One of my favorites in the lineup was the 2016 Pinot Noir Perry Ranch Vineyard, which comes from a cooler site in the Russian River (this use to be Keefer Ranch Vineyard). Medium-bodied, silky, and beautifully balanced and elegant, it has complex notes of salty minerality, ripe cherries, currants, and crushed violets. I love its balance, purity, and length, and would happily drink bottles over the coming decade.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands The 2016 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard comes from a great site on the eastern end of the Sta. Rita Hills and was completely destemmed. Black raspberries, smoked earth, graphite, and ample minerality give way to a fresh, focused, nicely concentrated Sta. Rita Hills effort that has good acidity, and spice, pepper, mineral, fresh and focused, with plenty of focus and cut. It too has a decade of longevity.

Deep bright red. Musky dark berry cherry cola and floral oil aromas are complemented by smoky mineral and exotic spice flourishes. Broad and sweet on the palate offering intense black raspberry cherry liqueur and spicecake flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Shows outstanding energy and floral lift on the strikingly long seamless finish which betrays just a hint of fine-grained slow-building tannins.

Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Lucia Highlands An estate Adam has worked with since 2000, the 2016 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard saw 35% stems and roughly 40% new oak. Bing cherries, strawberries, rose petals, and spice all emerge from this complex, elegant, layered beauty that has fine, fine tannin. This beauty has a vibrant, perfumed character and is another beautiful wine.

This is a heady, powerful and delicious wine from a famous vineyard by veteran winemaker Adam Lee. Plump red cherries, star anise and vanilla shine on the nose, leading into a beautifully full palate loaded with red currant, dark cherry and baking spice. The acid sings into the finish.

Limpid ruby. Heady aromas of black raspberry, cherry cola and candied rose, plus exotic spice and vanilla flourishes. Sappy and impressively concentrated, offering cherry liqueur, dark berry and spicecake flavors complemented by sweet suggestions of mocha and cola. Comes off rich as well as lively, with no rough edges. Tightens up slowly on a sweet, extremely long finish shaped by smooth tannins that add gentle final grip.

Santa Cruz Moutains and the Santa Lucia Highlands Seeing 30% whole clusters, the 2016 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard is a fruit-forward, rounded, sexy wine from this estate. Bing cherry, violets, wild strawberries, and sappy herb notes all flow to a vibrant, fresh wine that changes in the glass beautifully. It has good acidity and a lightly textured, elegant style that’s a joy to drink. It should keep for upwards of a decade.

Blueberry, shitake mushroom and floral aromas follow through to a medium to full body, fine and silky tannins. Long and flavorful. A fascinating blend of various clones that comes up so well. Screw cap. Drink now.

Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. A love able nose, with hi-tone aromas of redder fruits, potpourri and bark. Very charming in the mouth, with vivid flavors of earth-kissed cherry and strawberry backed by genteel tannins. Impeccably balanced with a compelling finish. This wine exudes charisma and is quintessential Central Coast in character.

Blue and red fruit wrap around ample, tangy acidity in this medium-bodied, velvety textured wine, so classically styled for the appellation. Pomegranate, rhubarb and floral rose are all highlighted along its gradual evolution in the glass.

Another brilliant wine from Adam is the 2015 Pinot Noir Bellflower Vineyard, and it comes from a tightly spaced site on Piner Road. It's a big, ripe, sexy wine that has considerable elegance and purity. Cassis, black raspberries, smoked earth and graphite notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, supple, gorgeously textured Pinot Noir that has polished tannin and a great finish. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

Black raspberries, spice, dried flower and a touch of forest floor emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Barbieri Vineyard, and it's a charming, rounded, ripe Russian River Pinot that has plenty of fruit and texture, a plump, sexy style and a good finish. It’s a downright classic example of the region and one of my favorites in the lineup. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

Expansive on the palate, with lively acidity, this is robust, ripe and complex. Its powerful core of strawberry-rhubarb fruit is layered with forest pine, rose, and crushed rock notes, the texture velvety thick but balanced.

Sporting a deeper ruby, almost purple-tinged color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Betty Ann Vineyard sees 50% new French oak and is completely destemmed. This is another rich, concentrated wine that offers terrific notes of crème de cassis, spice, toasted bread and licorice with full-bodied richness, ripe tannin and a great finish. It's not for those looking for lightweight aromas and flavors, but it has tons to love. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

2017 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans Second Team Wines Light ruby red color in the glass. A real charmer with seductive aromas of cherry, cranberry baking spices and earthy flora that hold up nicely over time in the glass. Juicy, forward and elegant, with a light to mid weight core of delicious Bing cherry, cola, red licorice and spice flavors. The wine has a balletic character with impeccable harmony and is thoroughly delightful.

Aromas of cherries, pomegranate, raspberry, red apple peel, complex combination of rose petal, floral tea, elegant yet the nose pops. Medium/full-bodied with a chewy texture, suave tannins and vibrant acidity. Black cherries, raspberries, red apple, cranberry jam, the fruit is complex and pure. Complexities of roses, rhubarb, black tea, light roast coffee. Everything is woven together in a fresh but juicy package. Lovely now but could do interesting things in the next five years. 11 months in 30% new French oak.

Limpid ruby. Expansive, spice-accented red and dark berry aromas show excellent clarity and pick up suggestions of cola and potpourri with air. Juicy, focused and appealingly sweet, offers intense black raspberry and spicecake flavors that tighten up steadily on the back half. Shows impressive depth and power and finishes sappy and impressively long, with slow-building tannins and an emphatic echo of juicy dark fruit.

2015 PINOT NOIR, PISONI VINEYARD The nose is massive slate, tobacco, herb, plum and botanicals. The palate is a solid black fruit with a silky underlying texture of spiced plum and assorted black fruit and berries with gorgeous layering.

Bing cherry, rose petal, violets, and hints of plum all emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard, and it's a beautifully elegant, silky, seamless Pinot that has a tight, fresh-focused texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. Elegant, yet also concentrated and powerful it's a terrific wine. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

The nose on this bottling from the iconic vineyard co-owned by the Pisoni and Franscioni families is quite sultry, with lots of violet and purple-flower aromas as well as mulberry, black raspberry, forest floor and grilled meat. The earthy fruit flavors of mulberry are strong on the sip, playing well with the loamy soils, dusty minerality, stiffer tannins and persistent acidity. A deep and layered wine.

2015 PINOT NOIR, GARYS’ VINEYARD The nose is a pepper-laced herb, saturated black fruit and hints of spruce. The palate entry is direct and focused blue fruit and mineral with notes of tropical orange. Excellent acidity.

Wet earth and mushroom with rose petal and dark fruits on the nose. Full and deep fruit. Fruit forward yet intense and poised. Intense finish. Screw cap. Drink now.

Aromas of dried meats, spice, mushroom, and dried fruit. Medium body, super-integrated tannins and a long and caressing finish. Love the texture. Fantastic wine. Screw cap. Drink or hold.

All dry-grown, ungrafted vines planted in 1991. Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2015 Pinot Noir Muirfield Vineyard displays a profoundly scented nose of kirsch, raspberry tart and pomegranate juice with nuances of wild thyme, red roses, damp loam and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate with intense red berry and earth flavors, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness. It finishes with great length and depth.

Adam Lee's bottling from one of the region's most famous vineyards is a winner for fans of the rich style of Pinot, lush with blackberry jam, lilac, cinnamon and gingerbread. The palate is similarly dense, soft and sultry, with tart olallieberry jam and plum jelly, but also lively with thyme, spearmint and a unique lemon verbena kick.