A powerful, ample wine, the 2014 Pinot Noir Clone 23 is wine more of impact than of subtlety. There is plenty of depth to the dark, boldly sketched flavors. Ripeness is pushed to the edge, but the wine clearly has the breadth and shoulders to handle all of that intensity.

The 2015 Chardonnay Bench Break offers up notes of ripe apricots, honeydew melon and grapefruit with touches of brioche and toasted almonds. Medium-bodied, it has a pleasantly creamy texture with tons of stone fruit and citrus flavors, finishing long. Awesome value! And with a production level of 77,500 cases, there’s plenty of this amazing value wine to go around.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Rita’s Crown has pretty, floral scents with notes of violets and dried roses over a core of cherries and mulberries, plus a waft of anise. Medium-bodied, elegant and refreshing, it has a solid line of chewy tannins and a nice long earthy finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay Nielson Vineyard is a powerful, intense wine built on breadth and textural intensity. The personality of the Wente clone comes through in the wine's oily, phenolic richness. At times, the Chardonnay feels like a red wine structurally.

Shows good cut to the dried berry and dark cherry flavors, flanked by plenty of cedar and spice details. The minerally finish is fresh and pure.

The Hapgood is the most obviously ripe and flamboyant 2015 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir. In many ways, it harks back to the older style of Brewer-Clifton wines. Even so, this site appears to naturally excel in this style. Hard candy, cola, menthol and spice build as this racy Pinot shows off its extroverted personality.

The 2015 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is a very pretty appellation-level wine. Sweet red cherry, plum, rose petal, mint and crushed flowers are all pushed forward. Whole-cluster influence comes through in the wine's aromatics. This classy Pinot from Brewer-Clifton shows the more refined style that is the norm here these days.

Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has fragrant herbal notes of Provence herbs and wild thyme over a core of red cherries and cranberries plus a waft of dusty earth. Medium-bodied, it delivers a wall of refreshing red berry and earthy layers supported by chewy tannins a lively backbone, finishing long.

The 2015 Chardonnay Hapgood plays in the tropical end of the flavor profile, with racy fruit, oily texture and tons of density. This is the most obviously ripe and overt of the Brewer-Clifton Chardonnays.

This opaque and very dark purple colored Pinot Noir from Oregon is very good. It opens with a mild blackberry bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied, nicely balanced, juicy and comes alive. Its flavor profile is a very tasty blueberry and cherry blend with notes of nicely integrated minerality and light oak. I also detected a hint of clove towards the end. The finish is dry and its moderate tannins are manageable, but stick around for quite some time for a Pinot. This wine is very tasty and will not last long. I would pair it with beef bourguignon. Very good+.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Pedigreed fruit runs through this wine that features aromas and flavors of strawberry and black cherry fruits with a thread of tobacco oak. Impressive length in the mouth and a drawn out finish in a middleweight style that is welcoming and forward drinking.

Sourced from four vineyards at the northern end of the Willamette Valley (Muirfield, Hawks View, Arbre Vert and Shaw Mountain). · Moderate garnet color in the glass. The nose picks up interest over time in the glass, displaying hi-tone aromas of fresh strawberry, cherry, allspice, burnt tobacco and bramble. Very tasty and vibrant offering a mix of deep red and purple fruits. Juicy and refreshing and tres Oregon.

Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Gracious aromas of dark cherry and berry, granola and toast. Plenty of black raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavor to satisfy in a fruit driven, mid weight style with complimentary oak in the background. Perfectly fine, with some, but not exceptional length on the finish.

Medium-light to medium ruby color; attractive, forward, deep, intense, spicy, red currant and dark cherry fruit aroma with hints of forest floor and baking spices; medium to medium-full body; rich, textured, earthy, dark cherry and red berry fruit flavors that are nicely balanced and show good depth with a silky, elegant mouthfeel; medium to medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Appealing to taste now, though worthy of a few more years of nottle aging. Very highly recommended

Medium ruby; attractive, intense, earthy, spicy, blueberry and black cherry fruit aroma with hints of dried herbs and forest floor; medium to medium-full body; nicely balanced, earthy, fleshy, blue and red berry fruit flavors with good depth and concentration; medium to medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Appealing to drink now, though also shows good aging potential. Very highly recommended.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Shy, but pleasant scent of cherry, ripe berry and dried herbs that builds in aromatic intensity over time in the glass. Intense, mouth filling attack of black raspberry, blackberry and cassis flavors that really alert the senses. The tannins hold the fruit in check and the fruit-filled finish is noticeably generous. One senses the alcohol on the lips.

Medium-light to medium ruby; attractive, deep, spicy, raspberry and dark cherry fruit aroma with earthy notes and hints of dried herbs; medium to medium-full body; rich, earthy, red fruit flavors with bright acidity, a hint of cola, and some suppleness in the elegant mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable now, though best to age for a few more years. Very highly recommended.

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Comforting aromas of dark berries and sandalwood. Sleek and polished on the palate, with middleweight flavors of blackberry, black raspberry and spice with an earthy undertone. More darkly fruited than usual for Rosella’s. The tannins are woven in nicely and the sweet fruited finish satisfies. There is the slightest sense of alcoholic warmth on the finish.

Medium ruby; attractive, forward, deep, cherry fruit aroma with herbal notes and hints of baking spices; medium to medium-full body; crisp, tight, red and dark fruit flavors with firm structure, good acid balance, and some richness in the mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Deserves a few more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Chardonnays to suit all palates and pocketbooks For those who prefer the tropical fruit Chards, my best value is the very consistent Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve. KJ has been a consistent winner in the under $14 Chard category as long as I can remember. The 2015 has a lovely honey, vanilla nose that evolves to pineapple, mango, and papaya with citrus accents bursting on your palate like an extra-ripe grape. A hint of toasted oak reverberates through the long finish, 91 points.

Dark red-ruby. Musky aromas of cassis, plum and licorice, with a complementary suggestion of barrel char. Plump raspberry and mocha flavors show an almost grapey quality for a Cabernet at age 20. Delivers an attractive balance of sugar and acidity but comes across as a bit aggressive next to the winery's Cabernet Bosché bottling as the still-youthful, building tannins show a dustier character and less refinement.

Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard offers notions of ripe cherries, baking spices and potpourri with a hint of dried Provence herbs. Medium-bodied, 􀃒ne, fresh and elegant, it has great intensity in the mouth and a mineral-laced finish.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Syrah Sierra Mar Vineyard is scented of black plums and black cherries with a pepper and spice undercurrent and a waft of dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with expressive black fruits and rounded tannins, finishing long and peppery.