Brilliant ruby-red. Smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry-cola and mocha, with a floral quality building with air. Dense and velvety in texture, offering sappy red and dark berry flavors and complicating notes of star anise and candied rose. Silky tannins give grip to the long, sweet, expansive finish, with the floral and cola notes echoing strongly. This sexy wine is dangerously drinkable right now.

Delivers a rich, focused, dense core of blackberry, black licorice, cedar and lavender, gaining depth, length and persistence on a long, full, layered finish.

Delivers a rich, focused, dense core of blackberry, black licorice, cedar and lavender, gaining depth, length and persistence on a long, full, layered finish.

Coming from three separate blocks in the vineyard (two of which are completely exposed to the brutal Sta. Rita winds), the 2013 Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard is juicy and fresh, with lively black cherry, currants, violets, spring flowers and spice characteristics giving way to a terrific palate. Medium+-bodied, silky, refined and layered, with excellent mid-palate concentration and overall balance, it's another terrific 2013 that will drink nicely for 5-7 years.

Vying for top honors among Siduri’s impressive lot of 2013 Pinots, this involving and very well-crafted offering is as long on precision and winemaking polish as it is deep and defined in its optimally ripened, distinctly cherry-like fruit. It is at once ripe and lively with exemplary balance and a long, layered finish, and, while big on flavor, it is wonderfully lively and always light on its feet. It is the kind of Pinot that will grow and last for a long time, but, even though there are good reasons for waiting, it is absolutely delicious right now.

Ripe raspberry juice is spiced heavily with cloves rendered in butter and flashes of black pepper on this wine by Adam Lee. It’s fresh and flavorful on the powerful palate, with lots of black spice, vibrant berry juice and fresh thyme on the edges. This wine is alive with energy and verve.

All types of tea, from black to nettle to Greek mountain to chamomile, show on this wine’s herbally powered nose, with bits of sagebrush and wild berries thrown in for good measure. Tea elements also power the palate, along with cranberry fruit and raspberry leaf, held together with grippy tannins, at least for this grape.

Fresh raspberries, red cherries and even blackberries arise on the juicy nose of this wine from Adam Lee, but it’s lifted by wild mint, hummingbird sage and damp coyote scrub. The palate is very herbally spiced, with thyme, marjoram, black cardamom and charred pine, laid across dried strawberries, cranberries and sour cherries, all tied together by serious grip…

Ruby-red. Lively and sharply focused on the exotically perfumed nose, displaying aromas of raspberry liqueur, cherry and potpourri. Juicy and delineated on the palate, conveying very good depth and alluring sweetness to its mineral-accented red fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors. The sweet, penetrating, gently tannic finish clings with striking vibrancy and floral persistence.

Showing the tension and focus that's common from this vineyard, the 2013 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard is harvest from three different blocks in the vineyard, with the harvest between each block spanning as much as five weeks. Bright, perfumed and lively, with excellent ripeness in its cassis and black raspberry fruit, violet and wet stone aromas and flavors, it opens up nicely with time in the glass and has beautiful minerality that comes through on the finish. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and structured, with notable tannin, it should benefit from a year in bottle and have upward of a decade of overall longevity.

Winemaker Adam Lee goes big on this bottling from the vineyard planted by the two Garys (Pisoni and Franscioni), showing bacon fat, blackberries and graphite on the nose. Once sipped, it veers more tart, with cranberry and just-ripe raspberry picking up some complexity from thyme herbs.

Vivid ruby-red. The nose offers an array of fresh dark berry and floral scents, along with suggestions of cola, incense and allspice. Sweet and expansive on the palate, displaying intense black raspberry and lavender pastille flavors that deepen and spread out with aeration. Smooth tannins come up slowly to add grip to the long, fruit-driven finish. Distinctly suave Pinot with serious sex appeal.

Brilliant ruby. A complex, mineral-accented bouquet of red fruit preserves, incense and rose oil, with a smoky note emerging slowly. On the palate, sweet, penetrating raspberry and rose pastille flavors deepen with air while maintaining vibrancy. Distinctly suave and open for business, finishing with wonderful clarity and length and no rough edges.

Medium-deep ruby color; rich and forward aromas of cherry and spicy oak; deep, vibrant black cherry flavors with spice and dark chocolate notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Deep, rich Pinot with a lot of spice and structure.

All about finesse and elegance, the 2013 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard is a classic expression of the vineyard. Giving up beautiful notes of Bing cherries, rose petal, mint and sappy flowers/underbrush, the acidity that's so common from this vineyard is nicely woven into the wines fruit and structure. Medium-bodied, elegant and silky, it has a lip-smacking finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. Enjoy this pretty, deftly textured and elegant Pinot Noir over the coming 5-6 years.

Brilliant ruby. A heady, exotically perfumed bouquet of candied raspberry, cherry-cola, anise and woodsmoke. Sappy, penetrating and alluringly sweet, offering palate-staining red and dark berry flavors and a hint of mocha. Smoky minerals add lift and cut to the strikingly long, incisive finish framed by silky tannins.

Medium ruby color; bright, earthy, cherry cola aromas; rich, lively cherry and plum flavors with spicy oak notes; silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. This is a Pinot with lively and juicy flavors.

2012 Siduri Pinot Noir Six Years Later: Suspended in Time April 19, 2014 94, August 2018 93 Note: My favorite wine of this vintage except Pisoni Vineyard (not reviewed again here).

The flavors fan out in this firm, spice-driven mix of earthy berry, dried herb and savory notes. Gains focus and depth.

The flavors fan out in this firm, spice-driven mix of earthy berry, dried herb and savory notes. Gains focus and depth through the finish, with the berry flavors taking on subtle nuances that bode well for the future.

A striking Pinot that gushes with pure, ripe, snappy wild berry, blackberry, raspberry and blueberry flavors, cascading on firm tannins and snappy acidity. A remarkably youthful and vibrant effort that promises to reward cellaring and gain in the future, ending with a burst of floral and berry accents.

Big yet deftly balanced, presenting rich blackberry, blueberry and raspberry notes, with toasty and smoky oak, ending with a fistful of chewy tannins. The flavors push past the tannic finish. Should reward short-term cellaring.

Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness Vivid ruby-red. Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe red berries, mocha, cola and candied flowers are sharpened by a peppery note. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering bitter cherry, black raspberry, dark chocolate and exotic spice flavors that are supported by a firm underpinning of juicy acidity. Finishes very long, smooth and smoky, with repeating florality and velvety, even tannins that come on late. (25% new French oak)