Pinot Noir

It's almost shocking how much Pinot styles have shifted in the past few years. That there was a trend toward bolder, richer, oakier, more black-fruit-focused wines was obvious even before the full-bore mainstreaming of Pinot. Now that trend is apparent even in places (Anderson Valley, Oregon) where ripeness has often been a struggle. Is it more dramatic viticulture? Global warming? Changing tastes?

We found no shortage of top-flight Pinots across the full range of styles. But - and not that Pinot was ever cheap - bargains are few and far between. Everyone wants to reap the benefits of the Pinot boom so long as it lasts.

2006 Anthill Farms Abbey-Harris Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($48) Anthill's three young partners - Anthony Filiberti, David Low and Webster Marquez - met while they were harvest interns at Williams-Selyem. Their line of single-vineyard wines has taken off like a Pinot-fueled rocket. This particular bottling is especially significant, hailing from a leased, low-yielding parcel outside Boonville that they farm and manage themselves. An excellent demonstration of their transparent winemaking style, it offers exotic notes - kirsch, spice cookies, soy and lilac, with bell-clear fruit and a polished, ripe, elegant profile that doesn't rely on power to make its point.

2006 Baker Lane Hurst Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($40) Made by Quivira winemaker Steven Canter for restaurateur Stephen Singer, this effort meshes a richer, high-extract style with Sonoma Coast's typical high-toned vibrancy. Cola, bright mineral, fennel seed, juicy cherry, taut rhubarb and an emergent bit of warm oak - it all comes together in an impressive, high-toned wine that cries out for food.

2006 Bergstrom Winery Cumberland Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45) Josh Bergstrom's cuvee is often a standout, and in 2006 it seemed to show a touch more restraint than some of his single-vineyard wines, though the 60 percent new oak certainly won't disappoint those seeking full-bore Pinot. The style is bold and ripe, with terrific sweet fruit - plum, huckleberry, tamarind - and a savory tang on the long, breathy finish.

2006 Black Kite Cellars Kite's Rest Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($38) Entrepreneur Donald Green and his family have dedicated their vineyard site northwest of Philo to single-plot Pinot expressions. Their 2006 lineup, from winemaker Jeff Gaffner, was superb. This blend of various blocks is a fantastically clear, bright expression of Anderson Valley Pinot, with toasted spice and dry pine on the nose, a bit of heady earth and then layers of buoyant cranberry and black cherry.

2006 Brandborg Love Puppets Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir ($30) Sue and Terry Brandborg keep making the case that Oregon's prime Pinot country extends just a bit farther south, in his case to the Umpqua Valley, southeast of Eugene. From low yielding, dry-farmed parcels, they produced this lean (but at 14.3 percent alcohol, not too lean) and focused wine full of clear, clean raspberry and candied cherry notes, heightened by a complex dry-loam note.

2006 Broadley Shea Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($50) A massive Pinot from one of Oregon's best vineyards in a blockbuster year. Ruby-sweet cherry, deep black fruit, roasted spices and minerally, loamy depth come together with impressive focus and earthy density. Its size (14.7 percent) only reveals itself toward the end, but it's a gorgeous showcase for the Shea fruit, made with more restraint than some versions.

2006 Calera Mt. Harlan Cuvee Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir ($30) If not as monolithic as Calera's single-vineyard wines, this blend of mostly younger fruit from Josh Jensen (our 2007 Winemaker of the Year) is still an excellent example of Mount Harlan's extraordinary terroir. Delicate loam aromas open it, with touches of musk and thyme, and then darker fruit notes. Cranberry and fern highlights, and a chalky grip, give it ample power.

2005 Connor | Brennan Cellars Amber Ridge Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($42) An auspicious debut from another urban garagiste: Investment manager Matthew Reidy crafted this fantastic wine at San Francisco's Crushpad. Its earth and forest floor and mushroom note signal all the beautiful complexity of Pinot, with black cherry, orange zest and cranberry flavors rounding it out in a buoyant, higher-acid profile.

2006 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45) Combine a solid, ripe growing season with Veronique Drouhin's Burgundian winemaking talents and you get a taut, perfumed wine, with darker fruit notes than some - blue plum, blueberry - a minerally edge and a touch of that quintessential barnyard depth. Generous, grippy, seamless Pinot.

2006 Foursight Wines Charles Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($46) Kristy Charles moved back to Boonville after a successful wine-industry career in part to run a vineyard with her family and fiance. This inaugural effort is earthy and focused, in the traditional Anderson Valley style, with a mix of Bing cherry, blueberry and rhubarb. It's an auspicious debut, with plenty of delicate red fruit and a savory, smoky, nori-like nuance.

2006 Hunterdon Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($15) As much as we adored Michael and Tina Cox's Mayro-Murdick bottling from Carneros, this everyday effort sourced from a prime Central Coast site was a knockout for the price. Smoky and foresty, it finds a balance between the earthier black fruit that Santa Lucia can offer and brighter citrus and raspberry tones, and manages plenty of structure for a lighter-style wine.

2006 Kenneth Volk Santa Maria Cuvee Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir ($26) In 1981, Kenneth Volk and his family started the now-familiar Wild Horse brand. After selling it, he started again with his own name on the label. We enjoyed several of his 2006 Pinots, but this blend was especially winning for its lighter food-friendly profile and approachability. A slightly floral, mossy nose is bolstered by bright red berry and a palate full of sweet red fruit and ample grip.

2006 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($48) Kosta Browne's reputation for rich, big wines is well established, but this appellation bottling brings a fine nuance to the style, with nutmeg, damp soil, lacquered red fruit and blue plum plus a balanced oak presence. The texture is ropy and dense, but fine tannins and subtle acidity tie it all together.

2006 MacPhail Wightman House Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($60) James MacPhail seems to bring out the best in North Coast Pinot. This release, from a Boonville vineyard planted to Martini clones and yielding fewer than 2 tons per acre, is wildly earthy, almost evoking a Bonnes Mares in its ferocity, but with plenty of sweet, deep cherry and currant, plus savory notes - dried leaf and meat. Intense and nearly flawless.

2006 Miner Garys' Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir ($60) We hadn't particularly connected this Oakville winery with one of Monterey County's top Pinot sites, winemaker Gary Brookman found an eloquent expression for the fruit. A dry toastiness is balanced by bright strawberry and floral tones like geranium. Bright and powerful, with tightly wound tannins.

2006 Roessler La Brisa Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($30) Named for the coastal breeze that dominates the appellation, Roessler's multivineyard blend stood out this year. Soft, pure dark cherry and damp soil are matched by bright red fruit on the finish and a fine-boned structure full of ripe tannins. Big, evocative and generous.

2006 Rusack Vineyards Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir ($36) Again, John and Helen Falcone find the right mix of fresh fruit and earthy depth in Rusack's mainline bottling. A layered, complex nose opens it, and the fruit is rich but tending to berry and just a bit of black cherry, with plenty of brightness and length, and an ever-so-subtle oak presence.

2005 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Branciforte Creek Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir ($32) Winemaker Jeff Emery originally apprenticed under founder Ken Burnap, whose pioneering work helped establish the area for Pinot. This bottling's profile is downright aggressive - the tannic grip isn't shy - but gorgeous aromas of pine needle, mint, gray mineral and vibrant red fruit help round out the minerally texture and lifted acidity. By no means the most approachable Pinot, but raw and complex in its expression.

2006 Siduri Keefer Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($54) Adam and Dianna Lee are making increasingly muscular wines from almost anywhere a Pinot vine can grow. But this bottling from six different clones on a top Green Valley site (which just began bottling under its own label as well) has impressive earth-focused nuance. That and hints of mint and soy add depth to the rich berry fruit.

2006 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($25) Both bottlings from Bill Stoller's Dundee Hills parcel impressed us, but this classic Oregon bottling from younger vines gets extra points for value. The savory opening - copper, tangerine, tamari and cranberry - leads to a juicy, full profile notable for its clarity and a sappy sweet note that extends the finish.

2006 Hirsch Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($60) Since 1980 David Hirsch has been growing fruit on the outer limits of the Sonoma coast near Fort Ross. Only a few years ago did he decide to start recapturing some of his fruit and making his own wine, but it has quickly become one of the state's top Pinots. This vintage was Hirsch's most bountiful so far, but not for a moment lacking in his trademark intensity. A seductive, dusky nose is accented by bright currant, spice and citrus peel. The whole package is densely coiled, its dark fruit rich but still reticent and remarkably young.