The 2020 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is approachable and easy to drink without losing any sense of detail and nuance. It has generous aromas of cranberries, blackberries and blood orange with streaks of forest floor, aniseed and mossy bark. The light-bodied palate is finely chalky and fresh with a concentrated core of expressive fruit, and it has a long finish with a fan of bitters-like spices. It really opens up as it spends time in the glass, so give it a couple of hours in the decanter. - Erin Brooks

The 2020 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is highly aromatic and has a perfume of incense, all spice, and ripe red cherry fruit. The palate medium-bodied and inviting, with tangy cherry, dried black raspberry, and savory umami herbs. It offers a lot of pleasure now, but it will be fantastic to enjoy over the next 10 or more years.

Offers lots of energy, with a burst of plum and blackberry fruit backed by bouncy anise and bramble accents, all carried by fresh, lively acidity. Light savory details add range on the finish, as the fruit takes an encore. A bit showy in style, but most folks won't complain about that. Drink now through 2030. From California. — J.M.

The 2020 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is gracious, aromatic and lifted. All the elements are so well balanced in this very pretty, mid-weight Pinot Noir. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, white pepper and dried flowers all grace this exquisite, wonderfully nuanced Pinot. This might be the most remarkable of all the 2020 Pinots at Occidental, as it is technically the entry-level offering and yet is absolutely exquisite! -- Antonio Galloni