2014 Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia highlands, shows a dollop of strawberry on the nose, with beautiful richness, supple tannins and attractive floral and spice notes. High marks for its purity.

From a rock-star vineyard site, this Pinot is exuberant in raspberry, cherry and cocoa, accented in sweet oak. Structured acidity and toned-down tannins maintain a balance of approachability, though the wine should age beautifully for another 10 years.

This pinot is complex and earthy, buoyed with bright, high-toned fruit and minerals. Well-integrated and balanced. A knockout.

2013 Keefer Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, exhibits wonderful depth with impressive weight on the palate and exceptional complexity. It shows aromas of strawberry and black cherry, with notes of spice and a touch of earthiness.

...The wine list is varied and offers some interesting choices, both French and otherwise. I am, of course, on the company dime, so I passed up the Bordeaux and headed to a more moderately priced pinot noir by Siduri. This 2013 Santa Rita Hills red has lots of fruit and a touch of violets. It was delicious on its own and paired particularly well with a filet mignon.

2013 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir offers exceptional richness for an appellation pinot at this price point. It delivers darker blue fruits in its flavor profile and sports surprisingly good backbone given its richness and palate weight.

A native Texan and frequent business traveler, Lee knows that people across the U.S. don’t feel as comfortable about wine as they do in Sonoma. Even at $30 a bottle and under, wine is a luxury for most. Siduri’s 2013 Sonoma County Pinot Noir (87 points) is $22, one of the best wine deals in the world.

Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cranberry and raspberry fruit. In the mouth, bright raspberry and cranberry fruit has a nice purity and length. Simple, straightforward and quite delicious. A blend of Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Coast, and Russian River fruit.

The Siduri 2013 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (88 points) is $33. The fruit Lee uses is a combination of specific vineyards he’s identified as good sources for more reasonably priced grapes, as well as declassified barrels from each of the vineyard designates. He uses less new oak to help bring the cost down.

This striking pinot has a core of red fruit, with flavors of raspberry and cherry, anise, forest floor and cracked black pepper. Nice length. This pinot is best solo after the feast, but it's a worthy companion all the same.

This supple pinot has a core of red fruit. Aromas and flavors of raspberry and cherry, anise, forest floor and cracked black pepper. Nice length. Striking.

Its effusive floral aroma leads to a nicely balanced, almost delicate, and energetic palate of juicy red cherry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit, with subtle spice from oak aging. Focused on finesse rather than power, it’s an elegant wine with huge charm and poise.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cranberry and raspberry fruit. In the mouth the wine all but bursts with bright raspberry fruit. Gorgeous, mouthwatering acidity and great length. Faint tannins buff the edges of the mouth. Touches of herbal notes linger in the finish.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry and bright cherry fruit with a hint of green wood that wafts up unexpectedly. In the mouth, juicy raspberry and boysenberry fruit has a wonderful, zippy acidity underneath it. Juicy and long. Very soft, barely perceptible tannins. A blend of all five vineyards owned by Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of forest floor and cranberry. In the mouth, cranberry and raspberry fruit has a nice velvety silkiness and perky acidity. Faint but plush tannins and a nice hint of herbs on the finish.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of bright raspberry and floral notes caked with green herbs. In the mouth plush cherry and raspberry fruit has a nice stony quality to it, a fresh brightness that lingers with fine grained, tannins in the finish. Delicious. Good length and balance.

Rich, warm and ripe, this Pinot Noir packs power with black cherry and raspberry flavors and a lovely floral note that seems to lift it right out of the glass.

Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of raspberry and cherry and a hint of green herbal overtone. in the mouth, luscious juicy cherry fruit has a mouthwatering brightness thanks to fantastic acidity. Perfectly poised and balanced with great length.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass this wine smells of rich cherry and raspberry fruit with a hint of cedar underneath. In the mouth juicy cherry and raspberry fruit walks a well poised and graceful line across the palate. Excellent acidity and length is a sharp counterpoint to a silky texture and very faint tannic structure. Smooth and with a nice sweetness.

From the wilds of Sonoma Mountain, as green in springtime as an Irish meadow, the Van der Kamp Vineyard produces a compellingly intense wine. This Pinot is a mix of black tea and spicy pomegranate wrapped in smooth, velvety tannins, with excellent structure and length.

Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of gorgeous floral berry fruit and wet chalkboard. In the mouth bright raspberry and floral cherry flavors mix with the faintest whiff of new oak that all conspire to create a sweet, delectable complexion for the wine. Faint, barely perceptible tannins add some texture to the wine, but this is mostly an expression of fruit.

Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of rich, ripe cherry fruit. In the mouth lush cherry and raspberry fruit is held firmly in the grasp of fine grained tannins. Nice acidity and length. Very pretty and balanced.