Our touts today are all brand names. There's not an off-the-beaten-path find in the bunch. It's important for us to keep our old reliables in mind when we go bottle shopping. Sometimes, it's a good thing not to be surprised when the cork gets popped. The hand-picked fruit is sourced from various Monterey County vineyards and cold-soaked for five to eight days after the stems have been removed. Aging takes place in mostly French oak with minimal fining and filtration prior to bottling. Surprisingly elegant for the price, the wine is plummy on the nose and tastes of blackberries with hints of chocolate.

This is a very delicious and smooth pinot noir with great complexity and finish. Licorice and cola aromas with supple and sweet blackberry flavors.

La Crema Winery has dedicated more than 30 years to exploring the depth and breadth of the varietal expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in many of California’s cool-climate vineyards. The 2011 Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast offers aromas of red cherries, raspberry and vanilla with notes of black tea and mineral. The palate expands to show cherry, cola and spice with hints of earth and chocolate.

Ahh, Monterey County - located at the northernmost tip of California's Central Coast, this is one of the state's undervalued wine country gems. The cool climate, the coastal breezes and the critical fog all contribute to the production of world-class Pinot Noir. La Crema sourced fruit from throughout the county to develop this soft and rich Pinot. From the upfront aromas of flowers and red fruit to the medium-bodied flavors of plum, cassis, mineral and earthy spice, this is like having a bit of that picturesque coast in your glass.

This dark monster is still closed in, the fruit and full potential still needing time to develop — yet it offers a clear snapshot of its future: bold flavors, dusty tannins, acidity for backbone and alcohol. Think rich blackberry, cherry, cola, dark plum, dark chocolate, vanilla.

Intense floral aromas, concentrated flavors of black cherry, anise and mocha, silky and smooth.

Overall Score: 18.8 (8.8 for quality, 10 for value) Our tasters: Missed giving a unanimous recommendation by one-tenth of a point with a high score of 9. Smooth and mineral-y with an enticing nose. My score: 8.8. Full of cherry and earthy notes with a trace of chocolate, this Monterey County-designated wine is rich, round and well-balanced.

We also like the winery's 2011 Monterey pinot noir for $23 - a good value.

For more than 30 years, La Crema has explored California’s coastal appellations, a voyage of varietals that started here at our estate in the foggy vineyards of the Russian River Valley.” This wine hails from such foggy vineyards taking advantage of the cooling breezes to produce a Pinot with ripe aromas of blackberry, plum and spice with a palate of soft, ripe fruits, anise, cocoa and vanilla.

This beauty offers an intense nose of black cherry and spices with the same follow on flavors. A nice creamy element finishes this elegant and delicious wine.

I was partial to the 2010 Russian River Pinot Noir with its clean red and dark berry flavors and nuanced spice, earth and mineral qualities. Lots of aromas of dark berry fruit with scents of cola nut and a subtle smokiness. Bold, bright flavors of raspberry, blackberry laced with minerals, cinnamon, clove and a dusty earth quality.

Floral with sweet black cherry, leather, black tea and weighty, black peppered tannins.

Drawn from the Anderson Valley, an area of Mendocino County that can be even cooler than Sonoma, this pinot bursts with red fruit on both the nose and palate. Zesty, fresh and straightforward, it shows strawberry and cranberry flavors coupled with cedar wood and just the right hint of earthiness. It's one of those incredible lightness of being pinots that sometimes makes you re-evaluate exactly what pinot should be.

Only 1,200 cases of this one to go around, this site-specific pinot displays red fruits, mostly strawberry on the nose with (paradoxically) light flowers and darker licorice. On the palate, red cherry and strawberry meet up with blackberry, dark chocolate and a sense of seasoning from the minerality. Well-focused and well-defined, it has a big flavor impact hitting midpalate that extends to the finish.

This wine offers a nice creamy cherry nose and bright cherry fruit flavors in a light oak frame. This wine would match well with salmon or chicken dishes. A very easy drinker.

A smooth, supple wine with dark raspberry fruit and hard spices.

Has all the ebullient aromas that pinot flashes with such elan — strawberry, earth, sweet wood and vanilla — that presage soft, juicy, easy-to-like textures.

Deeply colored. Highly perfumed with Bing cherries, strawberries and a touch of baking spice. Tasty strawberry and cherry fruit which is fully ripe and moderately dense. Soft and plush on the palate with supple dry tannins. Easy to drink and in character for the AVA.