Unearthed at my local wine store, the Siduri Pisoni Vineyard 2014, made by Siduri founder Adam Lee, had aged gracefully with black cherry, blood orange and some forest floor sweeping in at the finish.

The Siduri Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2019 had Christmas spice, nutmeg and black cherry aromas. Black cherry flavors mingled with a fruitcake spice on the finish that has a supple mouthfeel.

Also using the coastal influence of the Pacific Ocean are pinot noir from California's Sonoma Coast. A blend of two vineyards four miles from the ocean and planted at 1,000 feet above sea level, the Hartford Court "Land's Edge Vineyards" Pinot Noir 2018 captured the many facets of the AVA in one bottle. Far Coast Vineyard near Annapolis is at the north end of the coast, on a second coastal ridge that softens the impact of the frigid Pacific air and thus ripens three to four weeks before its counterpart Seascape. Located on the first coastal ridge, Seascape is at the southern edge of the coast and stares down at Bodega Bay. It is shrouded in fog and high humidity throughout the growing season. Harvest in Seascape can happen as late as mid-October. Red fruit, eucalyptus, bacon fat, mushroom, ground cloves and baking spice-rack aromas rose from the glass. Flavors of cranberry, cherry and spice built layers of character into silky tannins and a great mouthfeel.

The Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 is sublime. There's sweet cranberry, cherry, raspberry, tobacco and clove flavors. There's red and black fruit in a duel for attention on the nose. Fine tannins frame the fruit, yet there's an alluringly silky mouthfeel. A loamy earth scent is the aromatic lift that transports your senses right to the green hills, cold, windy days and ocean smell that permeate the AVA. Featured in the bottle are 3D, Hapgood and Machado vineyards: a snapshot of the entire appellation in one bottle.

Napa Valley's Top Winemakers on Why You Shouldn't Turn Your Nose Up at Red BlendsChris Carpenter, winemaker for the much-awarded Cardinale Cabernet blend, as well as single-vineyard wines under other widely acclaimed labels, gives the music analogy even more layers in terms of the understanding and skill necessary to make a delicious composite. “Great composers and song writers understand the highs, lows, timber, tonality, dynamics, and rhythm of sound. Flavor has a lot of those same characters, and blending wine for me is a way to bring the individual aspects of the singular wines together. Think of a great orchestra, with its different sections—the brass, the strings, percussion, winds. Each is playing and contributing a unique sound to the overall piece of music. And you as the listener enjoy that for the complexity of sound, the emotion it sparks, the memories it unearths and the shared experience with the audience.” (Pause here, just to appreciate the poetry and metaphorical acrobatics from Carpenter.)“Wine is exactly the same,” he concludes, “except you’re experiencing it as flavor combinations by way of the blending process.” And indeed, the seamless power and complex layers of minerality, dark chocolate, and dark fruit in his 2018 Cardinale Cabernet Sauvignon—which, according to Carpenter, includes 7 appellations and 32 individual wine lots—seem easily capable of inspiring profound emotion and memories.

Made with grapes grown in the cool-climate vineyards in Monterey Bay where the cold winds whip off the Pacific Ocean, this fragrant 100% Pinot Noir rosé possesses vivid aromas of strawberry and Mandarin orange, flavors of raspberry and blood orange, and an underlying flinty minerality.

Bargain BordeauxThe second wine of the noted Château Lassègue in Saint-Émilion, this red offers elegant restraint along with its ripe red fruit and baking spice notes.

The best deal of the summer. Simply sit poolside and sip this amazing bargain. Look for a future column on a wine loaded with interesting spice, earth, and black cherry on the nose. The tobacco and spice rack flavors play off the loamy earth notes. Black cherry and sweet raspberry swoop in on the finish.

The Upper Barn Chardonnay 2016 and ‘17 were highly touted by RP. They are selling around $100 and worth it for those who enjoy complex, buttery chardonnay from Sonoma’s North Coast Alexander Valley. If possible, buy the ‘16.

2017 Les Cadrans de Lassegue Saint-Emilion Gran Cru is a happy marriage of merlot and cabernet franc from Bordeaux. Les Cadrans will show you why people love Bordeaux.

7 Best Wine and Book Pairings: What to Drink While You ReadSwingI’d pair this book with two wines from California...The second is this seductive Pinot Noir from La Crema. Pinot is the heartbreak grape, but it finishes with great sensuality. So again perfect.

Tropical notes of pineapple and guava meet citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon. This sauvignon blanc also has a hint of honeysuckle and a lingering finish. Pretty.

Red, White and Brew: End of summer selectionsRed Wine: Nielson wines are born on sandy soils, Pacific Ocean breezes and Santa Barbara sunshine. Named after Uriel J. Nielson, who in 1964 planted the first commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County in California. Today there are more than 100 wineries in the area. Nielson’s 2017 Pinot Noir comes from three main regions within Santa Barbara County. It starts with bright red fruits and tea notes on the nose. The palate is light to medium-bodied. It drinks fresh and finishes a bit earthy. One of my all-time favorites in the $20 range. Also rated 90 points by Robert Parker. Give it a try, you might have just found your new go-to pinot!

Next up was Maggy Hawk 2018 Unforgettable Pinot Noir created at the Maggy Hawk Estate Vineyard in the Anderson Valley (Mendocino County). The grapes used for this unique Pinot Noir are fermented in three ton fermenters with pump overs twice a day. The final result is a Pinot mixing the flavors of jammy blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry. The scent is clearly flowery—you will be whiffing violets, lilac and pennyroyal. Maggy Hawk 2018 Unforgettable Pinot Noir is aged for 15 months in 43 per cent new French oak barrels and production is limited to only 571 cases per year.

Stonestreet 2017 Estate Chardonnay from Stonestreet Estate Vineyards in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County was up next in our virtual tasting. This vineyard produces high altitude wine. Stonestreet 2017 Estate Chardonnay is a truly unique product as you can literally taste hints of toffee, cashew brittle and salt grilled peaches when you sip it! Let’s not forget that you can taste a bit of Bosc pear abe caramel in the mix!

Gran Moraine Brut Rose is from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in Oregon’s Williamette Valley. It is light, fruity and a little oaky all at once. I think that this is the ultimate brunch wine and also great for an outdoor picnic on a grassy hill with a lovely picnic basket full of charcuterie and French bread. Although subtle, there are hints of tangerine, kumquat and nectarine in the mix. Gran Moraine is very vibrant, well balanced and is clean all the way to the finish.

Cherry with light earth and spice on the nose. Cherry-cola, dark fruit, tea and earth on the palate with a lingering finish. Good plus.

29 Best Dry Wines For Different Palates in 2021The bright colors of the California Pinot Gris are not just a stunning sight to behold; they're indicative of what lies inside. The wine is packed with fruit flavors and juicy texture that give it excellent food pairing potential. Stainless steel fermentation helps preserve this lively personality by retaining its vivid fruit and fresh taste while adding depth in flavor notes like pear, honeydew, or tangerine naturally coming with the grape variety itself. The Vintner's Reserve Pinot Gris wine is a unique blend of grapes from the Rhône region, including Roussanne, Viognier, and Muscat. The winemaker also added Albariño to create this complex yet floral flavor that will be sure to please your taste buds.