Top Ten: California La Crema pinot noir is always on the hedonistic spectrum emphasizing soft, ripe black cherry with a fair lashing of oak. In this case, there is a piney, spicy, smoky worsteshire ‘Oregon’ undercurrent that balances the overall weight and ripeness of this wine. This is just entering its prime drinking window but should be fine for another two or three years. Serve with turkey, pork or salmon to best effect.

Though a fruit-focused Pinot Noir, it delivers a hint of leafy flavors that keeps it in balance. Mild tannins lend support without intruding on its plush texture so it would be a good choice for drinking this summer. It finishes bright, not sweet, which is another plus. What’s truly amazing is the price -- a bargain for Pinot Noir.

Light cherry red color in the glass. Striking aromas of Bing cherry, cola and spicy oak hold up in the glass over time. Deliciously fruited core of cherry, strawberry and cranberry flavors enhanced by a touch of oak spice and nutmeg. Crisp and juicy, with milky tannins and a silky mouthfeel. A thorough enjoyable offering perfect as a daily table wine. A most outstanding value priced Pinot Noir and amazing quality considering the huge production.

This Russian River Pinot Noir is fresh and vibrant with supple tannins, which create a suave texture. Savory elements balance the fresh fruit notes. Not overdone, this Pinot Noir is an excellent choice for current drinking.

At 12,155 cases, the delicious 2013 Pinot Noir Russian River is the largest cuvée. It exhibits classic notes from Russian River, including loamy soil/earthy notes along with black cherry jam, baking spices and fruit cake aromas as well as a hint of sassafras. This is a meaty, fleshy, reasonably well-endowed Pinot Noir to drink over the next 2-4 years.

Juicy and crisp with bright cherry and spice; tangy and silky with spice and elegant style; long, bright and balanced.

Smooth and lush with dense texture and ripe berry fruit; rich and dense, ripe and balanced.

Pliant, open-knit and expressive, the 2013 is a super-classic Russian River Pinot built on exuberant fruit and pure raciness. Sweet red plum, cherry jam, spices and pomegranate are all pushed forward. Even with all of its up-front intensity, the 2013 retains plenty of energy and focus throughout. The 2013 is expressive and very nicely done.

Supple, velvety and well-focused, offering a deft mouthful of black cherry and apricot flavors, playing against polished tannins as the finish persists and expands.

Vivid red. Deeply pitched cherry and dark berries scents, with subtle floral and peppery spice notes adding lift. Broad and fleshy on the palate, offering bitter cherry and black raspberry flavors and a touch of licorice. In a plush, weighty style, finishing with strong punch and smooth, slow-building tannins.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley impresses for its overall harmony and balance. The style is rich, voluptuous and inviting, with tons of richness and pure volume. Raspberry jam, wild flowers, rose petals and spices wrap around the racy, inviting finish.

Deep red. High-pitched red berry and rose scents are complicated by suggestions of musky herbs and minerals. Juicy, tightly focused raspberry and bitter cherry flavor become fleshier with air and pick up a smoky nuance. Shows good breadth and thrust on the lengthy finish, which features fine-grained tannins and sweet touch of cola.

Young, vigorous red cherry fruit with a juicy, come-hither open aspect highlights the medium-volume, fairly rich and direct aroma here, and the openness presaged by the nose is invitingly evident on the palate. Fairly supple and polished for a newly minted wine, this one picks up enough structure towards the finish to make itself as welcome in the cellar as it is for current drinking with steaks and chops.

It pulls together toasty oak sweetness in the aromas and delicious ripe cherry and cranberry flavors with bass notes of black plum and clove. Full-bodied, it has firm but not tight tannins that add to the velvety texture.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley, which comes largely from their Maggie Hawk estate vineyard, is composed of the Wadenswill and Pommard clones. It spent nine months in French oak of which one-third was new. Lots of raspberry, blueberry and floral notes jump from the glass of this medium-bodied, deep ruby-colored, pure, textured, persuasive wine. Enjoy this seductive Pinot over the next 4-5 years.

Light and silky, with a nose of raspberry and cherry, hinting at green peppercorn on the deftly taut finish.

Bright red. Spicy red berries and rose on the nose, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Offers tangy strawberry and red currant flavors and a hint of cola, with a white pepper nuance adding bite. Finishes lively and focused, leaving behind sweet red fruit liqueur and orange peel notes behind. I like the blend of succulence and tanginess here.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco is another gorgeous wine from a region that is yielding excellent results for La Crema and other wineries in the Kendall-Jackson portfolio. Freshly cut flowers, violets, black cherries and mint all jump from the glass. Some of the other Pinots in the range might be sexier or hail from better known appellations, but savvy readers should pay attention to the Arroyo Seco bottling. It is a gorgeous wine and remains very fairly priced within the context of high-quality California Pinot. The 2011 is juicy, bold and flavorful, yet retains plenty of vibrancy and energy. If that all sounds appealing, believe me, it is. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.

This is a style of wine I debate about when scoring. For my own palate, it’s a bit too potent, ripe and heavy, yet there are legion fans of this style. I appreciate its myriad aromas of wild blackberry, cherry cola, dried herbs, tomato leaf and black spice. The palate is mouth-filling and juicy, with ripe boysenberry and plum flavors and a kick of spice -- but also alcoholic heat -- on the finish.

Vivid ruby. Dark berries, cherry-vanilla, roasted coffee, potpourri and underbrush on the perfumed nose. Creamy and expansive on the palate, offering sweet black raspberry and cherry compote flavors and an exotic note of candied rose. Silky tannins come up with air, adding grip to the juicy, nicely persistent finish.

Very nicely crafted, keenly focused red cherry fruit scents with a distinctive wild flower overlay and a kiss of rich oak set the stage for this full and supple effort, fairly open effort, and its ripe, fairly juicy flavors follow suit from front to back. It is invitingly friendly even now, and while it has the balance and depth to hold well in bottle, it is also quite easy to drink today. Still, for those with the will, it can age for few years yet.

Bright ruby-red. Strongly scented strawberry, cherry pit and raspberry aromas, with suave floral and herb accents. Supple, concentrated and focused, with nicely integrated acidity lifting red fruit and anise flavors. Finishes on a tangy note, with very good clarity and sneaky, fine-grained tannins.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Los Carneros is explosive in this vintage. Dark red fruit, flowers, new leather, French oak and spices all burst from the glass. A powerful yet juicy wine, the 2011 is endowed with tons of depth and persistence, not to mention terrific overall balance. Hints of licorice and melted road tar add an element of gravitas to the dark, brooding finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.