2004 Hartford Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, California

Pinot Noir is so pricey these days it’s a minor miracle to find one in the $20 range that you’d actually like to drink. It makes me wonder if the people at Hartford Family Winery are some kind of saints. Their wonderful Pinot Noir -- from estate vineyards in cooler-climate Sonoma (Green Valley, Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast) -- is priced like a bargain but tastes of luxury. It’s got true Pinot character, a silky texture and hints of black cherry and raspberry. And it’s bottled unfined and unfiltered like the big guys too. Small is beautiful.

This Pinot Noir is, of course, tremendously food friendly. Drink it with fall’s stews and daubes, with roast chicken and duck, a grilled piece of meat, a beautiful cheese.

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Quick swirl

Region: Sonoma

Price: About $20

Style: Burgundian

Food it goes with: Daubes and other stews, roast birds, grilled meat, cheese

Where you find it: Hi-Time Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; Manhattan Fine Wines in Manhattan Beach, (310) 374-3454; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454; and Wine House in Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731.

--S. Irene Virbila