Deep red. Black raspberry, cherry pit, succulent herbs and rose oil on the pungent nose. Bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors unfold slowly while picking up peppery spice and licorice accents. Shows good depth and structure and finishes subtly sweet and long, featuring youthfully chewy tannins and a touch of cracked pepper.

Medium ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is gregariously scented of ripe red and black currants and cherries with spicy notions of black licorice, freshly grated nutmeg and sweet cola. The medium-bodied palate gives up sweet black and red fruits with sweet spice, good structuring tannins and refreshing acidity, finishing long and spicy.

Medium ruby; attractive, deep, ripe, red and dark fruit aroma with hints of dried herbs and forest floor; medium to medium-full body; nicely balanced, elegantly styled, cherry and dark berry fruit flavors with good depth and concentration, and some richness in the velvety mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now. Very highly recommended.

Clean and somewhat mild-mannered but solidly Pinot in focus, this medium-full-bodied bottling smells of lightly juicy black cherry fruit along with background hints of rich loam and “sweet pea.” It is more supple than not and nicely fresh at this point with the slightest bit of tightening to its otherwise continuous fruit. It may not demand time in bottle but is sure to reward it, and a few years’ wait would not be out of order. 1 star.

Here the fresh nose offers up both upper and lower register aromas of maraschino cherry, dark raspberry and spiced tea nuances. The forward, supple and almost gentle flavors possess a caressing mouth feel while displaying a touch of bitter cherry pit character on the nicely complex finale.

Spice and a fresh earthiness make for worthy companions, as the wild berry, anise, sage and cedar flavors form an alluring alliance.

Medium-light to medium ruby; fragrant, deep, earthy, raspberry and cherry fruit aroma with an initial note of char that blew off with airing; medium to medium-full body; red fruit flavors with some plushness in the mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now. Very highly recommended.

There are similarities between this wine and its mate below in that both are ripe with purple fruit highlights lurking in the back, but this one is not so immediately generous now while showing more than enough depth to all but guarantee a bigger and richer future some three to five years down the road. It has a bit of flesh to its early texture and light but evident grippy tannin at the back that asks for three or more years of age. 1 star.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Ewald Vineyard comes from a vineyard just beside Kistler and is 3.1 acres planted to clones 115 and 777. As with most of the Pinot Noirs from Adam, it saw 30% stems, with slightly more new oak, being aged 15 months in 50% new French barrels. Black cherries, mulberries, earth and spice notes flow to a medium-bodied, elegant, charming wine that drops off relatively quickly on the finish. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.

Demure on the nose, this wine is intense in tannin and oak, the rich red cherry fruit marked by earthy spice, forest pine and sizzling acidity.

Trim and vibrant, with floral cherry and spice aromas and sleek strawberry and tart mineral flavors.

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.

2017 Oregon Value Priced Pinot Noir All-Americans Second Team Wines

Moderate garnet color in the glass. Aromas of black raspberry, purple rose, nutmeg and vanilla arrive with more vividness over time in the glass. Mid weight plus flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and blackberry in an intensely fruit-driven styled wine with a satiny mouthfeel and a bold charge of ripe fruit on the slightly astringent finish.

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.

This is Siduri’s first vintage producing a Pinot from the Bellflower Vineyard. Deep ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Bellflower Vineyard reveals notes of cherry cola, pepper, vanilla pod and dark chocolate with a waft of dried herbs. Tightly-wound, delicately played, fine and fresh, it offers quiet intensity in the mouth and good length.

Dark garnet color in the glass. Shy nose initially, slowly unfolding to reveal aromas of black cherry, blackberry, clove, smoke and cigar box. A palate saturating flood of sweet blackberry and boysenberry fruits with hints of spice and graphite give notice. The tannins are ripe and balanced, oak plays in the background, and there is some finishing intensity. A hedonistic display of RRV fruit.

Combines a nice core of dense earth, anise-laced raspberry and black cherry with vibrant acidity and firm, fine-grained tannins, making this a candidate to gain with time.

A lively style, with vivid dark berry, raspberry, savory herb and underbrush notes that reverberate on the palate. Flexes a nice tannic backbone.

A distinctly ripe if decidedly fresh nose combines liqueur-like notes of black cherry, plum, spice and a pretty floral hint. There is good volume to the polished and sleek flavors thanks to the relatively fine-grained tannins that shape the dusty and moderately firm finish. Despite the relatively high reported alcohol this robust effort manages to carry it pretty well as there is only a trace of warmth. While this won’t win any awards for refinement it certainly doesn’t lack for character.

Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains is scented of cranberries and pomegranate with hints of damp soil, dried herbs and black pepper. Medium-bodied, it gives a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and lively acidity, supporting the muscular fruit and finishing with an herbal lift.

Medium-light to medium ruby; attractive, deep, earthy, spicy, cherry fruit aroma with hints of clove, cinnamon, and forest floor; medium to medium-full body; rich, herbal, spicy, nicely balanced, dark cherry fruit flavors with a slight plushness in the mouthfeel; medium tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to drink now and over the next year or two. 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.

The classic base 2015 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir comes from seven vineyards (two new ones, Lemoravo and Escolle), located towards the southern end of the appellation, and sees varying amount of whole cluster and is aged in 20-25% new French oak. It's a textbook Santa Lucia Pinot and has lots of violets, juicy berry fruits, cranberry and spice in a rounded, plump, charming and delicious style. It's a terrific value. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

An appellation wine that’s affordable and instantly likable, this has strong forest and mushroom elements, seeming at once rustic and sophisticated. Cranberry and orange tones add brightness to the savory character, framed by fine tannins.