The Sonoma Coast is a cool, rainy and foggy part of California which has a storied reputation for sophisticated Chardonnay & Pinot Noir in particular. This La Crema Sonoma Pinot still has the trademark concentration that Sonoma is broadly famous for, with layers of dark red fruit and some firm edges, although with a nice hint of dried herbs and mint for balance. Ripe, but tangy, it's a delicious American Pinot of instant appeal.

The La Crema timeline goes back to 1979, when it was first launched in California's Sonoma region as La Crema Viñera - aka 'the cream of the vine'. From the start, this estate was all about cool climate wines, with Sonoma as the focus. It was a pretty basic backyard operation at first (no hot running water), run by Californian biology student turned winemaker Rod Bergland. It wasn't until 1993, when the estate was sold to Jess Jackson, of the eponymous Jackson Family Wines, that the renamed La Crema really took off, finding a new mission as a hero of not just Calfornian Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, but Oregon too. Flash forward a few decades, and La Crema is now a powerhouse of American wine, Still run by the Jackson family, what makes the Chardonnay & Pinot Noir from La Crema famous is the celebration of place, with a dazzling volume of single AVA (the American wine region designation) and single vineyard wines from plots up and down the Pacific coast.