I enjoyed the garish 1998 Pinot Noir. Medium ruby-colored, this seductive, sexy Pinot offers candied cherry/strawberry flavors infused with smoke and toasty oak. Full, fleshy, and heady (14.2% alcohol), this is a crowd pleasing, exceptionally well-made wine. Sadly, production is only 1,000 cases. (release date 6/00)Tel. (707) 433-9000; Fax (707) 433-9469

The 1996 Pinot Noir (1,800 cases) is an aggressively wooded, cassis, black cherry, and smoky-scented and flavored wine with outstanding ripeness, lush cherry flavors, and a heady (14.2% alcohol) finish. It should drink well for 3-5 years.Tel. (707) 433-9463; Fax (707) 433-9469

The soft 1995 Pinot Noir exhibits a smoky, gamey, animal-scented nose with jammy blackcherry fruit in the background. Elegant, with good spice, and lush, sexy, overripe plum-like flavors, this medium-bodied wine is ideal for drinking now and over the next 3 years.Tel. (707) 433-9463; Fax (707) 433-9469

Stonestreet's medium ruby-colored, unfined and unfiltered 1994 Pinot Noir exhibits a lusty, smoky, sweet berry-scented nose that reveals copious quantities of both ripe fruit and oak. This medium-bodied, softly-textured, delicious Pinot is not the most concentrated or profoundly complex wine, but it offers a sexy glass of Pinot Noir for drinking over the next several years. Tel. (707) 263-9333 (Kendall-Jackson)

As between Stonestreet's 1992 Pinot Noir and Reserve Pinot Noir, I had a preference for the regular bottling, which reveals less oak, yet more sweet, rich, supple-textured fruit, a lovely bouquet of berry, earth, and spice, and a silky smooth, seductive finish. It should drink well for 4-5 years. Tel. (707) 433-9463