Smooth and creamy with lush texture and juicy apple and citrus fruit; balanced and fresh.

Pale violet-red. Moderately light-bodied. Moderately extracted. Mildly tannic. Vanilla, berry fruits, cherry. Bright berry and vanilla aromas lead to a supple, fruity palate and a clean, crisp finish.

Smooth and polished, with complex black cherry, anise, spice and toasty oak flavors. Well balanced and finishes with an alluring, even delicate aftertaste.

"Lots of tannin and fruit. Vanilla, minerals, green peppers, black fruits. Brooding black fruit fills the mouth, accented by spice and youthful vegetal hints. Beautifully structured." Cellar Selection.

Supple and elegant, marked by toasty oak and the ripe cherry and spicy plum flavors glide past the soft tannins.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond Kendall-Jackson's 2017 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve is bright, perfumed and nicely lifted. Crushed red berry, strawberry and floral notes all grace the palate in this pretty, understated Pinot.

If a little subdued right out of the gate, this well-defined Pinot shows good aromatic focus and steadily gains fruity richness with air. It is not nearly as reluctant in taste and is an agile, well-mannered offering that is again spot-on in focus. It is at once moderately rich and agreeably balanced with a light touch of tannin suggesting a bit of potential with age, but, that said and acknowledging its youth, there is nothing about it that dissuades drinking with dinner tonight. 1 star.

Wrapped up in toasty oak, a lush Pinot Noir with smoky dark berries, ripe red cherries that is both savoury and silky. Pair with roast duck.

Baked cherry, wet slate and warm baking spices make for a very likable if not overly complex nose on this bottling. The palate is thick with flavors of cranberry, dried herbs and clove—a great show of varietal typicity and a reliable midweek sipper.

Spicy and creamy textured up front, smokier and oakier midpalate on, offering plum, black cherry, anise and cedar flavors. A sturdy style that's easy to drink, with room to grow.

The 2016 Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve is soft, gracious and silky, with lifted aromatics that play off the bright red fruit nicely. This is an especially perfumed style. Drink it over the next few years.

This bright red colored entry-level Pinot Noir opens with a very fragrant red raspberry and oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and juicy. The flavor profile is a gentle oak and red plum blend with notes of minerality. I also detected some hints of red cherry and a dash of cinnamon. The finish is dry and its flavors and mild tannins subtly fade away. This Pinot is friendly given the price point and would pair well with mahi-mahi sandwich.

Leading off the Pinot Noirs, the 2016 Vintners Reserve comes all from coastal sites and was brought up in 20% new French oak. At 17 bucks, you get a juicy, red fruited, lively effort that has real typicity, a light texture, and a clean, balanced finish. At the volume for this cuvée (around million cases), the quality is shockingly good. It’s solid stuff.

The 2015 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) is an attractive, mid-weight offering. Bright red cherry, hard candy, wild flowers and sweet spices are all pushed forward in this succulent Pinot Noir from vineyards in the Petaluma Gap.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve is laced with sweet red cherry, spice, flowers and dried herbs. Supple and open-knit, with lovely inner perfume, the 2015 is best enjoyed over the next year or two, while the flavors remain bright.

This medium-bodied wine has an abundance of spices in its aromas and flavors, along with a smooth texture and good balance between acidity and ripeness. The fruit flavors are plummy and straightforward and the easy drinkability is undeniable.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Vintner’s Reserve has a warm red cherries and baked cranberries nose with hints of bay leaves and forest floor plus a waft of violets. Medium-bodied, the palate has a pleasant chew and savory character with a pleasant herbal lift on the finish. Seriously impressive Pinot Noir at this price point!

The 2014 Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve is absolutely gorgeous, especially considering its price. Sweet red cherry, orange peel and spice notes wrap around the juicy finish. Drink this fruit-forward, supple Pinot over the next 2-3 years.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge is quite a bit darker and richer than the straight Anderson Valley Pinot, but also ultimately less interesting in my view. There is no shortage of depth, but I find more to admire in the appellation level wine.

The 2014 Pinot Noir Jackson Estate Outland Ridge is another Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. It offers up raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate notes as well as some loamy soil undertones in a pretty, medium-bodied, delicate style. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

The 2013 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve is soft, supple and gracious. Sweet red cherries, cranberries, spices and crushed flowers are all laced together in an attractive, mid-weight Pinot to drink now and over the next year or two, while the flavors remain bright. Finding value in Pinot Noir is always a challenge. This is about as good as it gets.

Hints of menthol sit atop the very ripe liqueur-like aromas of black cherry and cola that display an interesting array of spice elements. There is excellent volume and power to the big-bodied flavors that possess very solid mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a dusty, powerful and palate coating finish that manages to carry its considerable alcohol reasonably well. This isn’t to say that there is no warmth but it is less evident than might be expected. This isn’t my style but if big and bold is yours, this qualifies.

The 2012 Pinot Noir Grand Reserve, a Monterey and Santa Barbara cross-county blend, spent nine months in 92% French oak (40% new). It is a much earthier, foresty style of Pinot Noir displaying a composty, autumnal, vegetative character along with pretty cherry fruit, spices and herbs. Medium-bodied and well-made, it should be drunk over the next several years.

Freshly cut flowers, sweet dried cherries and spices all lift from the glass in the 2012 Pinot Noir Vintner's Reserve Special Select, a wine that impresses for its overall quality, so hard to achieve with Pinot at this price point. The soft, floral finish is quite appealing.