Vivid ruby-red. Spice- and floral-accented aromas and flavors of raspberry and cherry, with a hint of orange zest coming up with air. Juicy and precise, with firm grip and sneaky back-end sweetness. Clings nicely on the finish, which leaves sweet red fruit preserve and floral notes behind.

Bright ruby. Black raspberry, cherry and rooty sassafras scents, with a hint of smokiness. Fleshy and smooth in texture, offering spicy red and dark berry flavors and a note of candied flowers. Picks up spiciness with air and finishes on a smoky dark berry note, with good thrust and length.

Smooth and dense with black cherry, earth and a balanced, round finish; ripe, lush and charming.

Bright ruby-red. Lively, floral-accented aromas of red berries and rose, with a subtle peppery nuance in the background. Silky and round on the palate, offering fresh red currant and raspberry flavors and a sexy floral pastille nuance. Pure and focused, with good finishing clarity and lingering spiciness.

Ruby-red. Pungent aromas of dark berries and cherry, with a smoky topnote. Densely packed black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors unfold slowly, picking up floral and spice character with air. Finishes with gentle tannic grip and lingering lavender and anise notes.

Deep ruby. Cherry, blackberry and espresso aromas are complemented by cured tobacco and musky underbrush nuances. Ripe and powerful on the palate, with weighty dark berry and bitter cherry flavors complicated by an exotic hint of black cardamom. Finishes with supple tannins and good power and grip.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Los Carneros is big, voluptuous and full-bodied. The wine blossoms on the palate with an extroverted, juicy expression of fruit. Cola, spices, licorice and mint add complexity on the deep, textured finish. As good as this is, there is an element of heaviness on the mid-palate that attenuates the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.

Vivid red. The most energetic of this set of regional pinots, displaying scents of red berries, cinnamon, white pepper and orange zest. Dry and precise in the mouth, offering taut red currant and raspberry flavors and a firm spine of acidity. The spicy element repeats on the clean, focused finish.

Convincingly keyed on fresh, fully ripe cherries and judiciously sweetened with vanillin oak, this intense, deeply filled youngster is arguably a touch of simple now, but its extract, its balance and its very fine focus are stuff of which bright futures are made. It is still slightly grippy with a bit of acid-pushed tannin coming on at the finish, but its fruit never once wavers and both polish and increased complexity await some three or four years down the line.

Ruby-red. High-toned aromas of red currant, cherry and white pepper, with a suave floral overtone. Very wild, spice-accented flavors of red berries, minerals and dried herbs. Offers attractive sweetness and pliancy but shows a slight dry edge on the back end. The gently tannic finish features good, spicy length.

The 2008 Pinot Noir Russian River displays loamy, earthy, sassafras and beet root vegetable notes as well as a distinctive spicy, herbal style. Medium-bodied with a more muscular/masculine style than the 2008 Los Carneros, the Russian River Pinot will benefit from another 6 months of bottle age and should last for 3-4 years. La Crema is an excellent value winery owned by Jess Jackson with an impressive group of winemakers, including Melissa Stackhouse.

Creamy and youthfully buoyant fruit redolent of red cherries and strawberries makes the early going in the aromas of this full, rich wine while toasty oak adds its own bit of range. Slightly round, direct and medium in depth, the wine does a good job of staying the course from entry to finish. Its youth and depth are going to hold it in good stead for several years.

I enjoyed the flowery, blue fruit-filled 2007 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley (mostly new Dijon clones).This delicate, elegant, feminine-styled Pinot offers juicy, succulent blue fruits, a hint of spice, and lots of spring flower-like characteristics. It should drink well for 3-4 years.

This is a full-throttle, flavourful, if not very refined, pinot noir. Very intense, aromatics, with sweet cherry, vanilla, toast and spice - all in good proportion. It's medium-weight, with a warm, juicy ambiance, then a fairly tannic, hard and hot finish. Age this a year or 2.

2004 PINOT NOIR LOS CARNEROS The medium ruby-colored 2004 Pinot Noir Los Carneros (3,500 cases) shows more forest floor, spicy cherry, cinnamon, and Allspice aromas and flavors. It appears to be the most complex of the trio.

Reveals broad, savory, sweet black cherry characteristics intermixed with forest floor, underbrush, and dried herbs. Full-bodied, ripe, charming, and seductive with a supple texture, it should be consumed over the next 2-3 years.

The 2000 Pinot Noir Russian River is primarily cherry liqueur combined with hints of root beer and spicy wood. Its light to medium ruby color belies the abundant flavor and texture found in this cuvee.

The 2000 Pinot Noir Estate Carneros is made in a Domaine Dujac style. Although the color is light, the flavors offer copious quantities of jammy cherry notes intermixed with smoked herbs, Peking duck, and Asian spices. Excellent texture, pretty, expansive flavors, and a medium-bodied, delicate finish with no hard edges...

Apple and cherry orchard scents drive this broad, full-bodied Pinot, a solid expression of the Anderson Valley in clean, direct fruit and hints of oceanic iodine. Potent tannins come up with air, balancing the aromatic fruit, ending with the scent of apple-blossom honey. A formidable pinot for a crown roast of pork stuffed with apples.

Deftly balanced, achieving ripe, rich, concentrated flavors without being too ripe. Shows off currant, pencil lead, blackberry and cranberry notes. Excellent structure. Firm tannins, but maintains a fleshy texture.

There is a marked sense of proportion and polish to both the sweetly oaked aromas and insistently fruity flavors of this nicely measured young wine, and if not blatant in the ways of varietal spice, it has just enough pepper and earth to claim the name of Syrah. Moderately full-bodied, but showing a nice bounce in its step, it is fit with fine-grained tannins and integral acidity with nary a note of toughness of heat.

Made from old vines yielding about 1.5 tons per acre. Ripe blackberry, white pepper, earth and licorice aromas with a touch of roasted bell pepper and raspberry. Round and soft with a touch of acidity and hotness. An elegant style that is less jammy than other areas of Sonoma and ready to drink.

Potent ripeness takes the fruit to melon and golden grape jam flavors; it brings out a rich soil character as well. This is cool and dense up front, then the oak's tannin kicks in.

Bright yellow gold color. Medium-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Mildly oaked. Butter, brown spice, ripe apples. Ripe toasty aromas reveal a generous buttery textured style with pleasing toasty notes through the finish.

Medium light body. Lots of acid. Medium fruit. Lots of oak. Apricots, lemons, nuts, herbs. Very citrusy fruit with a strong wood influence is creamy in the mouth and fresh tasting.