Always among the best affordable Pinots in this price range, the 2015 Martin Ray is quite good yet again. Neither chunky nor wimpy, it hits the sweet spot of achieving depth of flavor without relying on excessive sweetness or fake-seeming oak tricks. The fruit notes of dark cherry and wild strawberry are quite expressive, with nice freshening acidity and some grip from fine-grained tannins.
Martin Ray, Sonoma County (California) Pinot Noir 2015
By Michael Franz