Showcasing yet another La Crema regional expression, this great Pinot Noir comes from the Russian River Valley, a chilly part of Cali that makes wonderfully detailed and beautiful Pinot Noir. That's on full display in this rich and raspberried red with lots of flavour in a rather American way, yet with subtle spice and complex edges too. It's the sort of Pinot that announces itself when plonked on your dinner table, but charms you more and more with every glass.

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.