The 2010 Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyard wraps around the palate with sweet black cherries, spices, licorice and mint. Firm, yet well-integrated tannins frame the fruit through to the finish. This rich, dense Pinot has enough juiciness and sheer depth to drink well for a number of years. It is classic Siduri. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Adam and Dianna Lee can be counted on for juicy, forward Pinots loaded with fruit. As always, the appellation wines, which are largely made from barrels that don’t make it into the vineyard-designate wines, over-deliver for the money.Tel. (707) 578-3882, www.siduri.com

The 2009 Pinot Noir Sonatera is one of the more delicate, ethereal Pinots from Siduri in this vintage. Sweet herbs, flowers and spices add complexity to the fruit. Elements of rusticity run through the Sonatera, from the slightly rough around the edges tannins to aromas and flavors that aren’t as focused as they could be. There is a pronounced steaminess that is hard to get past. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. Husband and wife team Adam Lee and Dianna Novy make some of the most compelling wines in the Central Coast. The Siduri label focuses on Pinot Noir, while the Novy label (Dianna’s maiden name) is used for all other varieties. The strengths are the Pinots from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Another strength is the regional Pinots, which are also some of the finest values readers will find in American Pinot Noir (and Syrah under Novy). The single-vineyard designates are the best barrels from each site, while barrels that don’t make the cut go into the straight Santa Lucia Highlands and the Santa Rita Hills bottlings, a pretty straightforward approach. The only thing is that sometimes blended wines can be greater than the sum of their individual parts, which is why this approach is still used by a small number of traditionally minded producers in regions such as Piedmont and the Rhone. The Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills Pinots are without question the wines that offer the biggest bang for the buck here. The other wines are more variable across both labels, especially as one moves away from the Santa Lucia Highlands. I tasted the 2010s from tank, where the wines were awaiting imminent bottling, plus a selection of 2009s from bottle. The 2010s are the product of an unusual vintage. Vintage 2010 was, on average, a cool growing season with some heat spikes towards the end of the maturation cycle. These conditions resulted in wines with both higher sugars and acidities relative to the 2009s. Vintage 2009 was much more consistent across the board. The harvest took place between September 7 and October 12. Adam Lee reports he had more physiological ripeness in 2009 than in most years and was therefore able to use more whole clusters than in any year since 2005.Tel. (707) 578-3882; www.siduri.com

Aromas of roasted herbs, sweet black currant and black cherry fruit, and hints of damp earth and bay leaf emerge from the silky-textured, medium-bodied 2008 Pinot Noir Sonatera Vineyard. It should drink nicely for 4-5 years. Tel. (707) 578-3882; Fax (707) 578-3884

A bit heavy and dense in raspberry and cola fruit, with a curiously soft mouthfeel, yet there seems to be good acidity as you swallow. Could just be unresolved now. Give it a year or two to come around. ——S.H.(10/1/2010)—— 87