Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Petaluma Gap, single vineyard
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
- Oak Aging: 60% new French oak (Remond, Francois Frères, Rousseau)
- Alcohol: 14.0%
- Cases Available: ~150
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: $75/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Vaughn Duffy Wines — Ueberroth Vineyard Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Vaughn Duffy
- Drink Window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2030)
Cameron’s Release Notes
The sourcing was easy — the winemaker is a neighbor of mine and I am a huge fan of their right-up-the-middle style of beautifully balanced, true-to-place Pinot Noir with an elegant, complex oak expression that elevates the fruit and doesn’t overpower. This is the first place I recommend when friends come to visit wine country and it is one of the few producers I actually buy wine from.
With 94 and 95-point scores across the board from the Wine Enthusiast for their $75–85/bottle single-vineyard-designate 2023 Pinots, they have solidified their reputation as one of Sonoma County’s best up-and-coming boutique producers. Just the custom crush fees and 60% new Remond, Rousseau and Francois Frères barrels alone cost about $200/case.
Just released two weeks ago as a single-vineyard designate selling under the producer’s label for $75/bottle or $900/case.
Tasting Notes
Deep garnet in the glass, the bouquet is lifted and pretty with black cherry and strawberry interlaced with an Earl Grey tea and rose petal halo, undergirded with black earth and hints of dark chocolate. A lovely and complex bouquet that beautifully balances the fruit and umami elements that make Pinot Noir so compelling. Supple on entry with bold, rich fruit seamlessly welded to a robust, energetic structure delivering a complex array of fruits atop mouthwatering minerality. Elegance and finesse meet utter deliciousness.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Bottling August 15th. Allow 60–90 days minimum.
Claude’s Source Guess: Vaughn Duffy Wines — Ueberroth Vineyard Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir (2024 vintage)
Vaughn Duffy Wines, helmed by winemaker Matt Duffy, is based in Sonoma County and operates as a custom crush, small-production boutique. Their 2023 Pinot Noirs earned 93–95 points from Wine Enthusiast across all eight single-vineyard and appellation bottlings — precisely the “94 and 95 points across the board from Wine Enthusiast for their $75–85 single-vineyard designate 2023 Pinots” Cam describes. The winery has won Best of Show and garnered significant attention as one of Sonoma County’s most exciting emerging producers, making the “up-and-coming boutique” description accurate.
Their Petaluma Gap single-vineyard program uses the Ueberroth Vineyard, produced from approximately 6 barrels — about 150 cases — matching Cam’s production figure precisely. The $75/bottle retail and the custom crush setup (explaining the $200/case production cost Cam cites for barrels alone) fit exactly. Matt Duffy’s Sonoma County base makes him a plausible neighbor of Cam’s in wine country.
✅ Confidence: High — 93–95 WE scores on 2023 single-vineyard Pinots confirmed, $75 retail confirmed, ~150 cases confirmed, Petaluma Gap single-vineyard program confirmed, custom crush operation confirmed, up-and-coming boutique status confirmed.
Drink Window
Early: Late 2025 — bottling August 15th, needs 60–90 days.
Peak: 2026–2030. Petaluma Gap Pinot at this quality tier peaks 2–6 years from vintage.
Hold: 2032. The 60% new oak and 14% alc give this good medium-term structure.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: Late 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2030)