Our Wine of the Week, Freeman 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($44), is a fine expression of this increasingly popular varietal in one of the best regions for growing it, western Sonoma County. A blend of fruit from five small vineyards results in a complex wine with deeply concentrated flavors suggestive of Bing cherries, red raspberries and Santa Rosa plums, with fine threads of licorice root and a veritable cupboard of earthy spice, including allspice, cardamom, clove, star anise and cassia. There's sassafras root, too which, combined with the broad foundation of spice, might have you thinking of root beer....

Our wine-of-the-week winner is from a winery that's a bit under the radar. Freeman Vineyards in Sebastopol is tucked away in a very quiet part of west Sebastopol, but its 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is making noise...