2018 County Line Vineyards Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Eduardo smacked his gums and whipped a dart at the board, closing out his 20s. "I'm not stopping until we get that wine," he said. Two months and three dozen phone calls later he bagged one of the great values in all of California, the 2018 County Line Pinot Noir.

While you won't find "deliciousness" on any formal deductive tasting chart, when you've been on the wine trail as long as we have, it's a quality you look for and know and love. And as one of the most exciting wines we've found under $30, this wine has deliciousness in spades. 

County Line comes from the team that produces world-class wines under the Radio-Coteau label, a critical superstar in the New California mold and a benchmark for the expression of cool-climate domestic wines. Born in 2008, County Line Pinot Noir capitalizes on winemaker Eric Sussman's first-rate expertise to advance a humble mission: expressing that gorgeous terroir in a supremely drinkable and affordable wine.

It's since earned a great reputation among sommeliers as a beautifully approachable farm-to-table wine that goes with anything and elevates everything. Juicy, bright, aromatic and precise, there's no wonder it's a by-the-glass favorite for restaurants both palatial and provincial, from the Las Vegas strip to the seaside bistros of Bar Harbor. 

"County Line captures the fresh, vibrant, fruit-forward character of the Sonoma Coast," Sussman said. "And that's kind of the gist of it." 

Sussman worked in Pommard and Pauillac before settling in California. He has touched the vaulted heights of the wine world. But he approaches the County Line wines humbly, on their own terms and with great intention, crafting them with a transparency that promotes a unique sense of place at an incredible value.

The organically farmed grapes, fermented with their native yeasts, see a light-touch élevage without the use of new oak or other flavor interventions. In the vineyards, the maritime influence of dense fog and steady breezes helps moderate the otherwise hot days in the snaking valleys of western Sonoma County. So while the Pinot gets plenty ripe, it never takes on the denser or more opulent flavors normally associated with the Russian River Valley to the northeast.

The result is a wine built for the moment. Approachable, affordable and refreshing. Ruby red and dazzling to the rim. A basket of plucked red fruits on the palate—raspberry and cranberry and strawberry—deepened by more subtle characteristics of rose petal and black tea. 

This wine's structure stays true to its roots, too, with succulent tannins and lifting acidity that frame the fruit without ever trying too hard. Simple, direct, and perfectly delicious. Eduardo hit the bullseye with this one.