California Pinot Noir comparison.

This time around I bought three bottles of California Pinot. One from the north, one from the south, and one from the general California appellation. I also have tasting notes from one I tried at work, as well as a Australian Pinot that I had shortly before.
2009 Bogle Pinot Noir California 14.2% abv.
c- magenta, cranberry juice.
a- apple jam, apple, plum.
f- touch tarry rubber, fruit, balanced, longer finish but lighter bodied. touch of alcohol at the end.
In the same league as other similarly priced pinots (10ish).
85
2009 Brophy Clark Santa Barbara County PN 13.5% abv.
c- purply deep red.
a- more earthy, manure, dark black cherry.
f- medicinal or vitaminy. fruity. alcohol seems more present despite lower abv. this wine became more favorable after a day open, however I would pass on it.
84
2007 Handley Anderson Valley PN 14.2% abv.
c- dusty violet/rose.
a- spicy, fruit, pinot.
f- carries good depth, balanced. Raspberry/cherry. Showed better on second day with cola/anise notes.
90
2009 Talbott "kali hart" Monterey PN 14.8% abv.
c- clear ruby purple.
a- pinot, cherry, alcohol, acid.
f- same. hot. shorter finish. med mouth feel. oak present as vanilla, which seems to lend it an odd sweetness.
85
2008 Little Yering PN 13.5% abv.
c- garnet, touch brown.
a- pinot, baked cherry, earth, acid.
f- similar. Balanced acid, lighter, but not bad for the price(10ish).
85
Clearly the best wine here was the Handley. This was also the most expensive. The Brophy Clark was a disappointment for the price and I will probably not buy anything by them again. Conversely, both the Little Yering and Bogle were good for the price. Many wines at a less expensive price point can show true varietal character, but this seems more difficult with pinot. Great pinot is not something that comes cheap!

And two others...

1990 Maison Leroy Maranges
Cork 100% soaked through, even wine under the capsule.
C- Cloudy violet, starting to brown at edges.
A- Tart cherries, acid, earth, caramel, truffles.
F- Light, aromas come through. Lingering woodsy flavor, cocoa powder.
Overall- Good pinot, probably about time to drink up. 89.
2008 Orin Swift "The Prisioner"- Napa Valley red wine(majority Zinfandel), 15.2% abv.
C- Dark violet/garnet. Clear but very concentrated color, making it hard to see through.
A- Alcohol, Dark/red fruit. Touch of oak, woodsy aroma.
F- Woodsy, dark fruit, jammy. Balanced, full bodied with medium finish. Drank this over a few days and from day two on it had a really interesting anise/Szechuan peppercorn thing going on.
Overall- Very good, in a similar league and price point to some Turley and Ridge zins. 92.

2009 Castle Rock California Cuvee Pinot Noir.

Nice light magenta in the glass. Very aromatic.
Taste of strawberries, dark cherries. Maybe some oaky flavors in there as well. Easy drinking, though not extremely complex by any means. A little bit of a lingering finish. Good acidity. Not much earthiness.
Though this wine is not very complex, I feel it represents a good value. I paid 9 and change for the bottle. With that price in mind, I could give this a 88 rating. I think it represents a good wine at that price point.