Buttery, tropical fruit-scented and flavored. A ripe wine that will offer attractive drinking over the next year.

Carmel Road's inexpensive "Monterey" line of Pinot Noir from the 2015 vintage is yet another example of a large winery taking advantage of its vast vineyard resources to produce a solid bottle of Pinot that most can afford. This wine shows pretty notes of black cherry and spice, with moderate tannins. It's easy to drink and even easier on the wallet. 86 points.

California Pinot Noir Deep ruby color. Aromas of strawberries and red apples, red cherries, cola, roses. Medium-bodied with soft tannins and bright acidity, along with red cherries and strawberry jam. Flavors of roses, cola, coffee, chestnut. Fun, simple, fresh. 86 points.

A fresh and overtly fruity nose consists of notes of red cherry and cranberry along with a subtle spice hint. There is reasonably good richness to the round, pliant and delicious middle weight flavors that possess acceptable length if not a lot of depth on the mildly warm finish.

Here is an uncomplicated, unoaked look at Chardonnay that is stripped down to the basics, yet it is clean, carefully balanced and insistently fruity with the variety’s distinctly appley traits in play every step of the way. It flirts with a touch of sweetness to start but stays clear of candied confection and will very capably do the job of an affable quaffer as the weather warms in the months just ahead.

The unoaked style is readily apparent on this bottling. Fresh and bright green aromas outdo the more savory ones, conveying Anjou pear, jasmine and light apple cider on the nose. Green apple and more pear show on the palate, with a pithy apple-skin flavor providing tang to the slight acidity.

This likeable wine counts cleanliness, good balance and a bit of lightly oaked fruit among its modest assets, but its slight lack of richness and depth holds it back from the big leagues. All the same, it is easy to drink, it is affordable and there is a lot of it, and it will find useful service with a wide range of foods from chicken to fish.

Strives for complexity with its aromas and currant, cedar, plum and anise flavors, but the tannins swarm in, and it's dry and not terribly concentrated.

Medium golden appearance. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Moderately extracted. Dried flowers, peach, pineapple. Sweet floral aromas lead a full, rich mouthful of juicy fruit flavors that linger on a sweet finish.

Medium Red. Aromas of cherry, raspberry and crystallized blackberry, with hints of spice and menthol. Juicy and firm, with currant and oak spice flavors. Finishes slightly aggressive and warm.

Aims for complexity, with toasty oak wrapped around a core of delicate plum and black cherry. Finish shows oak having a slight upper hand. Drink now through 2005.

The dark ruby-colored, medium-bodied 2000 Pinot Noir Julia's offers aromas of plums, cherries, smoke, and earth. Lush and elegant, with a short finish, it will drink well for 2-3 years.

A curious wine. Mint makes a strong presence, overshadowing the tart cherry and wild berry flavors in an otherwise rich and concentrated style. Fans of minty Pinots will find this especially appealing. Drink now through 2004.

Medium-deep red. Very ripe, slightly roasted aromas of plum preserves & raspberry. Soft & a bit dull in the mouth, with modest flavor development & delineation. Finishes with dusty, tight tannins & a slight peppery greenness.

Strong caramel, butter and brown sugar aromas. Flavors of vanilla, licorice and tree bark come ahead of some sturdy plum fruit. The finish is arguably a bit hot and woody.

Medium red. Lively red-currant aroma. Slightly tart red berry fruit offers some restrained sweetness and lingering flavor but only modest shape and structure.

A nice thread of persistent raspberry and spice accents that linger on the finish.

…offers evolved aromas of plums, taspberries, and strawberries as well as soft, strightforward, one dimensional flavors.

…offers evolved aromas of plums, raspberries, and strawberries as well as soft, straightforward, one dimensional flavors. …offers a delicious combination of sweet fruit and subtle wood.

...exhibits a deep ruby color, followed by a spicy, roasted vegetable, meaty nose with cherry and cranberry fruit lurking in the background. The wine is soft and round, but leans toward the vegetal side of Pinot Noir. I suggest drinking it over the next 2-3 years, before it begins to taste like V-8

A tasty, elegant, fragrant, supple-textured wine with sweet berry fruit, a dollop of spicy new oak and a round, generous finish.

Moving to the Pinot Noirs, the 2012 Pinot Noir Julia’s Vineyard was completely destemmed and aged just under 7 months in 19% new French oak. Medium-bodied, straightforward and slightly weedy, with notions of menthol, underbrush and berry fruit, it’s juicy and easy going, and should be consumed over the coming year or two.

Here’s a Pinot to drink now. It’s a little on the soft, simple side, but tasty, with raspberry and cherry jam, cola, oak and spice flavors.