Today we look at a 2009 pinot noir from California’s Monterey region that costs around $20.
STOP EVERYTHING – this is to announce that Monterey pinot noirs have overtaken the universe and must be bought!! — ahem, I mean, if you’re looking for pinot, and you want to spend $15 – $20. Here’s the deal — Oregon pinot is supposed to be so great. Well, at the $20 price level, Monterey pinot is now COMPLETELY OUTPERFORMING, NAY, EMBARRASSING, Oregon pinot. That’s saying a lot, because Oregon pinot is my favorite thing to drink in the whole world. To be specific, La Crema Monterey for $20 is **Far Superior** to these $20-ish Oregon pinots:
- Erath
- Cloudline
- Kudos Reserve
- A to Z
- Acrobat
- Big Fire
La Crema Monterey smells bright, with aromas of spicy raspberry and medium-bodied flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, red cherries, a little rhubarb and vanilla, and a slight “farm fresh” mushroomy earth. YUMYUMYUMYUM. This Monterey pinot noir is:
Highly recommended.
Wineguider wine reviews 
I tried this over the weekend at a local restaurant. Loved it. I just bought a bottle at Costco for $16.89!