…from California is supple and seductive, with ripe cherry-berry fruit in sweet vanilla, white chocolate and spicy nuances.

This medium-bodied, fruity wine was an appealing blend of different flavors--herbs, tobacco, licorice--all culminating in a complex and lingering finish. It would be good with roasted chicken or veal dishes with light sauces, even grilled tuna or salmon.

Deep black-cherry aroma, chocolate and toffee accents; up-front oak, good concentration, layered fruit, good tannins; length. Perfect with roasted squab, pork satay.

These two wines, [the reserve and the non-reserve] should, as often as it is possible, be purchased together and drunk back to back. Both are classic, cold climate Pinot Noirs that have amazingly aromatic noses, soft tannins and gobs of the blackberry, raspberry and cherry red fruit flavors that make this varietal almost the perfect accompaniment to any kind of dinner. There is a distinct nutty flavor imparted in both wines from its oak aging;...11 months for the non-reserve. The...non-reserve differs only in its degree of the same characteristics as its noble cousin here.

Forward black-cherry, toasty oak, coffee back notes; rich texture, layered fruit, spicy oak, good concentration; long finish. Try with dried cherry risotto, duck confit.

Nicely focused in the nose, yet a bit shy on intensity throughout, this well-polished, medium-bodied Pinot gets good marks for its proper fruit, its extra bit of oaky richness and a lengthy finish. Never a flamboyant, it can improve for a few years in bottle.

Rich oak is everywhere, to be sure, but ripe fruit abounds in both the creamy aromas of deep, neatly extracted flavors of this sweet and spicy youngster.

"With its great black cherry aroma and fleshy, supple texture, this pinot is a real winner. It shows considerable depth, has a hint of toasty oak." (Also appeared 11/27/96 & 11/26/97).

Bright and bouncy fruit is buttressed by a bit of sweet oak in this direct and relatively lively young, medium-bodied Pinot.

Well worth the price for its exquisite blend of silky delicacy and dense strawberry and black cherry fruit that is neatly framed with bacon-crisp French oak toastiness. Balance is the key to vinuous greatness, and this one keeps so many balls in the air that you'd think winemaker Dan Goldfield was a juggler instead of a winemaker.

Medium-intensity aromas of ripe plums and cherries are joined by creamy, vanillin-laden oakiness in the aromas.

Best value.

Generous fruit, intense black cherry flavor, a hearty richness and considerable character.

Big raspberry, cherry, cinnamon scents and tastes.

A very forward, ready to drink wine, with light cherry aromas and only a slight wood impression---a note of burnt leaves or tar---and a compact structure that will give pleasure now or over the next year.

Bright, black cherry flavors with a brisk, American oak edge. A hint of nutmeg and no filtration give the wine extra dimension.

Raspberry and spice scents, dark cherry flavors; well-made. Good value.

Multiple layers of raspberry, black cherry, cocoa, spice flavors; fine balance; big but soft. Very drinkable now, should develop interesting bottle; age flavors for 5-8 years more.

A ripe, rich, velvety blend of Central and North Coast Pinot Noir. Worth a hunt.

Nicely made and well-structured. The wine is spectatular, with an earthy/cherry sort of aroma, deep and powerful fruit, and a racy, spiced aftertaste. The Reserve bottling is a steal.

Oregano and cassis, complex, rich, dry, spicy, light, elegant.

The Best Pinot Noirs Under $20: A Discriminating Guide Marked by notes of black currant and spice, this wine is fairly rich and full bodied, aged in French oak barrels (about 17% new). It’s also more powerful and higher in alcohol (14.5%) than the other Pinots listed here.

Let’s Talk Wine: Bold red wines for Father’s Day Celebrating 40 years of winemaking! A delicious medium-bodied pinot with strong aromas and flavors of red and black berries with hints of dark chocolate and tobacco.

Getting to know the wine of the La Crema Winery When it comes to Pinot Noir wines, I am known to be mean, sarcastic and curmudgeonly. Having experienced the very best of the best it is hard to warm up to the ordinary. Not only did I warm up to this wine, it actually impressed me. The first thing that caught my attention was the color, which is much darker than most California Pinot Noirs. Next, I found the aroma and the flavor to be extremely complex and multi-layered. The aroma is an ever changing display of black cherry, blackberry, and plum with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The flavor is just as expansive and explosive as is the aroma and concentrates on plum, blackberry, and boysenberry with oak in the background. This is a grand wine, in both meanings of the term; it is big and it is regal. Please do not miss this wine.