This seductive Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley gets off to a good start with an inviting nose of violets and spice. It only gets better from there. On the palate the wine is exquisitely balanced, showing notes of raspberry and cherry with a touch of oak spice. The texture is silky and supple, made for immediate consumption, although the excellent balance suggests it will age nicely over the next five to seven years.

This full-bodied red is smooth and silky on the palate, swirled in tangy, tart acidity that buoys the concentration of power. Crisp red fruit and subtle undertones of earthiness and rose make for a succulent core built around firm tannin and integrated oak.

Moderate cherry red color in the glass. Welcoming aromas of cherry and baking spices. A streamlined style that is both sleek and suave, with discreetly weighted flavors of cherry and red plum. The tannins are well integrated, the oak adds the right amount of seasoning, and the delightful finish is blessed with a generous presence of juice cherry fruit.

Top Ten: California This wine has been good for a while and the price is more than fair. Look for a lively spicy entry with bright juicy dark cherry and a wash of dried herbs. The palate is plummy and smooth with a long, warm, spicy finish and round, soft tannins. Perfect oak for the fruit. A well-made pinot noir that should be a restaurant standard, it is a mix of seven clones from eight vineyards aged in 100 French oak but only 20 percent is new.

The 2013 Pinot Noir is one of the most expressive wines in the La Crema range. Succulent black cherry, smoke, leather, licorice and menthol are all fused together in the glass, while firm beams of supporting tannin give the wine its energy and overall sense of proportion. The is a real overachiever, not to mention one of the gems in this set of terrific new releases from La Crema.

This producer continues to up its game with this brand. This wine offers a smoky, luxurious experience defined by black-cherry spice, smoky oak and a thickness of chocolate. Textured and full bodied, it's made for fans of a richer, more concentrated style.

This is an impressive wine at the price and production level, a great go-to for multiple occasions. It delivers earthy, candied strawberry around a light, bright core, remaining soft and smooth in texture and intensity, finishing with a tease of milk chocolate.

This is an impressive wine at the price and production level, a great go-to for multiple occasions. It delivers earthy, candied strawberry around a light, bright core, remaining soft and smooth in texture and intensity, finishing with a tease of milk chocolate.

This lush offering opens with appealing aromas of rose petals and fresh strawberries, then glides into a smooth-as-silk midpalate. The berry/cherry fruit is nicely adorned with toasty barrel flavors, and it’s as satiny as new sheets. You’ll find it hard to keep from gulping this by the glassful.

Vivid ruby-red. Fresh red berries, cola, gingerbread and potpourri on the highly perfumed nose. Silky and sweet, offering intense strawberry and black raspberry flavors with suggestions of candied rose and blood orange. Shows excellent clarity and intensity on the spicy finish, with barely a hint of tannins. This suave pinot is delicious right now.

Smoky, Burgundian-like notes emerge from the 2012 Pinot Noir Ahmann Estate Vineyard, which is made from the Dijon clones 667 and 777, Calera, California Heritage clone of Swan, Wadenswill and Pommard clones. One-third new oak was used. The result is a wine that exhibits lots of black currant and black raspberry fruit intermixed with hints of mocha and wood smoke. This deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, impressive Pinot Noir can be drunk now and over the next 4-5 years. The good news is there are nearly 3,000 cases.

Bright ruby-red. Complex aromas of red berry liqueur, incense and rose oil, with suave vanilla and smoky mineral notes emerging with aeration. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that flesh out on the back half. Powerful but lithe and precise, finishing with strong thrust and silky, harmonious, slowly building tannins.

The nine-barrel selection 2012 Pinot Noir Nine Barrel finishes off the Dijon clones. It shows beet root, mulch, some herbaceousness, along with plum, black cherry and wild strawberry notes. If these wines can be criticized in any way, they’re probably not singularly different from cuvée to cuvée, but they’re all very attractive, fruit-forward, well-crafted wines.

Medium ruby color; deep, cherry/berry aromas with some toasty oak notes; rich, ripe, full berry and cherry flavors with earthy notes; some oak and tannin; good structure and balance; long finish. Full and rich Pinot that needs time in the glass to open up.

An intensely aromatic bouquet displays raspberry, blackberry, incense and vanilla. Lush and creamy, offering berry preserve flavors and a sexy rose pastille quality. Quite rich but surprisingly lively, with excellent finishing thrust and lingering florality.

Liquid velvet! Black cherry seduction with mouth-watering yearning for more. Please!

The 2010 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley is a beautiful, layered wine graced with exquisite aromatics, delineated fruit and firm yet well-integrated tannins. Everything here is first-class. Sweet perfumed notes are the threads that frame the fruit in this expressive, juicy Pinot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018.

Liquid velvet! Black cherry seduction with mouth-watering yearning for more. Please!

Deep ruby-red. Very ripe, fragrant aromas of cherry-cola, blackberry and licorice, with sexy oak spice and floral notes emerging with aeration. Deep and concentrated but vibrant, with ripe, penetrating cherry and dark berry flavors and good back-end lift. Finishes chewy and long, with firm tannins and a strong kick of bitter cherry. This will reward patience.

The outstanding, well-made 2007 Pinot Noir Carneros primarily comes from Dijon clones. Its dark ruby color is accompanied by complex aromatics of spice box, plums, black cherries, and forest floor. This velvety-textured, medium to full-bodied Pinot possesses silky tannins, good fresh acids and a vivacious, full-throttle style. Enjoy it over 4-5 years.

The Russian River pinot is hedonistic in style sporting plenty of mixed black fruits on the nose with streaks of barnyard in the background. Rich and supple, it is mouth-filling without too much sweetness. The finish is balanced with earthy strawberry notes. Delicious drinking pinot to accompany the turkey.

Medium-deep, ruby red color, deep plum and black cherry aromas with a touch of toasty oak; rich and concentrated black cherry and plum flavors, good structure, great balance and finish. This Pinot's balance just says it all. Everything is here that you want - all in balance.

Easily the richest La Crema of the crowd, this ripe and generous wine comes up long on fruit and richness, and it sports an extra sense of succulence to its accessible cherry, oak and orange-rind flavors. It is fairly full and viscous with a slightly softer feel than that of its mates, and it, too, is marked by scant touches of concluding heat and coarseness.

The terrific 2000 Pinot Noir Nine Barrels displays soaring aromatics of red fruits infused with smoke, mineral, and roasted meat aromas. More oak is obvious in the smoky, vanilla-like flavors. Dense, with good acidity, moderate tannin, and a chewy, fruit-filled finish...

Dark, earthy notes punctuate smoked-meat and bright cherry aromas. Turns leathery, spicy and meaty on the full-bodied palate, finishing with firm tannins. Structured, complex and built to age...