Aromas of mushrooms and bay leaf with a core of dried raspberries. Generous thanks to plenty of upfront fruit and a bright backbone of acidity that holds it all together.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Lingenfelder Vineyard is one of the more aromatic, high-toned Pinots in the Siduri range. Expressive floral notes meld into sweet red cherry, plum, spice and new leather. This parcel is a blend of Pommard and Martini clone Pinot. A dollop of whole clusters on the Pommard section adds an attractive lifted character that is especially evident on the finish.

Here too there is a whiff of herbal tea present on the slightly riper array of red currant, black cherry and subtly spiced nose. There is very fine verve to the round, supple and attractively textured medium weight flavors that are quite rich yet manage to retain good precision while offering fine length and depth on the powerful and focused finale. Once again there is a hint of warmth but it's not enough to materially detract from the overall sense of harmony.

Medium ruby color; tight, earthy nose with cherry and spice notes; firm, black cherry flavors, with tea and cola notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Earthy, tight Pinot; this one needs time to open up.

Coming more from the southern end of the appellation (it's mostly Pisoni and Sierra Mar), the 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands has come on like gangbusters since I tasted it from barrel last year. It gives up lots of blackberry and darker styled fruits, mint, cloves, crushed rock and underbrush to go with a medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, fruit-loaded style on the palate. Possessing beautiful fruit and no hard edges, it represents a killer value in Pinot Noir and should drink nicely for 4-5 years.

Medium ruby color; full black cheery aromas with savory spice and herb notes; some black cherry flavors with tea and mushroom notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Good fruit and earthiness highlight this Pinot.

There is a whiff of herbal tea to the cool, airy and pure red pinot fruit, raspberry and sandalwood-scented nose. I very much like the refined mouth feel of the delicious, vibrant and equally cool medium weight flavors that like several of the wines in the range display lovely delineation on the firm, dusty and ever-so-mildly austere finale. There is a backend hint of warmth but overall this beautifully complex effort should also reward a few years of cellaring.

Picking a favorite from the very impressive Siduri lot is no easy task as the best bottlings offer very different looks at the grape, but this distinctive, very complex, beautifully balanced working contends for top honors. Its intense, neatly composed aromas of ripe cherries, wildflowers, caramel and cream are followed up by deep, exceptionally well-focused, very long-lasting flavors that deliver fully on promise. It is so outgoing in character that it runs the risk of being drunk in haste, and it comes with a plea for three or four years of cellaring.

Fermented with 15% whole clusters (the vintage had tiny berries and Adam said that even this small percentage yielded almost more stems than berries), the 2013 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard offers soaring notes of stems, spice, underbrush, flowers and juicy berry fruit in a forward, sexy and fruit-filled style. Called a love it or hate it style by Adam, it seemed classic Pinot Noir with stem influence to me. I'd happily drink it anytime over the coming 4-6 years.

A much more expressive nose speaks of ultra-fresh aromas of red cherry, raspberry, exotic tea and an interesting hint of lavender. There is lovely delineation and energy characterizing the medium weight flavors that deliver very fine depth and length on the dusty, intense and balanced finale. Like the Bucher this should definitely benefit from a few years of bottle age as it is presently quite firm. In a word, excellent.

Firm and rich, focused on a tight core of licorice-laced blackberry, cedar, anise and savory herb flavors, this turns tamer toward the finish, finishing with a full-bodied aftertaste.

Firm and rich, focused on a tight core of licorice-laced blackberry, cedar, anise and savory herb flavors, this turns tamer toward the finish, finishing with a full-bodied aftertaste.

Here the nose is comprised of essence of both red and dark cherry, dark raspberry and lovely spice nuances. I very much like the mouth feel of the sleek medium weight flavors that have good energy and detail before terminating in an intense, dusty, well-balanced and beautifully long finale. This is not especially refined as the tannins are prominent but this should be excellent with time. That said, this isn’t going to make for especially interesting drinking in its youth and would best be purchased by those who are willing to cellar it for at least 7 to 10 years.

Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. Glorious fruit is on display in this wine with aromas of blackberry and blackest cherry replicated on the palate. Flavors of spice and dark chocolate chime in. Smoothly textured, with lacy tannins and a charge of fruit on the juicy finish that leaves a hint of warmth in its wake.

Winemaker Adam Lee presents aromas of pressed elderberries and ripe black cherries on this single-vineyard bottling, boosted by hints of licorice and a touch of wet tobacco. Dark but not particularly ripe berries power the earthy palate, which also benefits from eucalyptus, sagebrush, mace and a hint of juniper.

Nicely ripened and moderately rich with an insistent impression of pulpy, black cherry fruit running its length, Siduri’s Sierra Mar working is at once both substantial and structured without being heavy or hard. Its finish is marked by a touch of tannin, but its very well-focused fruit refuses to let go, and, if service with food will smooth its way in the short term, a couple of years in the cellar are in order.

This is also restrained but persistent swirling eventually causes the nose to open to expose plum liqueur, spice and soft sandalwood nuances. There is once again fine volume to the lush, even opulent medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract that also serves to buffer the moderately firm tannic spine on the delicious, dusty and attractively persistent finale where a hint of warmth creeps in just as the length begins to fade away. Even so this is really quite good even if the balance isn't perfect.

The best Russian River Pinots evoke a wonderfully pure sense of distinctly cherry-like fruit even when quite ripe, and this lovely effort does just that. It leads with incisive, deeply fruited aromas that are sweetened with a deft touch of oak, and its generous flavors show an extra measure of substance and stuffing. It is fairly full-bodied and aims for direct richness right now, yet it intimates nuance to come, and it is a wine that is wholly worth laying down for a few years.

From another Sonoma Coast vineyard, the 2013 Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyard is outstanding. This wine, coming from four separate clones, offers blacker fruits, more forest floor and complex Côte de Nuitslike characteristics, in a slightly bigger framework than the three predecessors, along with plenty of depth and silky, soft tannins. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.

Soft and layered, this wine has firmness and depth to its structure, and is dark in brooding baked plum and cinnamon stick. A pungency of tight oak wraps its way around the fruit and savory spice, suggesting additional time in cellar, through 2023.

Moderate reddish purple hue in the glass. Perfumed with aromas of black cherry, earthy flora and mushroom. Sensual and smooth on the palate with mid weight plus flavors of dark cherry, boysenberry, cola and dark chocolate. I was impressed by the seamless character of this wine. The finish had picked up intensity and length when tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle.

On the lighter side, with delicate plum and guava flavors playing against crisp tannins and lively acidity, lingering on the gentle finish.

2012 Siduri Pinot Noir Six Years Later: Suspended in Time April 19, 2014 88, August 2018 91 Note: Oak and tannins became integrated over time and the fruit had picked up intensity. Slight alcohol on finish.

2012 Siduri Pinot Noir Six Years Later: Suspended in Time April 19, 2014 91, August 2018 91 Note: Pleasing still with fruit that aspires to a higher calling. The astringent finish detracts slightly.