Limpid ruby. A complex, deeply perfumed bouquet evokes fresh dark berries, cherry cola and potpourri, and a hint of mocha emerges with aeration. Juicy, expansive black raspberry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors stretch out and become sweeter and more lively with air. Shows excellent clarity and breadth on the persistent finish, which is framed by harmonious, slow-mounting tannins. In a decidedly generous style, but this wine doesn't want for vivacity.

Bright ruby. Ripe blackberry, cherry cola and violet pastille aromas are lifted and given focus by a smoky mineral nuance. Suave, alluringly sweet dark berry, cherry liqueur and spicecake flavors develop a touch of vanilla with air. Shows impressive depth and power but vivacity as well, finishing with impressive breadth and length and a late jolt of firming tannins.

Oregon: Pinot Still King Even In Hot 2015 and 2014 Vintages This pinot noir shows aromas of cherries, blueberries and licorice. Floral undertones, too. Medium to full body, silky and velvety tannins and a long and deep finish. Drink now or hold.

Ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, cherry cola, candied licorice and mocha take on a suave floral element in the glass. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering intense dark berry and violet pastille flavors sweetened by a building note of vanilla. The cola and vanilla notes come back steadily on a very long, penetrating finish that's framed and given grip by smooth, harmonious tannins. For a rich wine, there's quite good energy here.

Deep red. An explosively perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red and blue fruits and pungent flowers, while vanilla, incense and Asian spice notes add complexity. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering intense black raspberry, boysenberry and spicecake flavors plus hints of mocha and cola. Finishes sappy and impressively long, featuring excellent energy and lift, smooth tannins and lingering dark berry and floral notes.

Firm and peppery, with a sleek core of pomegranate-tinged red plum and floral flavors gliding seamlessly into a long and expressive finish. A graceful style, displaying presence.

Sporting the AVA's classic, concentrated black-cherry fruit, this carries a strong whiff of fresh cut tobacco. Those flavors control the palate, with lemony acids and a light touch of spice.

This appellation blend performs as well as the single-vineyard expressions by the same vintner (at least early in the wine's life). From Adam Lee, this bottling offers fresh blackberry, violet, lilac, lavender, charcoal, beef and white pepper on the nose. The palate is full of peppery, boysenberry-juice flavors, wrapped in an engaging texture.

Peppery, boysenberry-juice flavors, wrapped in an engaging texture.

The 2014 Syrah Sierra Mar Vineyard reminds me a top flight Cornas with its black and blue fruits, pepper, bouquet garni and ample minerality. Showing more black olive with time in the glass, drink this medium-bodied, supple, beautifully polished Syrah anytime over the coming 7-8 years. It's another smokin' value released by Adam under his Novy Family Wines label.

Adam Lee's bottling from an iconic vineyard offers thick black fruit on the nose as well as fields of fennel and a dense array of purple flowers including lavender. Ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit make for a warm palate, lifted by roasted fennel and lots of tarragon and wild mint.

The best Syrah from Novy Family Wines in 2013 is the 2013 Syrah Susan's Hill. Coming from a tiny, windy spot in the Pisoni Vineyard, it offers gorgeous notes of cassis, toasted spice, licorice and savory herbs in a full-bodied, elegant, seamless package. I love its purity and balance, and it's incredibly easy to drink. It's a killer value to enjoy anytime over the coming 5-6 years.

Another terrific Syrah, the 2013 Syrah Garys' Vineyard offers rockin' notes of cassis, underbrush, creamy licorice, toasted spice and hints of bacon fat to go with a full-bodied, rounded, voluptuous and thrillingly textured feel on the palate. This is a full-flavored, sexy, yet distinctive Syrah that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face over the coming 5-7 years. At the price, it's a no brainer.

Pinot Noir pro Adam Lee shows his Rhône colors with this cool-climate bottling that offers scents of black pepper, violets, purple fruit and fried pork. It’s both lush and energetic on the palate, presenting dark blackberry flavors but with acidic verve. An exciting look at the grape’s varied potential.

Inky purple. Powerful dark fruit liqueur and potpourri scents are lifted by an exotic Asian spice nuance and a suggestion of smoky minerals. Sweet, seamless and concentrated, with intense dark fruit liqueur flavors offering a suave blend of richness and vivacity. A spine of juicy acidity sharpens the lush fruit on the finish, which lingers with superb tenacity and subtle, sneaky tannins that quickly fade away.

The 2013 Zinfandel Papera Ranch is slightly richer and more classic than the Russian River, from a vineyard planted in 1934. The wine is 97% Zinfandel and the rest mixed old-vine black varietals planted probably by the first or second generation of Italian immigrants. The wine has a deep ruby/plum color, a big sweet kiss of steak tartare, beef blood, blackcurrants, sweet cherries, baking spices, herbs and new saddle leather. It’s rich, ripe, full-bodied and opulent. This is a beauty to drink over the next 6-8 years.

From a rocky vein of soils in the vineyard, the deep inky colored 2015 Syrah Ramal Road offers a rocking bouquet of black fruits, black olive, smoked meat, and bacon fat. It offers medium to full body, beautiful purity, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. Aged in 25% new French oak, drink it anytime over the coming 7-8 years.

Very savory and dense on the nose, this bottling by Adam Lee shows smoky roast beef and smoked-pork-shank aromas as well as concentrated black currant and dried purple flowers. The palate is fresh, lively, tense and dense all at once, and needs a bit more time for the black-plum flavors to unfurl and acidity to mellow.

Bold black raspberry and bacon fat aromas open to layered, polished blueberry and peppered black licorice flavors that lead to refined tannins.

Vivid purple. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, olive paste and peppery spices, with a sexy floral overtone building in the glass. Stains the palate with sweet blackberry, boysenberry and floral pastille flavors that unfurl slowly and gain energy with aeration. Youthful tannins shape the finish, which hangs on with impressive, dark fruit-driven tenacity. I really like this wine's interplay of depth and vivacity.

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to purple color. The very enticing nose has blackberries, licorice, smoked meat, black pepper, baking spices, blueberry, dried herbs, minerals and dark chocolate. This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity. Spicy fruit with a nice meaty presence grabs hold of your palate with pepper and some earthiness coming in later. This has a nice lingering finish which again highlights the meaty elements with chocolate and fruit in the background providing nice sweetness. This is very nice with impressive balance. This wine has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

Has personality and polish with expressive black raspberry, garrigue and smoky pepper beef flavors that glide toward refined tannins. Syrah, Mourvèdre, Viognier and Grenache.

2016 ZINFANDEL, CARLISLE VINEYARD The nose is a deep chocolate and mint with plenty of rich dark fruits and spice. The palate is a sweet, polished plum and cherry with firm blackberry in the core. Excellent depth and concentration with youthful acidity.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Zinfandel Limerick Lane Vineyard is dark, powerful and virile, as wines from this site tend to be. Bright acids and firm tannins are attractive complements to the wine's intense personality. Black cherry, lavender, menthol and gravel notes all run through this potent, deep Zinfandel.

Comprised solely of old-school Swan and Calera clones, this bottling offers red cherry-cinnamon-mocha foam on the well-integrated, multilayered nose, along with some heartier plum and vanilla. It tightens on the sip to reveal strawberry fruit but also oregano, raw beef and lots of florality.