In my last column, I recommended several pinot noirs from norther California appellations. Here are my recommendations from central and southern California.

Monterey. Several locations in Monterey, including Chalone and Arroyo Seco, are capable of producing very good pinot noir. But the remote Santa Lucia Highlands, with sloping vineyards and gravelly loam soils, has emerged as a truly world-class source.

• Talbott. Luxury tie-maker Robert Talbott launched this winery in 1982. He acquired the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in 1994, joining the family’s acclaimed Diamond T Estate Vineyard in the Carmel Valley. Where Diamond T’s extreme conditions yield powerful wines, Sleepy Hollow’s location 18 miles inland shows earthier and more mineral character.

The 2010 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard ($40), crafted from a selection of the vineyard’s finest blocks, has good depth, lush texture, and a lingering finish. The 2010 Logan ($25), named after Talbott’s son Robert Logan, is crafted using grapes from the Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in a lush, medium-bodied style with flavors of ripe cherry and blueberry. The 2010 Kali Hart ($21), named after Talbott’s youngest daughter, Kali Hart, is a bright, red-fruit expression of Talbott’s estate-grown grapes.

• J. Lohr. Forty years ago, when Jerry Lohr was looking for a location to start a winery, he decided to gamble on the mostly unknown Central Coast, selecting the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County for his first vineyard. Part of the Vineyard Series, the 2010 Fog’s Reach ($35) reveals fresh fruit and herb/spice notes, accented with hints of tea and smoke.

Arroyo Grande Valley. Located in San Louis Obispo County just south of Monterey, moderate temperatures with sedimentary and volcanic soils make Arroyo Grande an oasis of pinot noir in a county otherwise known for Bordeaux and Rhone varietals, and zinfandel.

• Laetitia. First planted in 1982 by French viticulturists who found conditions similar to those of the Champagne region, the property was purchased in 2001 by a successful wind-power developer and champion of environmental sustainability. The structured, complex 2010 Reserve du Domaine ($40) is what a Champagne producer would call the Tête de Cuvée (“head of the vintage”), a selection of individual barrels that represent the best that year.

The 2010 Estate ($25), a blend of ten pinot noir clones on the Laetitia property, is an elegant rendition of the property’s fine fruit.

Santa Barbara County. Santa Barbara’s major wine-growing areas are different from other California regions because of the east-west orientation of the coastal mountains and valleys. This topography allows fog and ocean breezes to flow briskly inland. Although there were no wines in my tastings from the Santa Ynez Valley or Santa Rita Hills, I had several excellent samples from the Santa Maria Valley.

• Byron. Founded In 1984 on the Santa Maria Bench, on the eastern edge of the Santa Maria Valley, Byron is now a premier member of the Jackson family portfolio. The winery likes to say they create wines that combine the finesse of Burgundy and the power of California. The 2010 Monument ($60), a blend of the best barrels from the paramount blocks at the winery’s Nielson Estate, certainly fits tag line. It is complex and ethereal, bursting with fruit, floral, licorice, oak, spice and mineral elements. The 2010 Nielson Vineyard ($34), from Byron’s estate vineyard, is about half as expensive as Monument, but is way more than half as good.

The 2010 Santa Maria Valley ($29) is supple and expressive. The 2010 Santa Barbara County ($18) is lighter but has good fruit in an immediately approachable style.

• Alta Maria. A collaboration between viticulturist James Ontiveros and winemaker Paul Wilkins, Alta Maria specializes in pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. The 2009 Santa Maria Valley ($28) is luscious and beautifully balanced.

• Pali. Named after the Pacific Palisades on the coast just west of Los Angeles, Pali is a 7-year-old wine company whose business model is similar to the négociant model in Europe. It buys fruit from various growers in California and Oregon with the goal of making wines that speak well of their origin and their varietal. The 2010 “Huntington” Santa Barbara County ($23) is expressive and distinguished by mocha and anise elements.—Rich Mauro has been writing about wine since 1995. He is a policy analyst for the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Reach him at rich@rmpeoplespalate.com or 30 S. Prospect St., Colorado Springs 80903.