Peay Vineyards Cep Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Peay Vineyards Cep Pinot Noir emits aromas running to raspberry, pomegranate, and cranberry with florals blowing through and a brambly anise note for ballast; full-flavored without being rich, with mouth-watering acidity and the house signature of dried pine needle, jasmine tea, and earth in the aftertaste.

Cep is the second label of Peay Vineyards, and the arrangement is unusually honest: any barrels that don't make the named Estate wines or the Sonoma Coast cuvée are declassified into Cep. Same coddled, expensively farmed fruit from one of the coldest corners of California — Peay's own framing is that you can't find this complexity at this price unless it's a second label.

Food pairing: Grilled salmon, duck breast, mushroom tart, or roast chicken with herbs.