***BOTTLING AND SHIPPING LATE OCTOBER***
We’re not kidding when we say that our treasure hunt takes us on roads less traveled to bring you hidden gems worthy of your glass. Today, we’re introducing our first red wine of the 2024 vintage, and it’s a special one – our first ever score from the northern reaches of Marin!
Marin County is better known as a wealthy, quiet enclave near the Golden Gate with an obsession for organic farms and outdoor recreation, but hidden among its rolling hills and foggy valleys lies one of California’s most reclusive cool-climate Pinot regions. In the north, steep ravines and oak-studded ridges give way to small clearings where Pinot Noir clings to the wind-swept hillsides. This is dairy country turned viticultural frontier – red-tailed hawks circle overhead while vines endure long, cool seasons under blankets of Pacific fog. Yields are tiny and producers few, but the wines are striking and wildly raw. Insider secret: some of the most renowned Pinot houses on the North Coast regularly tap Marin fruit, knowing that in the best vintages, these rugged vineyards deliver wines of remarkable purity.
Lot 537 comes from a single vineyard carved into a hillside, sourced from a pioneer with ties to the Russian River Valley whose Burgundian-inspired vision for New World Pinot Noir led them to be among the first to plant this varietal. A wine that’s youthful and reminiscent of Beaujolais (but lighter than Gamay, true to Pinot form), it exhibits plenty of freshness and coastal terroir, and is a local darling that’s caught even the attention of some of the toughest critics. We were likewise impressed, and struck a deal for the wine while it was still aging in neutral oak. Sold under its original label for well over $65/bottle, we’ve landed this for our readers to the tune of OVER 75% OFF!
$179/case DELIVERED, $14+/bottle to your door.
2024 was the second big winter in a row, which primed the vines for a warm summer that ceded to a mild fall, trapping acidity and allowing producers to harvest at will. Our source and their first-class team meticulously hand crafts the wine, with only the finest inputs at each step. Continuing a lineage built over decades, this is serious Pinot with a sense of place, showcasing layers of elegant flavor, vibrant acidity, and graceful structure.
Pouring a luminous ruby hue in the glass, the nose offers a wonderfully focused and concentrated bouquet of delineated cranberries, strawberries, and dried leaves, with secondary notes of rose hips and hibiscus. The palate entry is terroir-driven, beginning with vibrant red fruit, a touch of uplifted spice, ocean-influenced salinity, and savory earth tones, all framed by medium+ acidity and small, velvety tannins. Elegant on the finish with impressive length, vanilla and red fruit take the forefront while a rippling minerality reveals itself, beckoning another sip.
