La Crema Pinot Noir 2009, Sonoma Coast, California, United States: Some wines you adopt as your own perhaps because you recall where you were (and who you were with) when you first tried them and they knocked your socks off. This is such a wine for me: I really have a soft spot for it. It’s supple, satin with gorgeous ripe cherries and berries. Extraordinary length: almost as long as my memory of that first bottle seven years ago. Drink: 2011-2015. 719435 13.90% XD 750 mL  $39.95 Score: 93/100. March 5, 2011 Favourite Red Wine. Full Review

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California, United States: Fantastic! Wow, an explosion of cherry and violets with a lick of spices. Love it. If I see this on a restaurant list, I’m ordering it … a go-to wine for hedonists. Drink: 2011-2017. 652883 14.50% XD 750 mL  $59.95 Score: 94/100. December 10, 2011 Top Rated Red Wine. Full Review