Here we have a majestic, taught structured wine with an impressive ageing capacity and classic Cabernet flavours; sweet blackcurrant and liquorice Pontefract cake with lush smoky, charred characters. Powerful and forceful yet not too tannic. It's not refined or elegant but has caressing fruit. Highly recommended.

Plump and rich without being weighty, with well-defined plum, cherry, currant and blackberry flavors, all evenly dispersed. Ends with supple, graceful tannins and an echo of oak and licorice.

Plump and loaded with polished fruit, offering black raspberry and cherry flavors, with spice and cinnamon accents that linger on the finish.

Medium ruby; attractive, deep, earthy, black cherry and dark berry fruit aroma with a hint of anise; medium to medium-full body; forward, rich, ripe, dark berry fruit flavors with some suppleness in the mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Easy and enjoyable to drink now, though best to age for a few more years. Very highly recommended.

Incisive, very pure, well-ripened, cherry-like fruit is the mainstay of this full-bodied, yet wonderfully energetic working, and, as nice as its fruit may be, the wine is at least as notable for its impeccable balance and staying power. It is a big wine in many ways, but it is not an exercise in simple ripeness, and its tantalizing glimpses of layering and varietal velvet make it a risk-free bet for the cellar. Yes, it is lovely stuff even now, but patience will be rewarded with an even better wine yet, and, while we confess that we would not refuse a glass or two if poured now, we strongly urge that it be held for another four or five years. Two stars.

Hall/Walt wines of Saint Helena now has a long-term lease on the storied Clos Pepe Vineyard, but they have agreed to continue to sell grapes to a few accomplished wineries, and Siduri is happily included. In this outing, Siduri has come up with a deep and very precise, fairly full-scaled Pinot Noir that is as rich as it is beautifully balanced, and, for all of its heady and outgoing, ripe cherry fruit, it is still a long way from reaching its best. We concede that it offers lots to like now, but it is wine of great stamina with the right pieces in place to age famously, and we urge that it be held at least until its fifth birthday arrives. Two stars.

Here again, the richness and ripe fruit that is inherent in the best Pinots of this appellation are on full display, but, much like its local mates from Garys' and Rosella's Vineyards, this ample wine does not give itself over to extremes. It is a decidedly full-bodied working to be sure and delicacy is definitely not its forte, yet the true cherry fruit of Pinot Noir is always in view. Tag it for service with appropriately rich foods along the lines of Pot-au-Feu, Boeuf Bourguignon, or a Navarin of lamb. Two stars.

Medium-light ruby; attractive, fragrant, floral, raspberry and cherry fruit aroma with hints of baking spices and forest floor; medium to medium-full body; elegant, silky, red fruit flavors with bright acidity and a relatively soft mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Easy and enjoyable to drink now, but as for all of Siduri’s Pinots, worthy of a few more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Marked by a very sure and sustained sense of nicely extracted, but slightly withdrawn fruit, yet a Pinot Noir of slightly brooding potential rather than one that leaps sweetly from the glass, this one from Sonoma Mountain marries black cherries and rich oak in a deep and fairly solid, well-structured mix. Suppleness will come, as will increased sophistication, but only with additional age, and the wine has the look of one that is guaranteed to repay big dividends for collectors willing to lay it way for five or more years. Do not make the mistake of pouring it too soon. Two stars.

On the tighter side of the spectrum as befits an Oregon-grown Pinot Noir, this still-nascent bottling opens with air to reveal clear varietal focus on ripe red cherries with both strawberry and slightly toasty notes. Its nose accurately presages the wine's firmly built flavors, but there is keenly crafted character here and plenty of encouragement that an increasingly accessible and enjoyable wine will emerge with a few years in bottle. Two stars.

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.

Deeply spiced and buttery, with concentrated flavors of pear tart, apple pastry and ripe melon that glide across the palate. Ginger and toasty notes show on the rich, creamy finish.

Pierre and Monique Seillan partnered in this property with Californians Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke in 2003. Its 60 acres of vines are located on a hillside of chalk and clay facing south and southwest. Pierre Seillan is not afraid of extract or new oak, and Lassègue is typically a rich wine. The 2014 is powerful juice, rounded with notes of cedar and spice. It’s a lovely wine in a clean style.

This has a stern oaky, blackberry and plum nose which is in some way imposing. The grippy tannins are in harmony with the alcohol and a veneer of elegant oak. It is still assertive and will settle down, but it has impressive fruit and persistence. Highly recommended.

Aged in French oak for more than a year (20% new), this is a full-bodied and layered wine. Strong aromas of French butter and baguette dominate the nose. The midpalate offers more brightness, revealing high-toned accents of apple blossom, lemon and mango wrapped in tart acidity before returning to the richness of crème brûlée on the close.

California-based Siduri cellared and bottled this wine, which was vinified in Oregon. It’s a forward, fruity, full-flavored effort, with just enough acidity to support its plush fruit, and it seems to lighten up as it lingers. Overall an aimiable, drinkable style, with fresh strawbery and raspberry hard candy flavors.

Medium-light to medium ruby; attractive, forward, ripe, red cherry aroma with floral notes; medium to medium full body; elegantly styled, slightly plummy, red fruit flavors with good depth and balance; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Initially a bit tight, though developed with airing and very appealing to drink now. Very highly recommended.

Sappy, plummy and bright, this captures the warmth and concentrated purple fruit of the Santa Lucia Highlands without overreaching. There’s a floral buzz and earthy richness at the end, and those savory aspects feel satisfying as they play against the fruit’s sunny sweetness.

Medium ruby; initially reticent, black cherry and dark berry fruit aroma with notes of baking spices and toasty oak; medium-full body; rich, textured, cedary, black cherry and dark berry fruit flavors with good acid balance and a silky mouthfeel; medium to medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Developed depth and intensity as it aired in the glass, and easy to drink now, though deserving a few more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Pinot Noirs from the Santa Rita Hills vary widely in style from ripe and rich to leaner and more tightly wound, and this particular bottling falls within the former camp. It leads with relatively full and fairly juicy, black cherry aromas that are enriched with a deft touch of sweet oak, and ripeness comes through loud and clear in the ample flavors that follow. It is on the plump and full-bodied side, but it gets a good lift from acidity in the late going, and it offers plenty to like at the moment even if it has room for a few years of positive growth. One star.

Medium-light to medium ruby; attractive, initially restrained, earthy, red and black fruit aroma that developed with airing; medium to medium-full body; rich, earthy, cherry and dark berry fruit flavors with a hint of cola; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Appealing to taste now after some airing, though deserving a few more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Ever so slightly held back in ripeness when measured against its slighter bigger, more muscular companions, this year's Ewald edition is a vigorous, well-structured, medium-full-bodied Pinot that smacks of a cooler site without sacrifice of fruity substance. It is fleshy and firm in feel and just tight enough in the late-going to beg for a bit of age, and, if less flashy than some, it is a deep and well-defined wine whose fruity credentials are never in doubt. Tag it for drinking in the mid-term. One star.

Medium-light ruby; attractive, fragrant, herbal, cherry and strawberry fruit aroma with a hint of cola; medium to medium-full body; forward, earthy, nicely balanced, elegantly styled, red fruit flavors with some richness in the mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now, though best to bottle age for a few more years. Very highly recommended.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. This nose is entirely seductive over time, exhibiting aromas of black cherry, fertile soil and warm spices. A very forward and friendly wine featuring middleweight flavors of black cherry and blackberry fruits that have an expansive presence in the mouth and finish with stellar length. There is a significant tannic backbone and the right touch of nutty oak.

This well-made wine is fermented in both stainless steel and neutral French oak. Aromas of freshly cut grass and honeysuckle dominate on the nose, while flavors of fig and lemon peel come into play on the racy palate.