FRIDAY wines need to be readily available and pass inspection, something you can pick up easily on the way home from work and still be something special. Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve wines have been reliable for more than 30 years. When you think of the tapestry of vineyards that Jackson Family Wines can use today for this brand — well, if anything, the wines just get better. This is a lush, fruit-packed Pinot with sturdy acidity and soft, round tannins for balance. Think dark cherry, raspberry, plum, dark chocolate, cola, vanilla. It’s still young and tightly wound. Grapes are half from Monterey County, half from Santa Barbara.

Crisp and light and fruity, with aromas and flavors of red raspberries and cherries.

This Pinot is off a remote vineyard on a high ridge in Northern California’s Anderson Valley where the thin, rocky, powdery soils are similar in profile to the famous Goldridge soils of the Green Valley in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley AVA. It’s a Pinot with veiled muscle and powerful fruit that will wake up your senses with intense aromas and 15 percent alcohol. Dark and red berry fruit penetrates aromas and coats the palate with supple tannins and flavors of cherry, raspberry, blackberry, dark plum and brown cooking spice. It’s aged 11 months in mostly new French oak.

A delicious, flavor-packed pinot noir with strawberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors in an elegant creamy oak frame. Mouth filling with a very nice long finish.

An impressive pinot with integrated, ripe tannins. Layered, with notes of raspberry, plum, black cherry and spice. Lingering finish.

K-J has a reasonably priced, extracted and delicious pinot noir from Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. Juicy and ripe strawberry notes with a dash of pepper.

When the Kendall-Jackson wine team puts their eyes and palates on the best lots of wine off the best single estate vineyards, the end result always rocks. These Jackson Estate new releases are limited-production wines. They are special. This is Pinot that makes you smack your lips, savor the last flavors as they linger on the palate. The cool climate of the Anderson Valley delivers acidity and pure fruit that is Pinot every inch of the way. It's cherry, blackberry, cola, spice, dark plum, vanilla, chocolate … and the list goes on. It has that needed acidity for a good spine. It has silky tannins off the grape skins. The grapes are off a ridge that rises from 1,500 to 1,800 feet high with chunky, broken rocks in thin soils. The weight in the mouth is like a French Burgundy.

K-J is a big brand that’s often featured on specials. Don’t think twice if you see a deal on the Pinot Noir. This baby is raspberry, black cherry, dark plum, brown cooking spices and cocoa. Smoke and spice off the barrels are infused in the flavors. It has a midpalate blast of cherry and blackberry, and nutmeg. It was aged eight months in mostly French oak with close to 20 percent new barrels. Winemaster Randy Ullom calls it a garnet gem.

Although on the earthy side, there's plenty of forward red fruit plus a dollop of vanilla that comes from the oak it's aged in. There's not a lot of nuance here, but it's very well made considering the quantities that are delivered to market.

K-J has a reasonably priced, extracted and delicious pinot noir from Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. Juicy and ripe strawberry notes with a dash of pepper.

2010 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Pinot Noir, Calif.: aromas of vanilla and oak, flavors of black cherries and black plums.

We will again be looking at new Pinot Noir's in next month's issue, but a few favorite star favorites priced below $30.00 deserve repeated mention. ...and the very precise Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve 2010 comes with extra virtue of being easy to find.

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve 2010 shows unexpected varietal precision and balance with the added attraction that is the rare good-value Pinot that is in broad distribution.

Made in a simple, crowd-pleasing style, this tastes like pinot noir - which, despite the duh factor, is saying something for a wine under $20. ...I suspect it will find fans in many consumers who want a wine to enjoy without having to think too much about it.

Wines labeled with a California designation are most likely to sport an everyday price. The 2009 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve offers good varietal character for the price.

Generous aromas of cherries, raspberries and strawberries with hints of exotic woods. Medium-weight flavors of slightly confected red cherries and berries with the slightest oak vanillin evident. Impressively smooth like Elvis on velvet. I kept sipping over an extended period and the wine kept delivering appealing fruit flavor. All you could ask for at this price: low alcohol, smooth texture, simple but tasty fruit, instant drinkability, ease of acquisition, all from a renowned producer.

If we hadn't been tasting blind, you might call this a sentimental pick to memorialize Jess Jackson, who died recently. I loved the wine's smoky notes and bright red fruit, pegging its price at $50. Buy it: $14.99.

There is something to be said for wines blended from different appellations. The climate and geology of each area provides fruit that varies in aroma and flavor, giving the winemaker more artistic potential in creating a perfect wine. Kendall-Jackson's Vintner's Reserve offers elegant black cherry and raspberry aromas with notes of plum and toasty oak. The palate shows rich fruit flavors with a fruity finish graced by notes of vanilla and cedar.

A smoky pinot with aromas and flavors of cranberry, herbs, mineral and spice. Balanced. Good length.

Delicate aromas of darker red berries and raisins with a hint of oak. Mildly intense flavors of strawberries, raspberries and cherries with some persistence on the fruit-driven, dry finish. Smooth in the mouth and easy to drink. Will work beautifully at the table when Pinot Noir is called for.

Simple, sweet cherry notes underscored by an aromatic earthiness. The nose is of incense and smoke with a touch of green tea.

Menthol, celery salt, barnyard, tea, herbal, sour cherry aromas. Round, supple, full palate with good textures and acidity. Celery, cherry jam, strawberry, coffee, resin, tea, tobacco leaf flavours. ..the palate has good texture and balance for current drinking.