The Santa Lucia Highlands appellation is Monterey County’s most celebrated location for wine, and its reputation was built on rich, dramatic pinot noir. Pinots from producers like Pisoni, Roar, Siduri and Testarossa are highly sought after.

I taste pinots from several producers in the appellation on a regular basis, but it has been a few years since I had attended the annual tasting held by the Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans. More than 30 wineries were represented at the tasting in Carmel Valley, and most of them make pinot noir, so it was an opportunity to get a wider view of what’s happening in the appellation. Most pinots were from 2013 and 2014.

There’s little question that fans of ripe, bold pinots will love these wines. I generally expect to find a few that are over the top with their ripeness, but I was dismayed by how pervasive this overripe character was at the tasting. Many of the wines were simply heavy, without much freshness or charm. And this from an appellation that’s marked by its moderate climate.

The Santa Lucia Highlands is an 18-mile-long strip of land that climbs up the western edge of the Salinas Valley into the lower slopes of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Temperatures vary along the length of the appellation: The northern end is just 16 miles from chilly Monterey Bay, so it’s colder and foggier than the south. Really hot temperatures are rare, and afternoon winds from the bay whip down the valley most afternoons, cooling the entire appellation. A number of winemakers have told me over the years that the grapes have such high natural acidity that they have to wait for levels to drop before they pick.

Maybe some of them shouldn’t have waited so long. Admittedly, 2014 was a warmer vintage. But wineries like Morgan, Testarossa and McIntyre managed to make pinots that are lively and balanced. What happened elsewhere?

Among the highlights from the 2014 vintage were the spicy 2014 Morgan “Twelve Clones” Pinot Noir ($34) and the more powerful 2014 Morgan from Garys’ Vineyard ($60); the structured yet pretty 2014 McIntyre Estate Pinot Noir ($42); and the 2014 Roar Pinot Noir from Sierra Mar Vineyard ($52), which has an attractive forest floor note.

Lucia Vineyards, a label owned by the Pisoni family, poured the lively, spicy 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($45), as well as the 2014 from Soberanes Vineyard ($60), which has a slight floral note. The 2014 Testarossa Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($45) is plump and lively, while the same winery’s 2014 from Dos Rubios Vineyard ($64) is more structured. The 2014 Siduri Pinot Noir from Pisoni Vineyard ($60) is a ripe, concentrated wine that dances right on the edge but retains some liveliness.

A few wineries were showing 2013 pinots. The 2013 August West Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($32) exhibited nice freshness, while the 2013 August West Pinot Noir from Peterson Vineyard ($45) added a touch of forest floor to its pretty fruit. The 2013 Wrath Pinot Noir from Boekenoogen Vineyard ($49) has ample bright fruit and a subtle leafy note, and the 2013 Wrath McIntyre Vineyard Pinot Noir ($49) is quite aromatic and supple. The 2013 Manzoni Estate Home Vineyard Pinot Noir ($35) offers bright flavors of crushed strawberry.

As you can see, a lot of Santa Lucia Highlands pinot noir, especially the single-vineyard bottlings, have gotten very pricey. But there are still some decent values to be had, like the 2013 Talbott “Logan” Pinot Noir ($28), a structured wine with spicy raspberry and cherry flavors, and the 2014 Luli Pinot Noir ($25), which displays pretty strawberry, cherry and spice, along with firm tannins. (Luli is a joint project of the Pisoni family and Master Sommelier Sara Floyd.) The 2014 Hahn SLH Estate Pinot Noir ($30) is dark and spicy with nice freshness.

I also made a point to taste the syrahs in the room. At its best, Santa Lucia Highlands syrah has the sort of savory nuances that invite comparison to wines of the northern Rhone. There were some good examples at the tasting. The 2013 Wrath Syrah from Doctor’s Vineyard ($39), for example, is quite aromatic, with white pepper, roasted meat, blueberry, spice, a hint of lavender and fine tannins.  The 2014 Joyce Syrah from Tondré Grapefield ($32) displays juicy berry, accented by notes of white pepper, smoke and lavender, while the 2014 Lucia Syrah from Soberanes Vineyard ($55) has dark fruit, notes of smoke and roasted meat, and firm tannins. The 2012 Manzoni Estate Home Vineyard Syrah ($32) is full-bodied and fresh, with ripe berry and white pepper.

The Santa Lucia Highlands Wine Artisans will hold their annual gala from 1 to 4 p.m. May 14 at Mer Soleil Winery. General admission tickets are still available for $95; click here for more information and to purchase.