From a vineyard made famous by Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer, the 2008 Chardonnay Upper Barn offers lemon zest, nectarine, honeyed brioche, citrus, and crushed rock-like characteristics in its full-bodied, beautifully textured, pure, dense, complex personality. It should drink well for a decade or more. These are far and away the most impressive Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

As hard as it to believe, the 2008 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is even better. A prodigious effort, it tastes like liquid rocks intermixed with tropical fruits, shortbread, subtle butterscotch, caramelized oranges, and candied apples. This beautifully textured, stunningly pure, loaded, long Chardonnay can be enjoyed over the next 6-10 years. These are far and away the most impressive group of Stonestreet Alexander Mountain estate wines I have ever tasted.

In the warmer part of the Sta. Rita Hills on the eastern edge of the appellation, this steep-sloped vineyard faces winds that blow in from the Pacific. The results are small clusters, small berries, and, for 2016, an early harvest. With aromas of mushroom and a touch of animale, this savory yet quite opulent red shows rich flavors of boysenberry, rose petal, and iron. Juicy, cinnamon-tinged cherries persist through the finish.

Deep ruby. Intensely perfumed raspberry liqueur, cola, exotic spice and potpourri aromas, plus a hint of smoky minerality that builds as the wine opens up. Densely packed and appealingly sweet, showing impressive depth and delineation to the sappy red berry preserve, spicecake, cola and floral pastille flavors. Gains power with air while maintaining energy. Smooth tannins build steadily, harmonizing with the vibrant fruit on an extremely long, floral-accented finish.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is a beauty! Deep, rich, and textured, with smoking good notes of cassis, raspberries, violets, toasted spices, and flowers, this medium to full-bodied, rich, concentrated Pinot Noir has a great mid-palate, a seamless feel on the palate, and a great finish. Seeing the standard 25% stems and a mix of new and neutral oak, it’s one of the finest Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted from Adam.

Lush fruits of boysenberry, plump raspberry and strawberry mesh with vanilla, nutmeg and allspice on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard off Drum Canyon Road. Black cherry and more vanilla make for a rich palate, but it’s cut by an edge of acidity, darker elderberry, savory shiitake and a bay-leaf character that rises on the finish.

Smoky, lightly toasty and dark fruit on the nose. Walnut too. Full body, layered and intense. Shows incredible depth. What a wine. Screw cap. Try it in 2019.

Siduri and the Santa Lucia Highlands are a particularly successful Pinot Noir partnership in 2015, and this one from Garys' Vineyard earns a place at the very top of this month's exciting roster of very good wines from renowned producers and sites throughout the state. It is, as its provenance predicts, a very rich and deeply draughted wine that makes no apologies for ripeness, but its top honors are earned for its uncanny combination of substance, structure, vitality and fruity precision. It is a wine that reveals a bit more with each successive sniff and sip, and, as fascinating as it is now, we cannot wait to see the ways in which five years of cellaring will work to make it all the more refined and complex. It is a keeper well worth seeking out. Three stars.

2015 PINOT NOIR, SIERRA MAR VINEYARD The nose is a buttery chocolate and herb with faint notes of grilled meat smoke and nectarine skin. The palate is fresh nectarine on entry continuing to the core with sensuous silkiness accented with herb and conifer. Wet stone on the finish.

There's a mineral backbone to this juicy and medium fruity wine. Medium to full body, light caramel and cedar. Linear and so intense. I love the traditional Northern California style to this pinot. Drink or hold.

Medium-deep ruby color; earthy, cherry and oak aromas; rich, deep black cherry flavors with savory earth notes; good structure and balance, long finish. Generous and rich Pinot with nice fruit. This is another great example of Pinot from the Keefer Ranch—definitely winemaker Adam Lee’s style and really good. Originally published in issue #103

Medium-deep ruby color; earthy, cherry and oak aromas; rich, deep black cherry flavors with savory earth notes; good structure and balance, long finish. Generous and rich Pinot with nice fruit.

Standing out from its more muscular and more obviously ripened cellarmates and seemingly a bit light by comparison, this year’s Keefer Ranch bottling deftly exhibits the pure and precise fruit that its site so often yields. Subtle and yet steady with plenty of depth behind its grace, it is a genteel wine of quiet authority. Those who are put off by big, lavish, very ripe Pinots will find lots to like here, but this very well-crafted effort has more than enough range and fruity richness to please the rest of us as well.

Medium-deep ruby color; tight and reserved aromas of oak and dark cherry; big, deep, rich dark cherry flavors with smoky and savory spice notes; some tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, complex Pinot that needs time in the bottle and glass to develop. Great with steak or grilled meats. Adam Lee really understands this vineyard and I think might produce the best of the Garys’ bottlings I see. This is a terrific wine worth your patience. Originally published in issue #99

Medium-deep ruby color; deep, complex plum aromas with earthy, smoky notes; rich, deep , layered plum flavors with smoky, earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex, layered Pinot with amazing depth. Drinks well now, but will also age really well. A great bottling from an iconic Santa Rita Hills vineyard. Originally published in issue #94

Oregon Displays Collective Greatness: 400-Plus Wines Rated This is a polished and complex young pinot that offers deeply spicy and ripe, darker cherries with attractive freshness. The palate delivers a suave, upbeat and very long, spice-laced array of rich, black-cherry and licorice flavor and carries deep into the fresh, even finish.

This limited bottling (350 cases, or about 14 barrels) from Penner-Ash is a stunning example of richly layered, lush Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Beautifully balanced, it offers a deep note of black cherry with a hint of plum and a judicious amount of wood spice that doesn’t overwhelm the fruit. With impressive length and a lingering finish, it’s a memorable effort.

Penner-Ash's flagship bottling leans into the dark side of Pinot Noir possibilities, with loads of black and blue fruit balancing rich damp earth, forest floor and brown spice aromas and flavors, a mouth filling texture and a long finish that doesn't push, but doesn't falter either -- it just hangs in from the initial presentation for a good while. This is ready to drink, either as a fine solo glass, or with red meat dishes. Wines where the acidity is this soft often have some weak spots, but this one works on all fronts.

Smooth and succulent with cherry notes; elegant, classic, and Burgundian; savory; balanced, and refined; a stunning example of what Oregon winemaking can accomplish.

Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Easy to find superlatives for this special wine with no name. Intense aromas of cherry, rose petal and forest floor, broadening over time to deeper tones. Delicious mid weight black raspberry, black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors that offer pleasing density and a mouth coating finish. Stunning mid palate presence with a dreamy texture, integrated tannins, and a deft touch of toasty, peppery oak. Considerably better when tasted later in the day from a previously opened bottle and still embraceable two days later. This is a celebratory wine for special occasions.

Aromas of tar and asphalt with strawberry and cherry character. Smokey. Full-bodied, chewy and polished with beautiful tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Complex.

Winemakers in the state of Oregon, which borders northern California, have enjoyed three consecutive outstanding vintages—2014, 2015, and 2016—and are making some of the most exciting pinot noirs in the world. The wines, which can emulate the best of Burgundy, have a unique purity of fruit due to the coastal state’s cool climate. Here are 10 outstanding examples after James tasted close to 300 in the Willamette Valley last October.

Tasting 2008 Oregon Pinot Noirs at Age 10 Open-textured and seductive, with cherry, pear, paprika and floral flavors. A sanguine note adds complexity. This has presence and stature.

The cult of minerality is on full display with this beautifully crafted old-vine Riesling from Oregon. On the nose it shows a breathtaking wet stone minerality that is rare in domestic Riesling. On the palate the wine is bone dry, exhibits complex aromas of tropical fruit, dried apricot and spice. The finish lingers impressively. Gorgeous now, but most certainly a wine that will reach new heights with significant bottle age.

A gorgeous dry Riesling from 46-year-old vines that delivers classic character -- granite minerality, mixed citrus and stone fruit, and a touch of petrol all ride lip-smacking acidity through a long, intensifying finish. I love wine like this as solo sippers, but you could run the table with it as well. Riesling like this goes with just about anything.