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On the nose at least you could mistake this for a very ripe Chinon: it's got that spicy-wild-berry-hint-of-tobacco-thang goin' on. Having spent 10 months in old oak and over a year now in bottle, the wine has become quite supple and round, and like the best Loire Valley Francs, just plain delicious. Drink over the next few years with your favorite bistro dishes.

Bright ruby-red. Raw crushed dark berries on the rather rustic nose, complicated by leather, meat, cola and violet. Dense, meaty and supple, with chewy, creamy flavors of sweet crushed berries complemented by an earthy, leathery element. A rich, primary, musky wine that finishes with surprisingly sweet tannins.

My first Rhône-style blend: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Syrah. À bas le Cabernet! Vive la révolution!

The new release of everybody’s favorite dessert wine takes hedonistic unctuousness to the very brink, and pushes it over. Oh, baby…

Mendoza ain't got nothing' on Columbia Valley (OK, maybe a hundred-year head start). Very floral, very blackberry, with lush dark fruit in the mouth and a soft finish. A slurper-and a favorite, as it turns out, of female book groups.

Berries, English saddle leather (minus the horse sweat), structure, depth: I'll be hard-pressed to do this again. Only 46 cases produced.

Oregon Wine Report (11/05): "Velvety and quite attractive garnet/rose color.nicely gamey aromas of pure pinot fruit. Creamy across the tongue, this wine carries nicely sweet cherry fruit with a touch of blueberry.a very nicely executed pinot noir [with] good substance, depth, and balance." Score: A- . Like the 2002, this is a blend of Hyland and Momtazi vineyards. 110 cases made. Note that there will probably not be a 2004 reserve Pinot.

Among the Wall Street Journal 's top 10 Oregon Pinots (11/4/05), this ranked third: "The perfect midrange wine between the lighter and heavier examples. Rich earth and tight purple fruit, but alive with zingy acidity in a medium-weight package. Great with just about any food, from salmon to steak." With only 350 cases made, this will be gone by the end of the year.

My third vintage, and the great white grape of the Rhône valley still amazes me. Flowers, honey, peach, and wet stones on the nose; structured and powerful, and yet still elegant, in the mouth. Serve with rich, complex dishes (get out the butter and heavy cream).

New world Syrah without the gobs o' fruit or Parker toast points. Aromatics that sing (Is that the Gloria from the C-Minor Mass?) and a texture like velvet on granite. Ok, I made that up, but it is pretty darn yummy.

A blend of Klipsun, Ciel, and Alder Ridge vineyards. A depth charge of a wine, stone guaranteed to blow your mind. 193 cases produced.