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Windy weather at bloom led to a small crop set, then another warm, drought-influenced season produced small berries with thick skins; the early buzz on the vintage is one of concentration and structure

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A year to forget for many Northern California producers, with a number of them not releasing wines because of challenging weather conditions, capped by wildfires during harvest leading to issues of smoke taint. Central and Southern California had an outstanding harvest, with a long, even growing season and normal-size crop. Choose carefully from Sonoma; plumb Santa Barbara for the top wines

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A benchmark vintage for California Pinot, with wines showing power, finesse and the structure for cellaring; moderate temperatures and an even-keeled season led to a leisurely harvest, while crop size was on the lower side

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Nearly perfect conditions resulted in fruit-driven and very expressive Pinots, yet the huge crop load means wines have notably less structure and energy than 2019

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Spring rains, a warm summer and a September heat wave yielded wines that are showy up front, but mostly lack structure; only Santa Lucia Highlands bucked the trend

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Multiyear drought ends as winter rains return; a warm spring and moderate summer delivered elegant wines

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Santa Barbara and Santa Lucia Highlands shine in a year marked by a large crop of tannic wines

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Even higher yields than 2013, with fleshy, forward, showy wines; Santa Lucia Highlands is a step ahead of the pack

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Another huge crop of generally high quality; Santa Lucia Highlands is a highlight

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Record-size crop with atypically tannic wines; best in Santa Lucia Highlands and Sonoma

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Rain wreaked havoc at harvest, resulting in lighter wines of uneven quality; Santa Lucia Highlands is the lone bright spot

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Weather extremes tested growers, yet vintage is strong, with structured wines from Santa Barbara and Sonoma

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Superb in Sonoma and very strong elsewhere, with scores of ripe, polished, deeply flavored wines

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Uneven year; top wines are complex and delicate

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Excellent year; ideal warm, early season, with ripe, complex wines

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A cool year with a large crop; uneven ripening and some diluted wines

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Sleek, balanced and elegant; large crop that got ripe at lower alcohol

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Excellent year; warm, early year, with ripe, concentrated, deeply flavored wines

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Very good if mixed; the best are rich, supple and harmonious

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Very good; dark, complex wines that have aged well

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A solid year with elegant, delicate, concentrated wines

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Lean, crisp wines of good quality, with few stars

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Sonoma and Monterey set the pace in a cooler year,with ripe, fleshy wines

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El Niño conditions resulted in a cool, wet harvest, but Pinot surprised, with some wines still showing well

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Excellent in Sonoma, with ripe, forward wines; leaner elsewhere

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