Deftly balanced. Though smoky oak notes hold the upper hand for now, there's plenty of well-centered plum and black cherry flavors to fill out the palate.

Deftly balanced. Though smoky oak notes hold the upper hand for now, there's plenty of well-centered plum and black cherry flavors to fill out the palate.

The wine is a bright ruby red color. The comforting nose has black cherries, flinty minerals, forest floor, cola, tart red cherries and baking spices. This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate black cherries, minerals and baking spices come out on the front end with forest floor and a touch of cola coming in later. The finish has nice length with tart cherries providing some needed depth. Not a lot of complexity but that doesn’t make it less tasty. This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork. 88 points.

Generous, with blackberry, wild berry, gravelly earth and dried herb flavors and edgy tannins on the finish.

A blend of grapes from 14 different properties including several estate-owned vineyards. Aged for 9 months in 100% French oak barrels, 33% new. Moderate reddish purple color in the glass. The aromas and flavors veer to the very ripe side featuring black cherry, blackberry and Damsel plum fruits with a hint of cola. Quite sappy, with some tannin showing up on the slightly warm finish.

Aromas of jasmine, rose petal, raspberry and cherry give this a tight aromatic focus. Fresh and snappy, revealing touches of spice and cedar.

The Pinot Noirs are all very open-knit, fruit forward, yet show surprising complexity and finesse. They’re not blockbuster, super-rich Pinot Noirs by any means, made more in a delicate, very graceful style. The 2013 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley shows more blue fruit, cooler raspberries and forest floor. An aromatic style of Pinot Noir with fresh, medium-bodied flavors, it’s also made from Dijon clones and given the same treatment as the Arroyo Seco, with just a slightly higher percentage of new French oak.

The wine is a light to medium ruby color. The expressive nose has cherries, baking spices, minerals, raspberries, underbrush, white pepper, slight herbal note and cola. This has a medium body, soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity. On the palate tart cherries, spice and minerals carry the majority of the load. There is good length on the finish with some earthiness entering the picture. This doesn’t offer much in the complexity department but it is a tasty week night pinot. This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork. 88 pts

This is aromatically much higher-toned than the Russian River Valley with red pinot fruit, spice and discreet cranberry nuances. The supple, round and lilting flavors are almost delicate yet possess solid punch and vibrancy, all wrapped in a dusty, focused, precise and solidly lingering finish. This doesn’t have the depth of the Russian River Valley but it’s a quality effort all the same while offering good value.

La Crema's venture into Oregon has yielded a meaty, earthy Pinot from the Willamette Valley. The 2013 exhibits nuances of fall leaves/forest floor, with fruit note of plum and black cherry. With a hint of bite on the finish, this is a Pinot to serve with food, which will give it roundness and length.

A luscious, medium-bodied, satin-smooth Oregonian Pinot Noir with classic aromas of fleshy ripe cherry and berry and some mocha. Racy acidity on the palate from this cool climate. Pair with grilled salmon.

The fresh, lively, medium-bodied 2012 Pinot Noir Panorama Estate from Arroyo Seco offers up notes of sassafras, sweet and sour cherries, pomegranate and loamy soils. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Call this Pinot useful, rather than complex or ageable. It’s nicely dry, acidic and silky in the mouth, with jammy raspberry, cherry and persimmon flavors. Food pairings range from steak to tuna tartare or a bacon burger.

Youthful, ripe-cherry fruit comes through loud and clear here, and the wine hits the mark in terms of both varietal clarity and texture. It is medium-full bodied and slightly velvety in feel with just enough acidity to stay in balance. Its extended, fruity finish is free of any angles or edges, and drinking over the next two or three years will see this one at its best.

This is a powerfully earthy and rustic Pinot soft in tannin structure and exuberant in ripe dark cherry and berry, a touch of savory leather and tobacco peaking on the finish.

A wine with considerable near-term appeal, is ripe, flashy and extroverted to the core. Raspberry jam, flowers, mint, spices and licorice all burst from the glass in a juicy, voluptuous Pinot. Layers of cedar, spices, new leather and tobacco linger on the finish.

La Crema's 2012 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley shows lovely immediacy in its brambly flavors and expressive dark red fruit. This mid-weight Pinot is best enjoyed over the next few years, while the fruit retains its freshness.

Fruit compote scents of plum and cherry lead in this crowd-pleasing pinot, the first from the new Jackson Family investment in Oregon vineyard land. There’s plenty of oak as well, supporting all of the ripe fruit, lending a hint of chocolate in the finish.

A balanced style, with a mix of ripe berry, plum and light creamy oak. The tannins are laced with crushed rock and cedar details. Drink now through 2020.

Nicely composed from the outset, this medium -depth Pinot Noir delivers keenly focused red cherry fruit aromas kissed by a dollop of crème brûlée oak richness and follows up on the palate with a somewhat open and accessible wine. Not ever heavy, but on the soft, viscous side, the wine asks little by way of cellaring and is ready to enjoy in the here and now. Good Value

The black raspberry flavor of this wine cuts through the thickness of its texture, saturated, almost unctuous in its weight. The flavors suggest that the wine could transform in the company of a rich, beefy braise.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley is a fairly straightforward offering. Juicy dark red/blue-hued fruit, flowers and mint emerge over time. The 2011 remains delicate and at times a bit fleeting. Still, it is a solid effort in what is an irregular and challenging vintage in Anderson Valley. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2016.

The 2011 Pinot Noir Nine Barrel comes from the Dijon clone 777, the French Pommard clone, and the Heritage California clone Martini. The wine displays fresh strawberry jam notes intermixed with sassafras, root vegetables and a forest floor/earthy component. Medium-bodied, spicy and evolved, it is best drunk over the next several years.

The 2010 Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco comes across as firm, dark and tightly wound. The wine's structure is impressive, but I don't quite find the level of elegance here that is typical in so many of the new releases from La Crema. This is the first vintage for the Arroyo Seco, and this bottling seems to be a work in progress at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.

The 2010 Pinot Noir Shell Ridge is quite promising at first. The aromatics are quite attractive, but they don't quite carry into the mid-palate, where the wine feels a bit hollow. There is plenty of energy in the glass, but the 2011 lacks fruit and the pure depth of the best wines in this range. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017.