In the June edition of CGCW, we survey a bevy of new California Pinot Noir releases and check in on those from Oregon as well, and we complete this all-Pinot issue with a retrospective look at a selection of examples from the acclaimed 2009, 2010 and 2012 vintages that remind just how well carefully cellared Pinot Noir can age.

For some time now, there seems to be more and more outstanding California Pinot Noirs coming to market in each successive vintage. The 2018s and 2019s continue to impress and, though the 2020 crop is relatively small owing to wildfires in many regions, there nonetheless looks to be some very good examples awaiting discerning Pinot lovers from what was an unquestionably difficult vintage.

Though Oregon Pinots sporadically appear in the pages of CGCW, this month they get a well-deserved section of their own with over sixty hitherto unreviewed offerings that show why Oregon is justifiably regarded as one of world's few reliably successful sources of exemplary Pinot Noir.

It is true that most wines are made to be enjoyed as soon as they are purchased, and, while most very good Pinots are, in fact, deliciously approachable when young, the best have marvelous things in store if relegated to cellar and left undisturbed for as long as a decade and, sometimes, even more.

Chardonnays and Zinfandels are featured in this month's recommendations of satisfying, seriously good, star-rated wines that, while sure to make special occasions all the more special, come with price tags that invite guilt-free, week night drinking.