2010 Dolcetto Santa Barbara County

As the vineyards Steve Clifton sources for his fruit mature, he believes he'll soon be able "to really see what the potential is to make wines with an Italian sensibility with California fruit." It's a curiosity that with the varied climates available in the Golden State, not to mention its long, deep history of Italian immigrants, so few outstanding wines have been made from Italian varieties here. As has been noted in these pages over the years, Palmina is likely doing the best job of anyone in the state right now. Clifton told me that his winemaking has settled into a groove but that he still tinkers and adjusts, "especially with the whites right now." That's especially evident with his two tocai bottlings, which show the potential for that grape to make wines that are either racy or dense. The recent set of red wines here was impressive up and down the line and I was especially taken by the "little wines" from '09, which offer exuberant fruit and noteworthy complexity.