Marimar’s Don Miguel Pinot Noir typically starts out as a tannic, fairly closed young wine that needs some bottle age. The ’05, from a cool vintage, accentuates that tightness, offering a slightly bitter wine housing cherry, currant, cola, mocha and oak flavors. It’s very dry and complex, and will easily age for many years.——S.H.(7/1/2008)—— 91

A bit soft and semisweet, this seems to be the victim of an overly hot vintage. It has candied flavors of cherry and blackberry jam and, while a pleasant sipper, isn’t really very interesting, although it does show Pinotesque silkiness.——S.H.(12/1/2007)—— 85

Here’s a very dry, stylish Pinot, and while it has plenty of fruit, it has mushroom, balsamic and soy flavors that deepen and ground the cherries and cola. The overall impression is of a young, complex, fleshy Pinot that should hold and develop for five years. ——S.H.(12/1/2006)—— 91