How do the new Pinots stack up?

“DISAPPOINTING” was the overwhelming reaction of a tasting panel The Times assembled to sample 28 of the new California Pinot Noirs. All the wines were from recently established labels -- new wineries, new labels of established wineries or new negociant bottlings -- whose first vintage was 2000 or later.

The tasting panel included Chris Meeske, former sommelier at Patina and now owner of Mission Wines in South Pasadena; Allen Meadows, a wine critic whose Burghound newsletter covers French Burgundies; S. Irene Virbila, Times restaurant critic; David Shaw, Times food and wine columnist; and Leslie Brenner, acting Times food editor.

All the wines were tasted blind, arranged in flights according to vintage (2000, 2001 and 2002) and price range (under $15, $16 to $40, $41 and up).

The overwhelming impression was that the wines are poor reflections of what Pinot Noir can be. Few showed any of the classic bright red fruit notes for which Pinot is known. Many were overly alcoholic, unpleasantly vegetal or simply lacking in character. Only six of the wines won the endorsement of the entire panel -- and even that was lukewarm.

The favorite wine by a wide margin was a 2001 Dierberg from the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara, priced at $28.

Yet while the panel came in expecting to discover more than a few exciting new wines -- based on the track records of some of the producers and the reputation of some of the vineyards -- general disappointment was so strong it bordered on outrage, particularly in light of the prices.

“Who do these guys think they are?” asked an incredulous Meadows.

“They are winemakers with no track record and no perspective,” answered Meeske.

It’s true, said Virbila, that “a lot of people got on the Pinot Noir bandwagon without having a feel for the wine.”

“I feel like I’m more in a vegetable garden than in a fruit salad,” said Shaw. “I’d be unhappy if I’d ordered any of these in a restaurant.”

At this point in the game, nothing measures up to California classics such as Williams Selyem (when the pre-1998 winemaking team was in place) or to Merry Edwards.

It is too early in the evolution of California Pinot Noir to know how the story will end. “Most of these winemakers will never make Burgundian wine,” said Meadows. “What’s being tried are big and massive. What they can’t get with finesse, they are going to bamboozle you with at 15.5% alcohol levels.”

Among the wines tasted was 2002 Castle Rock Russian River Valley, at $10. Virbila called it “pretty” and “clean,” but in general the group felt it was too bland.

The 2001 J.W. Morris California Pinot Noir, $3 at Trader Joe’s, is one of the few that “actually tastes like Pinot Noir,” said Brenner.

The most expensive bottle -- 2002 Adrian Fog, Savoy Vineyard, Anderson Valley, at $75 -- showed so poorly that we later bought a second bottle from another wine store to be sure we hadn’t gotten a bad bottle. While the second bottle had less of a sauerkraut taste, it still was an over-extracted, high-alcohol disaster of a wine that no one wanted to sip again.

All of the wines are readily available in local wine stores such as Woodland Hills Wine Company, the Wine House and Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese.

Here are the standouts, listed from least expensive to most expensive:

2002 Avila, San Luis Obispo, $10. Pleasant and medium-bodied, with herbal aromas, black cherry flavors and not much finish.

2002 Leaping Lizard, Los Carneros, $10. Approachable and well structured, with the kind of ripe cherry nose you want in a Pinot and some nice sweet-spiciness on the palate.

2002 Three Saints, Santa Maria Valley (Santa Barbara County), $16. Delicious and complex, with lush red fruit aromas that signaled an equally lush palate and bright enough acid to make it a good food wine.

2001 Dierberg, Santa Maria Valley, $28. The clear favorite, with ripe plum and cherry aromas, silky texture, classic Pinot flavors and lingering finish.

2001 Longoria, Fe Ciega Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, $33. A more masculine Pinot, with pleasing leather and tobacco aromas and firm acid. This one would be good with cured meats or cheese.

2001 Melville, Carrie’s Vineyard (Santa Barbara County), $43. A big, generous, fruit-forward wine, with enough structure to support its over-the-top (15.1%) alcohol.

-- Corie Brown