The 2006 Nebbiolo Stolpman Vineyard emerges from the glass with dark cherries, tobacco, licorice, smoke, leather, and cocoa. It spent 4 years in cask, which may have been a little on the long side considering how forward some of the aromas and flavors are. Today the Stolpman Vineyard comes across as a wine that needs to be enjoyed sooner rather than later. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. I can’t think of anyone who has done more to promote Italian varieties in California than Steve Clifton with his Palmina label. I admit I was intrigued with these offerings, and came away deeply impressed with most of what I tasted. I am still not 100% convinced all of these grapes have significant potential in California, but most of them do. Some of the wines remain works in progress, including the Lagrein and Sangiovese Undici.Tel. (805) 735-2030; www.palminawines.com

The 2005 Nebbiolo Stolpman has an orange hue to its medium ruby color and loads of spice box, licorice, and berry fruit. As I have written in the past, no one in California (and probably in the New World) is doing what Steve Clifton has managed to do working with Italian varietals in selected micro-climates in the Santa Barbara area. From the get-go, his dry, crisp, light to medium-bodied whites were a revelation for California, and he continues to dial up the quality of the Italian varietal reds, even managing to come close to conquering the hardest varietal of all for anyone outside Northern Italy – Nebbiolo.

The medium ruby-hued, fully mature 2004 Nebbiolo Stolpman Vineyard possesses tea, rose petal, and herbal characteristics and medium body, but the wine tails off in the finish. It should be drunk up over the next year or so. If you haven’t yet discovered Palmina, these are very impressive Italian-inspired wines from one of California’s most brilliant winemakers.Tel. (805) 735-2030; Fax (805) 735-2693