Pale gold. High-pitched lime zest, lemongrass, jasmine and chalky mineral aromas, with a deeper anise nuance in the background. Bright, racy and very precise, offering concentrated citrus fruit and floral flavors and a hint of iodine. Lingers with impressive tenacity, leaving mineral, smoke and floral notes behind.

Vivid yellow-gold. A heady, seductive bouquet evokes candied citrus fruits, papaya, poached pear and smoky lees, with slow-building florality. Palate-staining orchard and tropical fruit flavors are lifted and braced by tangy mineral and spice notes. Deep but lively, with excellent finishing power and resonating spiciness.

Was aged sur-lie for 14 months, and bottled unfiltered. It possesses more alcohol, fruit, concentration, and orange marmalade-like characteristics. Drink it over the 1-3 years.

Clean as a Pacific rain, when you open this bottle, the wine has virtually no aroma but for a hint of dust on grape skins. Still, at that first moment, it feels clean and wholesome, the texture supple and composed. With air, it develops through scents of pistachio toward orange zest and kiwi, holding onto that fresh and natural ozone character of the coastal rain.

Clean as a Pacific rain, when you open this bottle, the wine has virtually no aroma but for a hint of the dust on grape skins. Still, at that first moment it feels clean and wholesome, the texture is supple and composed. With air, it develops through scents of pistachio toward orange zest and kiwi, holding onto that fresh and natural ozone character of the coastal rain. A steal at $16, buy this one by the case.

Pinot Noir World Series

The 2017s From Sonoma Moving to the reds, the 2017 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate was brought up 30% new French oak and is a mix of 777, 667, and Calera clones. Plenty of smoked black cherries, spice, and charcoal notes emerge from the glass, and it’s medium-bodied on the palate, with terrific purity and freshness as well as balance. It’s another incredibly high-quality release from winemaker Randy Ullom.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) is one of the more generous, sensual wines in this range from Kendall Jackson. Sweet red berry, mint, blood orange and rose petal are all finely sketched. Succulent and racy, with lovely resonance, the 2017 is enticing from the first taste.

K-J's Grand Reserve is well worth the upcharge from the Vintner's Reserve. This seductive and delicious wine is practically irresistible for its combination of abundant ripe-fruit and baking-spice flavors. It offers an indulgent, luxurious texture of melted tannins and mellow acidity.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Pinot Noir Outland Ridge emerges from Kendall Jackson's highest elevation vineyard in Anderson Valley. A burst of sweet dark cherry, plum, and spice infuses this super-expressive, layered Pinot. Deep, dark and impeccable in its balance, the Outland Ridge builds nicely in the glass.

Another wine from the Petaluma Gap region, the 2016 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate is based on clones 667 and 777 and was completely destemmed before aging in 34% new French oak. Pretty and elegant notes of black cherries, classic forest floor, and spice all flow to a complex, medium-bodied, floral Pinot Noir that over-delivers at its price point. There are just under 2,000 cases made and it’s well worth seeking out.

The Jackson Estate wines are usually a couple of steps above K-J Vintner's Reserve. Full ripeness and a moderate vein of sweet-seeming oak make this full-bodied wine taste sunny and appealing. Black-cherry and baking-spice aromas lead to juicy generous fruit flavors.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 12 months in 31% new French oak, the 2016 Jackson Estate Appellation Series Pinot Noir Anderson Valley has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and displays an earthy nose of tilled soil, fallen leaves and truffes with a core of red and black cherries and mulberries with a touch of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, it completely coats the palate with vibrant red and black fruit, framed by fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Anderson Valley comes from three vineyards (Boont Ridge, Falk, and Philo) in the Anderson Valley and spent 12 months in 30% new French oak. It offers beautiful red currants, dried earth, dried spices, and loamy earth as well as medium-bodied richness and depth. With bright acidity, a clean, balanced profile, no hard edges, and outstanding length, it should drink nicely for 4-6 years.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Aged 11 months in 42% new French oak, the 2016 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge is medium ruby-purple colored and struts out of the glass with flamboyant Morello cherries, cranberry sauce and wild blueberries scents with hints of violets, oolong tea, spearmint and mossy bark. Medium-bodied, it has a solid structure of fine-grained tannins and great freshness, finishing long with a minty lift.

Lightly smoky and spicy oak nuances top off this deeply fruity and concentrated wine, which has firm tannins and good acidity to support its richness. Almost-sweet plum and black cherry notes form its core, while vanilla and baking spice notes complete the picture.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Anderson Valley has earthy/savory notions of underbrush, fungi and mossy bark over a core of warm cherries, red currants and Bing cherries. Medium to full-bodied with a chewy backbone framing the vibrant fruit, it finishes with earthy layers.

This is a fruity wine that overflows with cherry, plum and raspberry aromas and beautifully ripe pure flavors along with some rhubarb and herbal accents that add complexity and interest. It's full bodied, and has a silky-smooth texture.

This full-bodied wine is complex and detailed from the spicy perfume to the finish, and rich and satisfying in the middle. Aromas like black tea and rhubarb lead to ripe and deep cherry and slightly tangy raspberry flavors that are lifted by moderate tannins and linger on the finish.

This rich, mouth-filling wine starts with almost-sweet floral, plummy, oaky aromas, building toward ripe cherry, strawberry and black plum flavors and a smooth texture. Everything, from its deep color to its lingering finish, suggests a bold personality.

This is a big, muscular wine with great structure and lots of enticing spicy oak and fruit flavors. It's full bodied, firmly tannic and very appetizing.

Classic Monterey Pinot, dry, crisp, silky and ripe. The fine 2007 vintage has made it explosive in cherries, currants, sassafras and cola, with refined, new oak notes of smoke and spice. Drink this rich wine now through 2013.

Cherry jam, barnyard, spicy, soy, celery, vanilla, cardamom, prune plum aromas. Ripe, round, rich, supple palate with good acidity balance. Smoky, spicy, savoury, celery salt, carrot, orange, cherry jam, plum and vanilla flavours with some tea leaf notes. A bit warm but there is delicious fruit and textures for current drinking. The biggest change here is the finesse and elegance this wine is developing as the vines age. The nose is ripe with bits of celery salt and soya and red fruit aromas mixed with dried herbs. The mid-palate is silky smooth and soft with delicious earthy, strawberry, spicy fruit flavours. It's still aged 10 months in 100 percent French oak but the new oak in the '07 edition is down to 43 percent that seems to be helping this pinot show better richness and complexity.

The latest Seco Highlands pinot is another jump up in finesse and elegance. There is also more black cherry fruit this year, and a little less of the spicy, carrot top and rhubarb flavours. Fine mid-palate weight, with smoky black fruit in the finish. Refined textures. It is aged 10 months in 100 percent French oak and 50 percent of that is new. Impressive.