Purplish red appearance. Medium-bodied. Moderately extracted and oaked. Currant, mulberries, brown spice. Rich fruity entrance gives way to mildly assertive tannins through the finish. Should improve in six months to a year.

Medium body, acid and fruit. Medium oak and tannin. Vanilla, raspberries, citrus zest, pepper. Chewy black fruit is spicy and lively. Shows nice depth and well integrated wood.

Good sweet berry fruit, immediately accessible.

Here's the smoky, earthy style of pinot, well-expressed for those who love it, in conjunction with a wonderfully smooth texture.

Crisply focused, lean and lively, with appealing ripe raspberry, black cherry and tea leaf aromas and flavors that turn spicy and toasty on the finish.

Smooth and silky, this easy-drinking wine offers modest plum and cherry fruit, with touches of herb and earth.

Good medium red. Red cherry, cola, loam, tobacco and chocolate on the nose. Warm, inviting, ripe flavors of red fruits and loam. A soft, plump, slightly roasted style of pinot that could use a bit more verve.

Good intensity, with smoky orange peel, dried cherry, raspberry and spice. Lively acidity and well-integrated tannins.

.displays a dark ruby color, attractive, peppery, cassis aromas, and a light to medium-bodied personality. It is ideal for drinking over the next several years.

A tasty, elegant, medium ruby-colored wine, La Crema's 1997 Zinfandel Reserve offers attractive berry fruit, a round, open-knit texture, and a soft, easy-going finish.

A Burgundian-like, straightforward, cherry and earthy spiciness in both the aromatics and flavors gives this wine a soft, easy-going, charming appeal. Neither deep nor complicated, it is elegant, pleasant, and ready to drink.

.possess good tropical fruit, including some lemon zest and orange rind, medium body, and moderate amounts of new oak. They are well made clean, competent wines that require consumption over the next 1-2 years.

Hits the right notes; clean, correct pear, light oak and spice flavors finish with a crisp edge.

Quite austere, with citrusy, appley, minerally flavors and tart acids. This is not your usual fruit monster, although oak and lees do their best to add nuance and complexity. A good wine that is versatile at the table.

The dark ruby-colored (Pinot Noir) offers a sweet nose of currants, cherries, earth, and spice. This well-textured, fleshy Pinot is best drunk over its first 4-5 years of life.

…smokier, more herbaceous-scented wine, with more depth, body, and tannin…

Dark and intense, with a solid core of tannin, but the plum and wild berry flavors that peek through are appealing. Best to age a little to let this soften somewhat.

The price tag of $14 is not unreasonable for a medium-bodied, soft, slightly peppery and herbal, richly fruity, cherry and berry-scented and flavored wine." This Pinot is meant to be drunk over the next several years.

Vanilla on both nose and palate. Elegant flavors, including more red berry and sweet dried cherry follow through the finish. Perfect now.

From coastal counties between Mendocino and Santa Barbara, a nice, supple wine that has plenty of Pinot character. Don't expect depth or ageability, but this black raspberry-flavored wine has a soft, silky tannins and a spicy finish.

Moderately saturated medium red. Roasted strawberry and loam on the nose. Thick and smoky, with slightly aggressive flavors of roasted cherry and licorice, along with an herbal aspect. Reminded me of a Côtes du Rhône.

Blueberry, black cherry, herb and beef notes firm up in the toasty oak nuances of the modestly tannic finish.

…displays blackberry and cassis notes intermixed with dusty earth tones and pepper. It is soft, fruit-driven, and well-made.