Babcock’s 2010 Pinot Noir Microcosm Rancho La Vina is a big, big wine, yet all the elements are in place. A heady melange of black cherries, plums and spices jumps from the glass in this extroverted Pinot. There is considerable sweetness and juiciness in the fruit, but here, too, everything is in fabulous harmony, as a firm backbone of tannins frames all of the elements. The La Vina will appeal most to readers who appreciate the bolder side of Pinot. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. I very much like what I tasted from Bryan Babcock this year. In particular, a handful of the 2010 Pinots are flat-out gorgeous.Tel. (805) 736-1455; info@babcockwinery.com

Rich, dry and pretty full-bodied for a Pinot Noir, this is stuffed with flavors of cherry pie and cola, made brisk by acidity. A little heavy, but sound and complex. — (7/1/2012) —88

The 2009 Pinot Noir Microcosm seems much better suited to the estate’s style. Rich dark fruit, cola, spices, plums and cherries flow from this intense, bold Pinot. All of the elements come together gracefully in this beautifully balanced wine. The round, caressing finish leaves a lasting impression. This is one of the more overt wines in the lineup, but it works, and then some. Babcock sourced the fruit from Rancho La Vina in Santa Rita Hills and gave the wine 40% new oak, all of which it handles quite well. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014. Tel. (805) 736-1455, info@babcockwinery.com

3 From the southernmost part of the appellation comes this very deeply flavored Pinot Noir. It bursts in the mouth with mushu plum sauce and cherry fruit and the most marvelous feral notes of mushrooms, minerals, hung meat, forest spices and herbs. It’s quite a tannic wine, giving it a brooding quality. Huge, massive, stunning. Should glidepath through the next 6–8 years.——S.H.(10/1/2011)—— 96