Lillian Syrah 2014

Leading off the reds, the Pinot Noir reveals a semi-translucent ruby hue to go with classy notes of spiced cherries, flowers, and loamy earth. With beautiful up-front fruit as well as some classic, Burgundian earthiness and complexity, it's a little gem of a Pinot Noir to enjoy over the coming 3-4 years.

The Antithesis of most California zinfandel. Birichino deliveries a classicaly styled wine of brambly, red, berry fruit, with bright acidity and roasted herbs de Provence. Great with BBQ, tomato based pasta sauces, and roasted pork.

This is a second label from Stephen Ross winery based in San Luis Obispo. Stylistically, Flying Cloud wines are hearty and balanced with pleasing aromas and flavors characteristic of the variety, with a sense of place or terrior and has supple fine tannins. Dark, clear ruby red color. Aromas of mulberry, boysenberry, cedar, and clove on the nose. With medium body and fine, silky tannins, this wine is all about impeccable balance and powerful elegance. Made from organically grown grapes.

Bigger and bolder than the previous Appellation Series Cabernet, this vintage will please most people at the table. You'll find plenty of sweet, ripe black cherry, black currant, framboise and plum, accented with just a touch of barrel spice. Tannins.

Hometown is an early bottling of the Santa Barbara cuvee and showcases the delicious fruit of young Pinot Noir. This three valley blend is made from grapes we source from vineyards near Los Alamos, Santa Maria, and Sta. Rita Hills. Commentary: The 2021.

John Lockwood has slowly but surely been redefining what California wine is about. His "Stained Glass" Grenache is so aptly named that it almost feels predestined. Made from 100% Grenache grown organically in several vineyard sites around the winery, this wine is all about red-fruited drinking satisfaction. Brambly/red fruits like raspberry and strawberry mix with kirsch, rose petal, black pepper, blood orange, iron, and dusty open road with a lipsmacking intensity and a fancy but refreshing finish that just begs to be served with a bit of a chill.

Eden Rift has some of the oldest vineyard sites that have been continuously under vine in California, with some sites having been planted as far back as 1849. Cienega Valley was a major production center in the mid-1900s before Napa and Sonoma took all the limelight. Tangerine peel, apple, white flowers, and a chalky minerality abound in this wine. This is a gorgeous Chardonnay that masterfully balances tension like the best of village-level Burgundy and the richness of Sonoma Coast.

Vacation in a bottle! Lychee, orange blossom, Thai basil, Apricot, and Grapefruit. The wine keeps going with layer on layer of waves washing over the palate bringing with them touches of tangerine, tarragon, and firm crunchy peach.

Stolpman Vineyards is situated in the hills of Santa Barbara's Coast, on a perfectly sculpted limestone outcropping that protects their vines from the Pacific Ocean winds. Committed to preserving this incredible natural environment through organic farming, dry farming, & sustainable employment, the winery also uses native fermentation & minimal manipulation. This 100% Sangiovese is indeed so fresh! Fermented carbonically, the Love You Bunches offers notes of crunchy red berries, tart cherries, and pomegranate, while remaining beautifully balanced with mild tannin making for an easy going yet wonderfully complex red wine. Best served with a slight chill, this light-bodied, zippy red is remarkably approachable, joyful, and just plain fun.

TOR Chardonnay / Beresini Vineyard Torchiana - 750ml, 2023

The Central Coast of California continues its run of making some of the best value Pinot Noir in California. Valle de Inez is 100% Pinot Noir from vineyards in and around San Luis Obispo that showcase the cool climate and distinct soil types of the region. This expressive wine offers layers of Bing cherry, dried cranberry, and allspice, leading to a supple palate of cranberry, bay leaf, and integrated tannins that carry into a soft, refined finish.

Precise and popping with bright energy, 2021 Love you Bunches Rose immediately wins you over in everything you want out of a scrumptious rose. Strawberry married with cool, firm peach. Breezy lemon-lime and lifting mint combine effortlessly through the light and playful palate. Smooth, with just a hint of refreshing tang as the curtain closes leaving you wanting more.

The Bassi Vineyard is located 1.2 mies from Avila Beach, just west of the Topotero Vineyard, tucked up in the hillsides of Avila Valley, facing due south. The vineyard was planted in 2001 to 29 acres on an 112 acre ranch. The soils are composed of sandstone, ranging from rock outcropping to sand deposits, a reminder of the close proximity to the sea. In the glass, this Blanc de Blancs shows a pale golden color and lively fine bubbles. First, the nose reveals bright citrus zest with hints of sea salt and levain dough. These notes reflect the coastal soils and slow bottle aging. On the palate, Meyer lemon and key lime flavors are balanced with a creamy texture and mineral backbone. Moreover, the finish is clean, refined, and long, with subtle oyster shell and saline hints that evoke the ocean breeze.

Situated five miles from the Pacific on the edge of Edna Valley, Le Fenil is shaped by winds flowing through the Los Osos-Morro Bay. Planted entirely to own-rooted Champagne clones of Pinot Noir, the early-arriving afternoon fog and steady ocean winds moderate heat accumulation, preserving the natural acidity essential for precision sparkling wine. Brilliant pale straw in color with a fine mousse. Lifted aromatics of stone fruit, citrus blossom, and tangelo zest. The palate is defined by vibrant acidity and crystalline purity, finishing bright and lime-driven with a hint of coastal salinity. Fruit-forward and acid-driven upon release, with aging potential through 2038.

Topotero Vineyard is a family-owned, 5-acre site in Avila Beach, planted in 2000. Situated just 1.3 miles from the Pacific, where the maritime climate has a profound influence on the vines. Their ranch is alive with gardens, orchards, pigs, guinea fowl, and the watchful eyes of hawks and owls. Foggy mornings and sunny afternoons preserved freshness and acidity while achieving full fruit maturity. Pale pink with a fine mousse. Aromas of wild strawberry, white nectarine, and citrus peel lead to crystalline flavors of finger lime, watermelon, and sea spray. Bright and elegant upon release, with aging potential through 2030+.

Stolo Vineyards is located less than 3 miles from the ocean, just south of Big Sur and west of the Santa Lucia mountain range in Cambria, California. Lucas and Nicole have helped to plant and farm this vineyard since 2010. The powerful cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean through fog and wind make this an extremely cool climate grape growing region. The nose exhibits an orchard fruit core with subtle tropical hints, pleasantly complicated by almond paste and pastry cream nuances. It is broad and textural on the palate, combining a subtle, layered richness with mouthwatering acidity that runs through the delicate and understated finish. A slightly more powerful wine from the Haliotide lineup.

The Lieu Dit Sauvignon Blanc beckons you in with a rich, tropical nose, then kicks down the door with a wash of lively, zippy acids that dance across the palate and tickle the tongue. Pineapple, mint, green apple and tarragon unfurl with ample weight, counterbalancing the wine's boundless verve and energy.

Scar of the Sea focuses on working with farmers who are instrumental in farming for the future and making wines with as little intervention as possible. Their wines are made with the intention to tell a story of where they come from, the people who farm them, and reflect each vintage under the California sun. In this case we have bracing and fresh Chardonnay from the SLO Coast! Zesty citrus, white pepper, and just a hint of reductive flinty character jumps out on the nose, while the palate shows a precise and welcoming mix of green apple, white peach, and just a slight note saline-tinger mineral character.

El Sendero Luminoso, which translates to “The Shining Path,” is named after an iconic rock climb in El Potrero Chico, Mexico that winemakers Natalie Siddique and Ryan Pace have a special fondness for. This red wine flips the classic Rhône GSM blend on its head, swapping out Grenache for the ultra-rare Vaccarèse - a grape so elusive, it’s found in only two vineyards in North America. Dark berry fruits mingle with violet and lilac floral notes, while the palate is generous and lush with a hint of wood grill and fresh lavendar.

A co-ferment of Riesling and Gewurtztraminer, this aromatic orange bomb is orange wine for people that like orange wines but also like refreshing and delicious wines without pretense. Intensly aromatic and flavorful, this wine features notes of orange blossom,chamomile, apricot, nectarine and bergamot. It is super high-energy, exotic, clean, focused and structured with a hedonistic touch.

The “Calcite” white blend is STiRM’s crisp, quaffable, everyday white that is infused with the distinctive minerality of the region’s soils. Named after the specific type of limestone found here, Calcite is a racy, mouthwatering blend made from several vineyard sites around San Benito County. This wine captures the unique terroir of warm days, cool nights, and mineral-rich earth that allow grapes to ripen fully while retaining vibrant freshness. It's completely dry, but generous with the fruit character, with flavors of ripe peaches and lemon zest and a texture a reminiscent of ocean water.

The Gularte Vineyard, located at the northern end of the Salinas Valley on River Road, just outside the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation takes advantage of Monterey County's mild climate which brings foggy mornings and windy afternoons. Bright and red-fruitred, this savory Pinot Noir shows incredible freshness and vivacity.

Not a rose, but also not quite a red, the 2025 Stirm Wine Co. 'Natrolite' Chillable Red is an organic, low-intervention table wine from the Cienega Valley that blends the light red structure of Cabernet Pfeffer and Pinot Noir with the aromatic freshness of Riesling. Juicy and exuberant, this wine is all about bright fruit, high acidity, low tannin, and serious drinkability.

Another of Smith’s terroir-driven cuvées, the grapes sourced from 52% Thomasen’s Split Rail and 48% Lester, the 2024 Syrah Sandstone Terrace is all black fruit and black pepper, with high acidity. Savory and sweet spices complement a cool-climate core of tight tannins and 100% whole-cluster intrigue, with less angularity and more velvety texture, gamey underbelly, and coniferous complexion than other vintages yet so much more to say.