The nose has appealing hints of richness while sweet oak tones provide the seasoning to what emerges as fairly deep varietal fruit aromas. Round and well-balanced but never succulent or particularly supple, this is a firm, tough wine that has noticeable tannins and needs three to five years of cellaring to come into its own.

Very rich in the nose with a fine balance of deep fruit and sympthetic oak, this sizeable, comparatively chunky Pinot is anything but refined in the mouth. It tastes of ripe plums and lots of oak, but its richness comes at the cost of no small degree of phenolic toughness. Elegance may well be beyond the wines ken, but a few years of softening will certainly help here.

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.

Ripe plummy nose with spicy oak and violet accents; richly textured black cherry, plummy flavors, spicy; full finish. Try with lamb with white beans, grilled portobellos.

This dramatic pinot has great depth and a spicy cherry aroma.

An ample Pinot Noir that never stints in its delivery of ripe cherries and very rich oak, and its solid sense of fruity extract is fully up to the task of supporting its lavish barrel influences. Fat, full, genuinely mouthfilling and quite long on the palate, the wine demands to be partnered with foods of corresponding richness.

Spectacular, well structured, complex with very long finish. 3 stars, superb.

How to Read the Label of a Sonoma Pinot ADVANCED PLACEMENT / Sonoma Pinot Noirs Brimming With Terroir Jeff Stewart makes a range of first-rate, single-vineyard Pinots and also this one, from a blend of several of those sources. Ripe and fairly full bodied, it’s full of juicy red fruit.

We followed the same program with diverse pinot noir releases from the Carneros to the coast. The 2015 Sevens Bench Vineyard Pinot Noir from Carneros, was lean, but earthy with expressive fruit flavors. The 2015 MacLean’s Block Pinot Noir comes from a small estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley that is surrounded by a redwood forest. Thus, there are forest floor and dark berry qualities on the nose and complex flavors with spice on the finish. From vineyards at higher elevations near the town of Annapolis, the 2015 Far Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir is the boldest and highest ranked among those produced by Hartford. Acute aromas open for earth driven flavors of fruit and spice that linger.

We followed the same program with diverse pinot noir releases from the Carneros to the coast. The 2015 Sevens Bench Vineyard Pinot Noir from Carneros, was lean, but earthy with expressive fruit flavors. The 2015 MacLean’s Block Pinot Noir comes from a small estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley that is surrounded by a redwood forest. Thus, there are forest floor and dark berry qualities on the nose and complex flavors with spice on the finish. From vineyards at higher elevations near the town of Annapolis, the 2015 Far Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir is the boldest and highest ranked among those produced by Hartford. Acute aromas open for earth driven flavors of fruit and spice that linger.

Stunning, extremely high quality, layers of flavors, balance and finesse. 3½ stars, superb.

2018’s Most Memorable Wines – and Moment Vineyard of the Year Zena Crown Vineyard in the Eola-Amity AVA in Oregon has consistently produced some of Oregon’s most impressive wine for the Good Vitis palate. The 115 acre vineyard, planted in the early 2000s, was more recently purchased by Jackson Family Wines who created a winery, called Zena Crown, to showcase its qualities. Additionally, some fruit from the vineyard is sold to several notable wineries, including Beaux Frères and Soter, not to mention the wineries listed below. The vineyard is planted on a southwest-facing slope of volcanic soil that begins at 300 feet of elevation and tops out at 650 feet. It is divided into 17 blocks, each of which has a unique combination of gradient, aspect, soil depths. Vines include a variety of pinot noir clones. All told, the vineyard is quite capable in producing a diversity of pinot noir wine. In 2018, we were lucky enough to try a variety of wines made from Zena Crown Vineyard’s goods, including some tasted in the region. Not all were scored, but several were written about on Good Vitis, including: 2015 Hartford Family Winery Princess Warrior Block Zena Crown Vineyard – This has a deep, serious nose boasting aromas of briar berry compote, dark dusty cocoa, graphite, lavender, tar and candied red apple. It’s nimble on the palate, exhibiting youthful finesse. The gorgeous tannins provide a sturdy frame, but don’t overpower while the acid is spot-on. Though I wouldn’t call the structure elegant, it has skillfully found a balance between power and finesse that’s intriguing. In the flavor department you get black and boysenberry, very dark chocolate, rose petals, lavender, Herbs de Provence, and wet soil. Though it’s good now, it will be better in five years. 92 points, value: C.

Wine+Food pairing recommendation

We followed the same program with diverse pinot noir releases from the Carneros to the coast. The 2015 Sevens Bench Vineyard Pinot Noir from Carneros, was lean, but earthy with expressive fruit flavors. The 2015 MacLean’s Block Pinot Noir comes from a small estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley that is surrounded by a redwood forest. Thus, there are forest floor and dark berry qualities on the nose and complex flavors with spice on the finish. From vineyards at higher elevations near the town of Annapolis, the 2015 Far Coast Vineyard Pinot Noir is the boldest and highest ranked among those produced by Hartford. Acute aromas open for earth driven flavors of fruit and spice that linger.

Earthy, complex flavors of dark fruit and herbs. 2½ stars.

9 Thanksgiving Wines that Support California Wine Country

The 30 Pinot Noirs to Drink If You Want to Be a Real Expert From a breathtaking coastal vineyard planted next to a Redwood grove, comes an equally breathtaking Pinot Noir. The chilly climes of Seascape Vineyard often push ripening all the way back to November, preserving mouthwatering acidity and adding depth. This is full of generous red and black fruits, savory herbs, silky tannins, and the unique imprint of this impressive terroir.

Pinot Noir is king in West Marin Forestville’s Hartford Family Winery entry on this list is both unfined and unfiltered, giving you real honest to goodness terroir in the wine. This Dijon-cloned West Marin offering shows its Burgundian side with softly vegetal notes accented by pomegranate, smoke and strawberry. Winemaker Jeff Stewart’s cool climate pinots often score in the mid to high 90s, and this one is right there with the rest. Not cheap, but that is what happens when you have a recognizable name.

Grapes from the estate and a small amount of purchased fruit combine in this deep-fruited, concentrated wine with earthy, dark-cherry aromas and flavors, silky texture and palate-whisking acidity.

The Russian River Valley is a cooler region in southern Sonoma County. Perfect conditions for a cool climate grape like Pinot Noir. This wine has a very pretty nose, showing floral, red fruit and sweet spices. It is dry, light bodied, and light tannins. Flavours of red fruit, red cherries and nutmeg. Some pepperiness as well. A very balanced wine, between the fruit, acidity and tannins. Delicious. 4½ - 5 stars.

There's a suppleness even with the size of this effort from Kendall-Jackson-affiliated Hartford Family - great toasted clove and mineral accents, luscious cherry and raspberry flavors, and a lingering sweetness.

Spicy aromas of clove and cherry leap from the glass of this lovely pinot, which manages to capture the fruit and charm of the Russian River Valley without the heaviness that often comes with them. It carries its alcohol well, too. My only (small) complaint is the that oak, which contributes to that spice, remains a bit strong on the finish.