The 2009 Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard wafts from the glass with dried flowers, spices and sweet red fruit. There is a fragile, forward quality to the Allen that suggests the wine is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. I tasted a dizzying array of Pinot Noirs from Williams Selyem and winemaker Bob Cabral. Yields were down in 2009 because of bunch-stem necrosis, a condition that can occur because of weather/humidity extremes or mineral imbalances. Otherwise, it was a pretty regular vintage with an even set and a harvest that took place beginning in early September. Tel. (707) 433-6425

A drop-dead gorgeous Pinot Noir that will satisfy everyone from Burgundy fans to diehard Cabernet cultists. Show an elegant complexity and silky texture that define great California Pinot Noir, yet with a powerful impact that emphasizes raspberries, cherries and blueberries. Brilliant acidity and tannins provide the perfect framework on this wine that’s drinkable now, and will develop over the next 15–20 years. ——S.H.(2/1/2012)—— 97