Sebastiani, Sonoma Coast (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2008

 A superb value, this Pinot Noir outperforms many California renditions that cost two, three, even four or five times as much.  Why?  Because it’s not full of self-satisfied and overly sweet fruit coming from excessive “hang time,” but instead exhibits satisfying balance and harmony.  Genuinely light-bodied, it tastes of the grape, not of candied, sugary processed fruit, and so proves very food-friendly.  Sebastiani, a winery that for too long has been content to follow the proverbial crowd, is standing on its own with this wine–and very proudly too.   You can’t do better with Pinot for $15.