Sultry cooked red plum and mulberry fruit meld with rust, mace, sarsaparilla and a touch of wood smoke on the nose of this bottling from the oldest commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Smoked pork loin aromas meet with deep red fruit and the sweet tang of cherry skins on the sip.

Spice, wild strawberry, sappy flowers and black raspberry notes all emerge from the 2014 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard. It comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley AVA and the same vineyard where the Pinot Noir Monument is sourced. This medium-bodied, supple, very polished, elegant and seamless beauty has no hard edges, very fine tannin and a great finish. Destemmed and aged 16 months in 41% new French oak, it's another example of the quality coming from this cool, ocean-influenced AVA.

Exhibits a mix of smoky rhubarb and dried dark berry flavors, shaded by gravelly earth nuances. Ends up satisfying, if ordinary. Drink now. 1,984 cases made.