Overall impressions: there were a lot of solid Pinot Noirs in this tasting. In fact, most of the wines here were more similar in their quality levels, than they were different. The Papapietro was my hands-down favorite. If you've not heard of this winery - seek them out, they're doing some beautiful things. Both Patz & Hall wines were very nice, though the Alder Springs bottling was decidely better. From the Flowers, through the Mayo, Russian Hill, Farrell, Scherrer, and Saphire Hill, there were taste and textural differences, but the quality level was very similar. The Domaine Chandon was the obvious price-bargain in the flight. Full, rich and laded with sweet oak, the quality level is still there, and there was lots of juicy fruit in this wine. Want a killer Rose? This Iron Horse was a fabulous wine for $9.

On the bottom side of things, the Curvare and W.H. Smith were a bit ho-hum. The ICI/LA-BAS seemed fairly diluted or thin. Frankly, even the Iron Horse Rose had more stuffing than the ICI/LA-BAS. Finally, the Conn Valley Pinot was less than inspiring. This may have been past its prime, or never had a prime - as California Pinot goes.

2002 Iron Horse Rose of Pinot Noir - Sonoma County. $8.99. Dark ruby-salmon color. Nice black cherry with the barest touch of cinnamon in the nose. Lots of tasty cherry and strawberry flavors in the mouth, very nice balance; a bit of heat shows up in the otherwise long finish. Here's a really nice sipping wine that will work well with meals or even by itself.

2002 Castle Rock Pinot Noir - Russian River. $7.99. Medium ruby color. Lettucy and stemmy nose, with a moderate burnished cherry scent. Slightly sweet floral taste, good mouthfeel, medium long finish. Varietally on target, and all-in-all, a decent Pinot for the price.

2000 Bannister Pinot Noir - Dumuth Vnyd, Anderson Valley. $18.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of slightly smoky cherry, cinnamon, herbs, stem, and some earthy notes. Somewhat earthy and stemmy mouthfeel, ample black cherry fruit, and long off-sweet finish. Strikes a nice balance of ripe fruit, without a candied quality. Drinking nicely now.

2000 ICI/LA-BAS Les Reveles Pinot Noir - Elke Vnyd, Anderson Valley. $19.99. Medium-light ruby salmon color. A little cheesy and stinky in the nose, with lots of stemmy qualities and toasted notes. Stemmy strawberry flavor on the palate, but seems a bit thin in mouthfeel and through the finish. Here was a case where the lighter color really did translate to the mouthfeel. A more dimensional wine than the Castle Rock - but just barely.

2001 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir - Alder Springs Vnyd, Mendocino. $44.99. Medium ruby color. Earthy notes accent the perfumed black cherry, toast and cinnamon in the nose. Rich and full in mouthfeel, with burnished black cherry fruit, excellent balance, and very long finish. This is a powerhouse wine that seems very well integrated right now. Impressive.

2000 Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir - Dumuth Vnyd, Anderson Valley. $21.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of black cherry, herbs, and toast, the added dose of coffee and espresso serve to remind you that these folks are not at all shy with the oak. Full and rich mouthfeel, cherry, sweet strawberry and forest floor flavors, very good balance and nice long finish. Nice job here, and the sweet oak is very complimentary to the wine.

2001 Curvare Pinot Noir - Sangiacomo Vnyd, Carneros. $31.99. Medium ruby color. Somewhat earthy nose of burnished cherry-strawberry, pungent oak, and a touch of stem. There's a stemmy and slightly bitter streak in the mouthfeel, and the oak doesn't seem integrated as yet. Full and tannic, with a long somewhat oaky finish.

2001 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir - Hyde Vnyd, Carneros. $39.99. Medium ruby color. Slight sweet streak in the nose; jammier than the Alder Springs. Somewhat sweet fruit on the palate, tasty strawberry and cherry fruit, with a nice touch of stem and earth. Very well balanced, with a long off-sweet finish. Very enjoyable - probably more to the old world style of Pinot, though you won't mistake it for a Burgundy.

2001 La Crema Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast. $14.99. Light-medium ruby color. Interesting smoky quality to the nose. Seems less Pinot-like than others in the flight, with a burnished black cherry and and light oaky notes. Average mouthfeel, good balance. Seems reasonably well-made and priced right.

2001 W.H. Smith Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast. $24.99. Medium ruby color. Very burnished - almost overripe in the nose. Touches of vanilla, vinyl, and polystyrene masquerade alternately as perfumy notes. Mostly tasty fruit, seems a touch bitter through mid-palate, with good balance and long finish. This is the Bill and Joan Smith (LaJota) venture. This may come around with some age, but right now is moderately disappointing.

2001 Papapietro Perry Pinot Noir - Peters Vnyd, Sonoma Coast. $34.99. Medium ruby color. Beautiful roast coffee and beef drippings accent to the black cherry and strawberry fruit-filled nose. Big chewy mouthfeel with complex flavors of earthy leaf and twig, sweet fruit, toast, touch of vanilla and dried herbs. Excellent! This producer is turning out some fabulous California Pinot.

2001 Flowers Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast. $37.99. Medium ruby color. Very nice fruit in the nose - ripe, but not at all overripe, with lots of earthy notes, and a moderate use of oak. Off-sweet mouthfeel, flavors of bing and black cherry, wild mushroom and sweet toast. Surprisingly accessible and tasty at this point, I would expect this to continue acquiring more components with moderate aging - though it's built for the longer haul.

2001 Mayo Pinot Noir - Piner Ranch Vnyd, Russian River. $24.99. Medium ruby color. Ripe, slightly candied nose that sends mixed messages. Seems to flirt a bit with a bubblegum perfume quality, while also showing a delectable earthy underlying note. Sweet mouthfeel, good fruit; seems surprisingly balanced more to the acid side - given the overt sweetness of the nose. Overall, a very nice wine that might improve significantly with some moderate age.

2001 David Bruce Pinot Noir - Russian River. $28.99. Medium ruby color. Old school Russian River - this offering is mildly fruity, while also lettucy, and slightly stemmy. There is also a slight wiff of alcohol in the nose. Somewhat soft in mouthfeel, with good balance and harmony of flavors. No heat traces on palate, very nice flavors, balance, and finish. More about subtlety, this wine ignores the current vogue of highly concentrated fruit.

2000 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir - Olivet Lane Vnyd, Russian River. $29.99. Medium ruby color. Nice earthy tones present in the nose, with a bit of stem, light oak, forest floor twigs & bark, and light oak tones. Big mouthfeel initially, seems to even-out at mid-palate and through long finish, with a lovely cranberry sage quality on the finish. The guy definitely knows his Pinot.

2001 Saphire Hill Pinot Noir - Saphire Hill Vnyd, Russian River. $29.99. Medium-light ruby color. Faint light strawberry scent in the nose. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, tasty cherry and strawberry fruit, with very nice balance and long finish. Tasty and well made, I was prepared to have some "issues" with this wine - given the somewhat weak nose, But, it's a nice package.

2001 Scherrer Pinot Noir - Russian River. $29.99. Medium-dark ruby color. Ripe fruit-filled nose, with a touch of leaf and perfume. Off-sweet mouthfeel, very good balance, and long finish. Actually, this seemed kind of "Burgundian," to drop a phrase. Solid and tasty.

2001 Failla Pinot Noir - Keefer Ranch Vnyd, Russian River. $32.99. Opaque medium ruby color. Slightly sweet swampy strawberry scent, with hints of vanilla and stem. Off-sweet/sour mouthfeel and flavors, tight, more to the bing cherry/cranberry side of things. Very nice balance and finish. Decidedly different than its peers, but obviously Pinot and definitely interesting.

1999 Russian Hill Pinot Noir - Leras Vnyd, Russian River. $35.99. Medium ruby color. Slightly sweet and musky, with a strawberry chutney scent, along with hints of earth and stem. Big rich mouthfeel, major fruit, very nice balance, long finish. This is a solid offering. As nice as this was in the nose, it was even better in the mouth.

1998 Anderson's Conn Valley Pinot Noir - Dutton Ranch Vnyd, Russian River. $38.99. Medium ruby color. Nose of tuna melt and stems, with a leaf background. Off-sweet, bordering on bitter-almost-sour mouthfeel, mostly weak cranberry and bing cherry fruit, with a tangy finish that leaves you thinking of those flavored sparkling waters. At or past its prime, it'll continue to develop for years. But, who cares.