Bing cherry, rose petal, violets, and hints of plum all emerge from the 2015 Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard, and it's a beautifully elegant, silky, seamless Pinot that has a tight, fresh-focused texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. Elegant, yet also concentrated and powerful it's a terrific wine. I was able to taste Adam Lee’s full-lineup for this report, including his Russian River Valley, Sonoma and Oregon releases. It’s a big lineup, but there’s some gorgeous Pinot Noirs here. I’ve listed the wines in the order tasted, starting with Oregon, followed by Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.

The nose on this bottling from the iconic vineyard co-owned by the Pisoni and Franscioni families is quite sultry, with lots of violet and purple-flower aromas as well as mulberry, black raspberry, forest floor and grilled meat. The earthy fruit flavors of mulberry are strong on the sip, playing well with the loamy soils, dusty minerality, stiffer tannins and persistent acidity. A deep and layered wine.

2015 PINOT NOIR, GARYS’ VINEYARD The nose is a pepper-laced herb, saturated black fruit and hints of spruce. The palate entry is direct and focused blue fruit and mineral with notes of tropical orange. Excellent acidity.

Wet earth and mushroom with rose petal and dark fruits on the nose. Full and deep fruit. Fruit forward yet intense and poised. Intense finish. Screw cap. Drink now.

Aromas of dried meats, spice, mushroom, and dried fruit. Medium body, super-integrated tannins and a long and caressing finish. Love the texture. Fantastic wine. Screw cap. Drink or hold.

All dry-grown, ungrafted vines planted in 1991. Pale to medium ruby-purple, the 2015 Pinot Noir Muirfield Vineyard displays a profoundly scented nose of kirsch, raspberry tart and pomegranate juice with nuances of wild thyme, red roses, damp loam and cinnamon stick. Medium-bodied, it fills the palate with intense red berry and earth flavors, framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness. It finishes with great length and depth.

Adam Lee's bottling from one of the region's most famous vineyards is a winner for fans of the rich style of Pinot, lush with blackberry jam, lilac, cinnamon and gingerbread. The palate is similarly dense, soft and sultry, with tart olallieberry jam and plum jelly, but also lively with thyme, spearmint and a unique lemon verbena kick.

Dark reddish purple color in the glass. Brooding, mysterious aromas of blackberry compote, meaty black grapes and iron. Clearly a special, full-bodied and luscious wine that balances power with charm. The array of heady black fruits is dusted by earthy complexity and framed by mellow tannins that are unusually tame for a Pisoni Pinot Noir. There is beautiful integration of acidity, oak and alcohol, with a remarkably long, royally endowed finish. The pedigree really stands out in this sublime offering.

An impressive wine that really satisfies on the richly appointed palate. Aromas and flavors of ripe cherries and a hint of vanilla impress on the attack and extremely long finish. The fruit really has traction and there is a good grip of acidity to lift the fruit load. Still outstanding when tasted two days later from a previously opened and re-corked bottle.

Adam Lee makes some concentrated wines each vintage, and this one shows cherry syrup, sandalwood and some smoke on the dense, layered nose. The palate is similarly deep, rich and complex, with tangy cherry, mulberry, dried ginger and mace flavoring, rising into a chorus of camphor on the finish.

Medium ruby color; gentle, rich, dark cherry and oak aromas; rich, plum and spiced cherry flavors with cola notes; soft and silky texture; good structure and balance; long finish. Supple and well-balanced Pinot with deep flavors.

Elegant purple flower, black cherry fruit, a bouquet of white sage and a touch of graphite decorate the rich and vibrant nose of this wine by Adam Lee. The palate surrounds soft red brambleberry fruits, with thyme, rosemary and Earl Grey tea spicing the edges. It's both plush and herbal.

Medium ruby color; complex, spiced plum and cherry aromas with earth notes; full bodied, rich and focused plum and cherry flavors; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has really focused flavors and a long persistent finish. Originally published in issue #103.

Medium ruby color; complex, spiced plum and cherry aromas with earth notes; full bodied, rich and focused plum and cherry flavors; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has really focused flavors and a long persistent finish.

My favorite of the Sta. Rita Hills releases, the 2013 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard offers sensational purity and elegance in its darker berry fruits, crushed flowers, underbrush and hints of mint. Seamless, silky and refined, it still has plenty of fruit and texture, and shows terrific focus on the finish. I'm a fan and this bottle drank beautifully over the three days I had the bottle open. It will have a decade or more of overall longevity.

I was blown away by the 2013 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard. It's a gorgeously complete, balanced and still structured 2013 that offers rocking notes of cassis, black cherry, crushed rock and forest floor to go with a medium to full-bodied, textured and concentrated feel on the palate. Easily one of the riper, larger framed and powerful wines in the lineup, it nevertheless has the fruit to drink nicely today. It should be at its best from 2017-2023.

Medium ruby color; lively cranberry and floral aromas; complex, layered cherry and strawberry flavors on a lithe, silky frame; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex and layered Pinot that deepens with time in the glass.

Supple and sleek, with elegantly layered violet, raspberry and orange peel flavors that build richness and expression on a long finish.

Elegant yet dynamic, with violet, raspberry and spiced cinnamon flavors that build richness and structure toward refined tannins.

Impressively structured and expressive, this features refined raspberry and cherry flavors, accented by orange peel, smoky spice and clove notes, building drama toward polished tannins.

Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness Limpid ruby-red. Intensely perfumed cherry, blackberry, Indian spice and vanilla aromas show excellent clarity and pick up cola and licorice notes with air. Stains the palate with sweet dark berry, cherry preserve and floral pastille flavors that show impressive depth and a strong supporting core of smoky minerality. Shows a surprisingly light touch for its depth and power and finishes with outstanding detail, youthfully gripping tannins and superb, floral-driven persistence.

Pretty rose/ruby color. Takes time but opens up to show deep red currant, red and black cherries, rose petals, spicy white pepper, clove, tilled soil. Crisp acidity frames the palate so well, but the tannic structure provides plenty of support without being harsh, and the balance is superb. Graceful but tart red and black cherries, some cranberry, tons of spiced black tea, tobacco, rose petals, white pepper, sage and earthy, floral complexities that linger long on the finish. This is a tightly structured wine that will probably see its best days five years from now, and age beautifully, but this an impressive young Shea Pinot from Penner-Ash.

Oregon: Pinot Still King Even In Hot 2015 and 2014 Vintages A very unique and perfumed nose here with rhubarb fool, cranberry crumble, mint, cherry blossom, slate, jasmine, lilacs, rose petals and nutmeg. By the contrast, the palate is very linear and precise with lots of grainy, fine tannins, bright fruit and a fresh, uplifted finish. Drink now or hold.

This ‘No Name’ bottling is a barrel selection by Penner Ash. Needing roughly a one hour decant to fully express itself, this starts off with beautiful red currant, rose petal and red cherry with forest floor aromatics. The palate is burly, almost Sonomaesque. Cherry cola, sassafras, wild strawberry jam and forest floor flavors complete this outstanding wine. Enjoy this great, beautifully textured, Pinot Noir over the next fifteen plus years.