One of Adam Lee's more affordable appellation blends, this delivers a lot of bang for the buck, with aromas of extracted strawberry, rich plum, sandalwood and a slate backbone. Soft red fruit starts the palate, then sharpens into cranberry, with lots of herbal spice and acidic sizzle throughout.

Adam's base appellation bottlings are superb values in 2013 and the 2013 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is a blend of John Sebastiano, Clos Pepe and Cargasacchi vineyards. It offers tons of pretty, perfumed fruits, black cherries, violets and spice to go with a supple, fruit-forward, yet elegant style on the palate. It's already drinking beautifully, but it will continue to impress for at least another 4-5 years.

Deep purple fruits, black sage, big cherry and woody spices arise from this wine by Adam Lee, who recently sold to Jackson Family Wines but will remain in charge. The palate shows crushed clove and allspice, licorice, graphite and more dark fruit flavors.

Bright ruby-red. Lively, focused aromas of fresh red and dark berries, rose and white pepper, with a deeper cola note emerging slowly. Spicy raspberry and boysenberry flavors are joined by a suggestion of cola on the back half. Fine-grained tannins shape the clinging finish, which leaves a gentle note of spicecake behind.

Generously fruited with a wealth of ripe cherries well-matched with temperate oak, this deep and very well-balanced bottling is one that outperforms at the price. It is long and insistent with a great sense of precision, and its fine sense of crafting makes it eminently inviting right now even though it is a wine that will age famously. Drink it up soon without guilt if patience comes hard, but know that good things lie ahead for those who are willing to wait for another three to six years.

Vivid ruby. Pungent red and dark berry scents are sharpened by a spicy element and a hint of smoky minerals. Fleshy and sweet on the palate, offering pliant black raspberry and cherry flavors and a hint of musky underbrush. Closes smooth, sweet and long, with subtle tannins coming in late to add shape and grip.

Brilliant red. High-pitched red berry and fresh rose scents are complemented by hints of white pepper and woodsmoke. Taut, sharply focused strawberry and bitter cherry flavors unfold slowly while retaining very good clarity. Smooths out nicely on the finish, which features silky tannins and a touch of blood orange.

Focused on a pure, firm, dense core of spicy, earth-laced raspberry and strawberry flavors. Shows a measure of dusty herb as well, ending with a long, clean finish.

This is aromatically much more discreet compared to the Cargasacchi with an airy and restrained nose of cool spice and various red berry fruit scents. The round, supple and relatively forward medium-bodied flavors possess good punch and if not quite as much complexity, it’s close. The finish however is a bit less harmonious and like several wines in the range will require a few years to better integrate the supporting structural elements.

Aromas of blueberry and wild berry are taut and firm, with snappy acidity and vibrant tannins that sustain the flavors, ending crisp and lively.

The aromas of blueberry and wild berry are taut and firm, with snappy acidity and vibrant tannins that sustain the flavors, ending crisp and lively.

Matches rich, dense dark berry fruit with firm, earth-laced tannins that give the blueberry and wild berry flavors traction. Offers a long, persistent finish.

A bit less intense aromatically than other Adam Lee bottlings, this shows sour plum, smoked meat and a touch of garden herbs on the nose. Those elements come alive on the palate, where peppercorns, oregano, thyme and pencil lead decorate dark cranberry fruits.

Medium reddish purple color in the glass. Very savory on the nose with scents of underbrush, dried herbs, musk and black fruits. Long and lush, with oak-kissed flavors of black cherry and black raspberry, framed by defined tannins. Aggressive on the attack, with a broad presence on the palate, and good finishing length.

With fairly obvious oak lending a degree of creamy richness right from the start, yet a Pinot that takes its lead first and last from plentiful, very accessible fruit, this wide-open wine holds little back. As Pinot Noirs go, it is moderately full-bodied and slightly rounded in feel, and, although it shows a light trim of youthful tannin, it is nothing near to rough. It is, in fact, engaging stuff even now and can be enjoyed while still very young, but it has the stamina and structure to guarantee successful keeping and should gain in complexity over the next three or four years.

A discreet touch of crushed leaf is present on the Asian-tea inflected red and dark currant-scented nose. The middle weight flavors also possess good volume and a lovely mouth feel while delivering solid depth and length on the focused, dusty and sneaky long finish. I like the slow build-up in intensity and this should reward 6 to 8 years of cellar time yet be approachable after only 3 to 5.

Features a tight, vibrant core of snappy, zesty wild berry, black cherry, licorice and anise flavors that is pure, focused, persistent and lingering.

Nutmeg, allspice and chestnuts provide a warmth and sense of hearth to this robust, full-bodied wine, from a special site in the heart of Santa Rosa. Candied cherry dominates on the palate, the wine bright yet sultry, with a healthy, generous body and length.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Parson’s Vineyard, from clones 115, 777, Pommard and a handful of others, offers forward, supple, rather flamboyant red and black fruits, spring flowers and forest floor. It is rich, nicely textured and the luscious, sexy style of Pinot Noir that Adam Lee does so well.

Moderately light reddish purple color in the glass. Great purity of Bing cherry fragrance, with added hints of cake spice, oak spice and chocolate, holding up beautifully over time in the glass. Nicely composed with supportive oak bringing out the best in the mid weight dark cherry core. The tannins are well balanced, and the pleasant finish has a bright tick of refreshing acidity.

Medium ruby color; rich, focused earthy and cherry aromas; rich, ripe blackberry flavors with cola and herb accents; good structure and balance; long finish. Ripe, rich Pinot with earthy notes that are perfect for mushroom pasta.

This is both fresher and more elegant with its layered and airy nose of various red berries, in particular cherry, with plenty of floral character adding to the sense of elegance. There is lovely delineation and focus to the utterly delicious and seductively textured middle weight flavors that culminate in a lingering finish where a hint of bitter cherry appears. This is presently quite tight and thus should definitely benefit from a few years of bottle age.

The outstanding 2013 Pinot Noir Lingenfelder Vineyard, made from old-school, heritage California clones such as Martini and Pommard, is a cool site and is one of the last vineyards they harvest. Lush and ripe, the wine has a deep ruby color and notes of black cherries, raspberries, damp earth, underbrush and Asian spices. This is an attractive, complex, medium to full-bodied, round, juicy, succulent style of Pinot Noir to drink over the next 5-6 years. Sadly, it is one of the smaller cuvées of 249 cases.