This is a silky, gentle Pinot Noir, redolent of cherry, raspberry, cola, exotic spice and toast. It's complex, revealing layers of interest as it warms in the glass. Will provide fine drinking over the next few years.

Deep ruby.  A pungent bouquet displays smoky cherry, cola and floral qualities underscored by vanilla and cracked pepper.  Deep and chewy, with dark cherry-cola and dark berry skin flavors.  Dusty tannins add grip to the long smoke- and spice-accented finish.  This wine checks in at a moderate 13.8% alcohol, by the way.

Bright ruby-red.  Complex, aromatic nose displays cherry-cola, smoked meat, minerals and rose oil.  Then broad and sweet on the palate, with deep dark berry flavors and suggestions of smoke, rose pastille and licorice.  Delivers a lot of flavor and finishes on a spicy note, with very good energy and bite.

Bright ruby.  Oak-spiced aromas of cherry and dark berries, with a smoky overtone.  Broad, ripe black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors show good depth and suppleness.  Dusty tannins come on late and add grip to the long, clinging finish.  Shows plenty of power and heft but doesn't come off as unwieldy.

Easily the ripest of the lot, with plenty of Bing cherry, licorice, leather and sassafras/mint, the 2010 Pinot Noir Barbara's Clone 667 is big and fleshy on the palate, with a beautiful texture, good overall freshness and impressive length. I prefer the overall elegance and purity found in the other top efforts, yet this is certainly outstanding. Drink it over the coming 5-6 years. Drink now-2019.

Lovely nose of brown sugar and black cherry; velvety smooth and rich with bright fruit and ripe flavors; lush, balanced and long; charming.

Deep, bright red. Redcurrant, cherry-vanilla and spices on the fragrant nose. Lively and precise, with very good energy to its sweet red fruit and spicecake flavors. Vanilla and smoky oak spices linger on the long, focused, seamless finish.

The 2009 Pinot Noir Clone 2A is one of the more massive, muscular wines in the lineup. This is a decidedly more powerful style, with deep layers of fruit, spices, licorice and leather. Hints of over ripeness give the Clone 2A a forward, open personality, but also suggest that the wine will drink best sooner rather than later. The Clone 2A was fermented in open-top new oak barrels, and aged in oak for ten months prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

One of the Year's Best Pinot Noir's - A rich pinot noir with warm black cherry flavor, this is dark, chewy and broad. The tannins have a touch of smoky bitterness, needing a steak to bring them into line.

Bright red. A highly aromatic nose offers offers raspberry, strawberry preserves, wild herbs, cola and potpourri. Supple, lush and sweet; concentrated and assertive but not at all heavy. Enters savory and spicy, gaining sweetness in the mid-palate and offering lively red and dark berry flavors. Finishes very long, juicy and sweet, with a touch of cinnamon and very good persistence.

Vivid red. High-pitched aromas of red berries, potpourri and Asian spices. Silky and alluringly sweet, with deep but energetic raspberry and cherry flavors and notes of smoke and candied rose. Lively and precise on the finish, which echoes the spice and floral notes.

Smooth and silky with ripe cherry and lovely notes of earth and spice; racy acidity, clean and balanced with a long, lush finish.

Dark red. Expressive, highly perfumed aromas of raspberry preserves, incense, wilted rose and white pepper. Silky in texture and concentrated, offering sweet red fruit flavors and showing no tannins. Juicy and penetrating on the creamy finish, which strongly echoes the floral and spice notes. I didn't find the warmth that I feared when I saw the alcohol content on the label.

Massively rich in fruit, this Pinot floods the palate with jammy flavors of cherries, raspberries and cola, accentuated with the sweet vanilla and caramel of oak. It's a delicious, opulent wine that calls for dramatic food pairings. A grilled steak with a rich wine-based gravy would be perfect.

A very nice Syrah balancing supple, polished fruit with silky, finely-meshed tannins and crisp acidity. Bright and pure, with enough complexity for fine food.

Elegant, delicate and sweet, with bright peach, nectarine, citrus and spice, bracing acidity and a hint of orange peel.

A lovely Viognier that shows the variety's exotic richness while maintaining dryness and elegance despite high alcohol. The tropical fruit, wildflower, spice and honey flavors are deliciously balanced with crisp acidity.

'Tepusquet' is based on an old Chumash Indian name that means (roughly) 'copper coins' a reference to the copperish colored stones on the vineyard site. Curiously, the wine does have a slightly stony/minerally nuance underlying its charming floral notes. After crush, the juice was barrel fermented in one-and-two-year-old French oak, but happily the wine's brush will wood does not seem to have taken anything away from that bright, freshness one hopes for with Viognier.

…is a clear step up on previous editions as winemaker Fred Holloway formerly of Sonoma's La Crema reduces oak in favour of creamy pear and pineapple fruit.

Ripe and spicy, with a lively core of tangerine, pear, fig and melon. Spicy vanilla-tinged oak adds dimension, and it holds its flavor on the finish. also appeared in 7/31/98 issue

Lots of ripe, juicy tropical fruit, with guava nectarine, peach and pineapple flavors in a tightly framed, complex style. Long, clean, citrusy aftertaste.

…a 100% barrel-fermented cuvee given extensive lees contact. Sixty percent new French oak is used in the wine's upbringing. It is a rich, tropical fruit dominated wine with good acidity, loads of fruit, excellent definition, and a medium to full-bodied, spicy finish. The wood adds a complex element without dominating this wine's disarming fruit qualities.

Medium acid and fruit. Herbs, grapefruit, apple pie. Pleasantly crisp Chardonnay fruit, well focused. Evolves in the glass, developing sweet, spicy characteristics.

Offers lofty levels of fruit as well as a full-bodied, sweet-tasting, fat, lavishly-oaked style. The result is a decadent, lusty Chardonnay to drink over the next 1-2 years. Interestingly, this wine offers more than a gushing mouthful of Chardonnay fruit. The wood and underlying crisp acidity give this wine a vibrant, zingy mouthfeel. It should drink well for 1-2 years.

Deep golden hue. Moderately full-bodied. Balanced acidity. Highly extracted. Heavily oaked. Bananas, vanilla, bread dough. Big and round with pretty aromatic qualities. Generous and quite smooth in the mouth with a hint of acidity for balance. Distinguished by a very lengthy finish.