USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Jackson Estate Appellation Series Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir aged 13 months in 34% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple colored, it rocks up with bold red currants, cranberries and wild thyme scents with touches of tobacco and damp soil. Medium-bodied, it has a chewy frame and oodles of freshness, finishing on an earthy note.

Slightly more expensive than the Vintners Reserve, the 2016 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve (10 months in 25% new French oak) is similarly ruby-colored and gives up more framboise, spice, dried violets and hints of herbs in a fresh, lively, beautifully balanced package. It has good acidity, a graceful texture, and excellent purity. Again, it over-delivers at the price.

This is a spicy, oaky, full-bodied wine that’s alluring in aroma and rich in flavor. Hints of vanilla, nutmeg and coconut lead to broad, ripe cherry and raspberry flavors on a smooth and lightly tannic texture.

Wines of the Week: Classic Cali Pinot Noir – Under 20, 90 Points Bringing together aromas of cherries, raspberries, and boysenberries with suggestions of toasty vanilla and brown spice make the nose rather inviting. On the palate, flavors of cherry, boysenberry, and raspberry mingle among allusions of vanilla and toasted coconut. Fairly light and approachable, with a balanced acidity, it’s a must try if you can find it for under $15.

Jackson Estate's Anderson Valley Pinot Noir represents excellent value. First of all, it's from a premium Pinot district, and its modest price means you could almost make it your house Pinot. The clincher, though, is the quality in the bottle. Showing notes of ripe crushed berries and cola, it's bright and juicy on the palate and exhibits excellent length and a lingering finish.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate (Anderson Valley) is one of the most distinctive wines in the Kendall-Jackson lineup. Bright red cherry, blood orange, mint, white pepper and spices are all woven together in a pretty, expressive Pinot that hits all the right notes. There is plenty to like here.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve gives up red and black cherries and mulberries scents with touches of violets and cinnamon stick plus a waft of garrigue. Medium-bodied, elegantly styled and with great freshness plus silken tannins, it has commendable expression and vibrancy.

Dark red cherry, plum, sweet spice, menthol and licorice all run through the 2015 Pinot Noir Seco Highlands. Dark, bold and inviting, the Seco Highlands Pinot will drink well with minimal cellaring. This is an especially voluptuous style.

Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. The nose combines oak-driven aromas of cardamom spice and vanilla with aromas of mixed berry fruits. Full-bodied and lush on the palate, exhibiting a charge of sweet purple and black berry fruit flavors that are ripe but not overripe that are underscored with a compliment of oak and agreeable tannins. The higher alcohol adds sweetness and luxuriant body to the wine and is well integrated. A hedonistic, masculine Pinot Noir nicely composed in this style.

Another Anderson Valley release is the 2015 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge, which comes all from the Boont Ridge vineyard and spent 13 months in 44% new French oak. Deeper colored than most of the 2016s, it reveals a larger, deeper, slightly more reticent style as well as notes of smoked black cherry, red currants, dried earth, and spices. Deep, rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, it’s another outstanding wine from this lineup.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Anderson Valley is another tasty wine in this range. Sweet red cherry and plum are center stage. Delicate, mid-weight and gracious, but with lovely palate presence, the 2014 is a terrific wine to enjoy over the near term.

Distinctive for the rich, extracted flavors of earth, wild berry, gravel, road tar and licorice. Impressive on the finish, where the tannins offer grip and a measure of suppleness.

Kendall-Jackson is in a groove with all of its wines, and the 2014 Pinot from its Anderson Valley vineyard hits the mark. Distinctive for the rich, extracted flavors of earth, wild berry, gravel, road tar and licorice. Impressive on the finish, where the tannins offer grip and a measure of suppleness.

This wine is all about big cola and cinnamon on the nose and in the mouth, with black cherry, vanilla and faint rhubarb adding interest. It's very lively on the palate, delivering the cherry and spice in a big way, with a long spiced finish that brings some sweet oak to the front. Nice!

The 2013 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Anderson Valley is one of the highlights in the range. Pliant, aromatic and impeccable in its balance, the 2013 boasts notable energy and tension. Rose petal, violets and sweet red cherries add nuance to the delineated finish. This is a terrific example of Anderson Valley Pinot.

I tasted four upcoming Pinto Noir releases. My favorite of the four is the Chambolle-Musigny-like 2013 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Anderson Valley. This wine (3,600 cases) is an excellent value in complex, Burgundian-style Pinot Noir, with notes of raspberries, a hint of blue fruits, forest floor and spice offered in a medium-bodied, lush, elegant, pure style.

You've got to hand it to Kendall-Jackson -- as big as they are, and as crowd pleasing as the wines tend to be across the board, they still do it with complexity and class, at reasonable prices for the quality provided. This Grand Reserve Pinot Noir delivers rich ripe fruit, but doesn't leave out the earthy characteristics that you expect in an upper level bottling. Here, you get upper level quality at a lower mid level price. A blend of grapes from Monterey and Santa Barbara counties

A plush texture and oodles of tasty berry and cherry flavor make this medium-bodied wine hard to resist. Scents of pine forest, wild blackberries and mellow spices like nutmeg and clove give it complexity. The mouthfeel is smooth and supple, and the finish is soft and lingering.

Medium-deep ruby color; deep berry and oak aromas; big, full berry flavors with oak and some earthy notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Big, deep Pinot that needs time to open up.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Los Robles stands out for its terrific balance and poise. Bright red fruit, flowers and spices all jump from the glass. Racy and voluptuous throughout, the 2012 Los Robles hits all the right notes.

Produced by Kendall-Jackson winery, there were 3,000 cases produced of the 2012 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge. Aromas of dark spicy cherry and smoke. Medium-bodied and smooth. Pair with planked salmon.

Bright and aromatic with ripe black cherry and rich texture; juicy and tangy with depth, spice and lovely style; long and complex.

Kendall-Jackson's Highland Estates is also showcasing some very fine Pinot Noirs...The 2007 Highland Estates Pinot Noir Los Robles exhibits sweet fruit, herbs, pomegranate, and sweet and sour cherries, plenty of flavor, lush tannins, and a fleshy mouthfeel.

Dark red. Red berry and cherry pit aromas are accented by cracked pepper and clove. Juicy and gently sweet, with a silky texture to the lively raspberry and cherry flavors. Turns spicier with air and finishes on a note of dried rose. Shows very good depth but this is also quite graceful.

A beautifully crisp Pinot, dry and silky and loaded with ripe cherry, raspberry, cola and Asian spice flavors. Tastes so opulent in fruit, yet has a subtle complexity leading to a long, spicy finish. This Pinot, from one of Monterey County's top growing areas, is a sommelier's dream.