Finding a delicious pinot noir for under $20 is no easy task. One producer that delivers on value when it comes to this finicky grape is Pali Wine Co. This stylish 2009 Pali "Alphabets" cuvée from Oregon's Willamette Valley is spot-on, offering intense ripe bing cherry flavors, velvety texture with underlying lightness, and aromas that marry earth, iron and sweet berries. Its uncomplicated pinot pleasure won't disappoint, as so many inexpensive examples made from this grape do.

Pali's owners, a group of friends headed by Tim Perr and Scott Knight, named the winery after the nickname of their hometown Pacific Palisades, a suburb of Los Angeles. They released their first pinots with the 2005 vintage. All were single-vineyard bottlings from top sites in Oregon and California, such as Durrell vineyard in the Sonoma Coast appellation and Momtazi Vineyard in the Willamette Valley. Success allowed them to build a winery in bucolic Lompoc, in California's central coast.

Then came the economic crisis, which inspired them to launch a cuvée program of less expensive regional pinot blends in 2009. These incorporate wine from barrels that didn't make it into the top labels, as well as taking advantage of all the premium grapes going for cheap prices. So far, four have been released, each expressing the personality of an appellation, rather than a vineyard. These are Pali's best buys, and the Alphabets cuvée is my favorite.

Thanks to Oregon's cool climate, the state's pinots often have more lift and lively acidity than California examples. The Alphabets cuvee is true to form, despite the fact that 2009 was a very warm vintage in the Willamette Valley. Only 20 percent is aged in new oak, so the bright fruit shines through.

One more plus: All Pali's wines have easy-opening screw caps.

Elin McCoy is a wine and spirits columnist and author of "The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste."

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