and different as it is.  Golden in color with green swirls.  The nose has green apples, slight floral notes and just a hint of peach.  Nice acidity.  Oily texture.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, the apples are present with a light minerality.  Long finish.  This drinks easy on its own and will work with some lighter foods.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

Another outstanding wine from Carlisle.  This one is a bit more playful than some, but just as enjoyable.  At least as good, if not better on Day 2.  Deep garnet in color with purple swirls.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, slight black olive, spice and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, nice black raspberry fruit with underlying spice and char.  Nice complexity.  Light but present tannins.  Nice finish.  A really enjoyable bottle.  Drank great on its own and worked with with a mushroom and potato dish.  Drink over the next seven to te

Jonata makes some spectacular wine that also have spectacular prices.  Todos (which means all in Spanish) is the blend of the rest of the wines that didn't get bottled individually and it is an excellent wine at a more down to earth price.  This vintage it is a blend of 45% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petite Verdot, 9% Petit Sirah, 5% Merlot, and the rest an assorted 6%.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, chocolate, black cherries, gravel and cassis.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It may get better but wit

This is a Trousseau from California.  Pale ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, some confectionary sugar but also a bit of aquarium water.  Think bodied.  On the palate, cherry fruit with a soft texture.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This had many similarities to the 2016 Frédéric Lambert Côtes du Jura Trousseau consumed along side.  It is fine on its own but worked better with an assortment of cheeses.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a blend from the better barrels of the single vineyard wines made by Jaffurs.  It is their top Syrah.  This vintage seems to be a bit "flatter" than others but is still quite good.  Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this took a couple of hours to open and then showed very nicely.  Black raspberries with some underlying char.  Light tannins.  Nice balance.  Nice finish.  This is close to peak but should drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  

Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  The nose has some cherry fruit with a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries.  This is clean, simple and probably a bit past its prime.  Still drinking well though.  Drink up in the next few years.  

Sometimes, one grabs the wrong bottle by accident from the cellar.  Such was the fate of this bottle.

Another winner from Jaffurs although this is still quite young.  Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, grilled meats, slight char and a whiff of violets.  Full bodied.  Very tight on the palate, it took some time to open.  Once it did, plenty of black raspberries, some blueberries, with underlying roasted herbs.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This needs another five years and should drink well for ten to twelve after that.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with pork or beef roast.