Medium ruby color; gentle, rich, dark cherry and oak aromas; rich, plum and spiced cherry flavors with cola notes; soft and silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Supple and well-balanced Pinot with deep flavors.

Elegant purple flower, black cherry fruit, a bouquet of white sage and a touch of graphite decorate the rich and vibrant nose of this wine by Adam Lee. The palate surrounds soft red brambleberry fruits, with thyme, rosemary and Earl Grey tea spicing the edges. It's both plush and herbal.

Medium ruby color; complex, spiced plum and cherry aromas with earth notes; full bodied, rich and focused plum and cherry flavors; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has really focused flavors and a long persistent finish. Originally published in issue #103.

Medium ruby color; complex, spiced plum and cherry aromas with earth notes; full bodied, rich and focused plum and cherry flavors; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has really focused flavors and a long persistent finish.

My favorite of the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2013 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard offers sensational purity and elegance in its darker berry fruits, crushed flowers, underbrush and hints of mint. Seamless, silky and refined, it still has plenty of fruit and texture, and shows terrific focus on the finish. I'm a fan and this bottle drank beautifully over the three days I had the bottle open. It will have a decade or more of overall longevity.

I was blown away by the 2013 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard. It's a gorgeously complete, balanced and still structured 2013 that offers rocking notes of cassis, black cherry, crushed rock and forest floor to go with a medium to full-bodied, textured and concentrated feel on the palate. Easily one of the riper, larger framed and powerful wines in the lineup, it nevertheless has the fruit to drink nicely today. It should be at its best from 2017-2023.

Medium ruby color; lively cranberry and floral aromas; complex, layered cherry and strawberry flavors on a lithe, silky frame; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex and layered Pinot that deepens with time in the glass.

Supple and sleek, with elegantly layered violet, raspberry and orange peel flavors that build richness and expression on a long finish.

Elegant yet dynamic, with violet, raspberry and spiced cinnamon flavors that build richness and structure toward refined tannins.

Impressively structured and expressive, this features refined raspberry and cherry flavors, accented by orange peel, smoky spice and clove notes, building drama toward polished tannins.

Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness Limpid ruby-red. Intensely perfumed cherry, blackberry, Indian spice and vanilla aromas show excellent clarity and pick up cola and licorice notes with air. Stains the palate with sweet dark berry, cherry preserve and floral pastille flavors that show impressive depth and a strong supporting core of smoky minerality. Shows a surprisingly light touch for its depth and power and finishes with outstanding detail, youthfully gripping tannins and superb, floral-driven persistence.

Pretty rose/ruby color. Takes time but opens up to show deep red currant, red and black cherries, rose petals, spicy white pepper, clove, tilled soil. Crisp acidity frames the palate so well, but the tannic structure provides plenty of support without being harsh, and the balance is superb. Graceful but tart red and black cherries, some cranberry, tons of spiced black tea, tobacco, rose petals, white pepper, sage and earthy, floral complexities that linger long on the finish. This is a tightly structured wine that will probably see its best days five years from now, and age beautifully, but this an impressive young Shea Pinot from Penner-Ash.

Oregon: Pinot Still King Even In Hot 2015 and 2014 Vintages A very unique and perfumed nose here with rhubarb fool, cranberry crumble, mint, cherry blossom, slate, jasmine, lilacs, rose petals and nutmeg. By the contrast, the palate is very linear and precise with lots of grainy, fine tannins, bright fruit and a fresh, uplifted finish. Drink now or hold.

This ‘No Name’ bottling is a barrel selection by Penner Ash. Needing roughly a one hour decant to fully express itself, this starts off with beautiful red currant, rose petal and red cherry with forest floor aromatics. The palate is burly, almost Sonomaesque. Cherry cola, sassafras, wild strawberry jam and forest floor flavors complete this outstanding wine. Enjoy this great, beautifully textured, Pinot Noir over the next fifteen plus years.

Limpid ruby-red. An expressive, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red berries, cola, incense and vanilla, complemented by a sexy five-spice powder accent and a hint of smokiness. Stains the palate with sweet raspberry liqueur, spicecake, floral pastille and vanilla flavors that become more energetic as the wine stretches out. Shows a compelling blend of power and elegance, revealing no rough edges and delivering an impressively long, floral-tinged finish.

Firm, with fine tannins under a flowing beam of generous blueberry, currant and floral flavors. Comes together harmoniously on the complete and focused finish.

From select barrels, this “no name” reserve takes the signature elements of the winery's Pinots—notably forward, plush berry fruits and a strong whiff of tobacco—and punches them up to the next level. Big, solid, almost chunky with packed flavor, it touches lightly on lifted aromatics, and frames its tannins in dark chocolate.

Brilliant ruby-red. Exotic, highly expressive aromas of blackberry liqueur, Indian spices, cola and pipe tobacco, joined in the glass by a suave floral overtone. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering intense dark berry, cherry cola and spicecake flavors given lift and spine by juicy acidity. A distinctly plush, concentrated and seamless Pinot Noir that finishes impressively long and sweet, with lingering dark berry and spice character and velvety tannins sneaking in late.

The absolutely sensational 2013 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is from a mixed block of vines planted in 1927, dominated by Zinfandel. This is the smallest cuvée of all four of Adam Lee=s Zinfandels, with only 148 cases. Terrific aromatics that blast from the glass, offering notes of sweet kirsch liqueur, spice box, licorice, mulberry, roasted herbs, a touch of loamy notes and a big, peppery, meaty, full-throttle attack, mid-palate and finish. This is a great, classic California Zinfandel to drink over the next decade.

The 2015 Syrah Garys' Vineyard is killer stuff! Black and blue fruits, bacon fat, black olive and tapenade notes give way to a ripe, sexy, forward Syrah that has plenty of fruit, good freshness and a great finish. This is a classic, cool-climate style wine that's packed with Cali fruit. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years. The Novy label is for winemaker Adam Lee’s (of Siduri) Rhône blend and Zinfandel releases.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is fabulous. Rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous fruit density, the Carlisle is absolutely gorgeous. A rush of ripe cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, mint and hard candy all race out of the glass in a racy, flamboyant Zinfandel loaded with personality. The field blend at Carlisle yields a wine with tremendous aromatic intensity and exotic beauty.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 82% Merlot and 18% Malbec, the 2016 Merlot Mt. Veeder has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with sexy spiced plums, warm blueberries and potpourri scents with hints of fragrant earth, violets and dark chocolate. Full, rich, firm and oh-so-plush, it has a decantently fruited palate and a very long finish with some licorice hints coming through.

This delicious wine helps to chip away at the widespread stereotype that Merlot is a second-rate grape of a rather wimpy nature. Serious students of wine have always known that was merely a stereotype, but of course, wine shouldn't just be for “serious students” but for all of those who enjoy fine things in life. Moreover, those who’ve been hoodwinked by the stereotype aren’t usually to blame. There really was a lot of wimpy Merlot made over the years to be drunk as a cocktail, and then, the general sense that those wines were what the variety should be had the result of dumbing-down the category to prevent consumer disappointment. But enough diagnosis… let’s get on with the prescription: This is the cure for a whole host of mis-impressions, with excellent color saturation, rather brooding but still notable aromatics, truly full body, deep and quite ripe flavors recalling blackberries and dark cherries, a notable edge of oak, and a gutsy finish. Definitely a wine for the table rather than the bar, it is nevertheless very enjoyable right now with food, and wasn’t over-extracted or over-oaked to prove a point. Yet it does, indeed, prove a point.

Washington Wine Blog Top 100 of 2018 - #47 The Mt. Brave ‘Mt. Veeder’ Merlot is a stunning wine crafted by superstar winemaker Chris Carpenter. This takes on tar, mocha and anise with blackberry compote on the nose. The palate is plush, showing a marvelous texture and mouthfeel. Coffee grounds, anise, creme de cassis, red bell pepper and blackberry cobbler flavors all nicely mingle in the glass. This is a remarkable Merlot that is best enjoyed following a two plus hour decant.

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2015 Merlot Mt. Veeder gives evocative crushed black berry, blueberry and ripe plums with touches of pencil shavings, dried mint and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, firmly textured and with impressive freshness lifting the ripe black fruits, it has a lovely mint and spicy character coming through on the long finish.