Lastly, the 1994 Sangiovese displays a charcoal/cherry-scented nose, and compact, clipped, high acid flavors.

A remarkably attractive blend of varietal fruit and sweet oak scents in the nose. Cherryish fruit with more density and weight than normal to this varietal.

Lots of creamy oak. Very pleasing cherry fruit.

Perfumed floral aroma with smoky oak and gamey accents; richly textured berry flavors, slightly herbal; firm tannins; length. Try with portobello mushroom sandwich.

Dense, ripe, richly oaked. Medium-full bodied, soft and fleshy.

This winery's '99 pinot gris is a real mouthful of peach, apricot and melon flavors that are dry and elegant but also impressive in texture and length.

Julia's Vinyard. Smelling faintly of old wood & dried brush, this stolid, soft wine is clean enough, but its full, low energy flavors carry only the barest evidences of Pinot fruit & offer almost nothing of real pleasure.

Challenging, with lots of stuff. Smooth yet deep. You don't drink it, you experience it, and it rewards you.

Challenging with lots of stuff. Smooth yet deep. You don't drink it, you experience it, and it rewards you.

Lively strawbeery aroma, spicy back notes; forward, fruity flavors, ripe berries and plums, toasted oak; medium finish…

This nicely balanced, well-proportioned Pinot brings together elements of red cherries and vanilla in a clean, moderately oaked, medium-to full bodied package underpinned by just a touch of fine-grained tannins.

This rich, fully ripened wine earns good points for its ripe cherry fruitiness, its sweet oak and its intriguing elements of soft and fat than it is velvety, but the wine is likely to win numbers of fans because it has personality and accessibility.

…with autumn leaf and damp-earth denseness on the nose, followed by a lovely sweet impact of ripe, caramelly spicy evolved fruit on the palate;

Soft fruit nose with a rich, structured body - a very elegant wine.

Fairly dense, fairly ripe and fairly oaky, this solid, well-filled young wine is also fairly herbal in the style of its district. Velvety smooth and consistent in its forthright fruit, it carries a complex touch of dried brush from start to finish.

Brushy tones, dried leaves scents, and earthiness in the nose and coarseness at entry undermine the initial appeal of this wine. Yet, it has weight and roundness on the palate and enough stuffing to overcome its off-putting start. Hearty, rustic dishes are recommended as the accompaniment for this wine.

A big, concentrated, pinot, with rich and powerful plum and black cherry aromas and flavors.

Deep, concentrated and loaded with very ripe fruit in the nose, this showy youngster is enhanced by plenty of very rich oak and deftly placed elements of spice and herbs. Full and fleshy on the palate.

Big black-cherry aroma with smoky oak notes; explosive berry flavors.

Medium-bodied and fruity. Classic notes of earth and dried herbs mingle with the ripe strawberry and cherry fruit. Lengthy with soft tannins and acids.

Spicy, minty and fruity with great weight and oak profile. Cherry pie and chocolate notes with a long finish.

Emphatic ripeness is the central theme of this full-scaled rendition. The aromas marry black cherries and abundant oak, while peppery spice joins the same cherries and oak in the mouth.

A sweet nose of candied cherries. Additional cola and tree bark flavors decorate the edges. A Pinot to buy for in your face fruit intensity and a full finish.

Soft and lush with herbs, earth and berry fruit; balanced and long.

If you're wondering why wine writers increasingly are excited about the reliability and intensity of Pinot Noir produced in California, pull the cork from a bottle of 1992 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. It's what the varietal is all about when it can be coaxed into flaunting its finest stuff--plum berries and cherries in smell and flavor, a rich satiny texture, a structure wiry yet resilient, a critic tanginess in the finish.