Lot 65 is a single-vineyard designated Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from the same boutique producer as Lot 66 — Marnet Wines, Daniel Ricciato winemaker — offering small-production coastal Pinot at a very accessible price. Claude’s source guess is Marnet Wines. See also: Lot 66.
Lot Overview
- Region: Sonoma Coast (Occidental area)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Chardonnay (single vineyard)
- Alcohol: 13.9%
- Oak Aging: ~20% new French oak
- TA / pH: 5.6 g/L TA, 3.5 pH, Malic 0.13 g/L, Lactic 1.44 g/L
- Cases Available: ~125
- Cam Price: $12.42/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: ~$60+/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Marnet Wines — Daniel Ricciato (Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, likely Mill Station/Dutton Ranch vineyard)
- Wine Berserkers Guess:
- Drink Window: 2025–2033 (peak 2026–2030)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Dear Friends,
I have a fantastic Pinot Noir offer for you today!
Lot 65 is a gorgeous, single-vineyard designated Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from a highly regarded boutique producer with a long history of producing exceptional Pinot Noir from this iconic appellation. The producer sells this wine for well over $60/bottle and it is a fantastic deal at $99/case DELIVERED.
At just $99/case DELIVERED, this is a mind-blowing deal for world-class Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir!
Tasting Notes
Lot 65 is a gorgeous, single-vineyard designated Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from a highly regarded boutique producer with a long history of producing exceptional Pinot Noir from this iconic appellation. The producer sells this wine for well over $60/bottle and it is a fantastic deal at $99/case DELIVERED.
Beautiful ruby/garnet in the glass with a vibrant magenta rim. The bouquet is immediately expressive and complex with ripe cherry, strawberry and raspberry notes beautifully complexed with forest floor, black tea and earthy umami notes. With air, the bouquet opens further with spicy clove and cinnamon notes along with a lovely floral halo. Supple and silky on entry with a beautifully integrated structure of medium-full bodied Pinot Noir with mouthwatering acidity carrying ripe cherry and raspberry fruit laced with clove and cedar to a long, sustained finish. Beautifully balanced with tremendous elegance and complexity, this gorgeous Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a must-have for Pinot lovers!
⏳ Bottle Shock Status
Wine Future — bottling today, shipping April 2025. Best after Summer 2025.
Claude’s Source Guess: Marnet Wines — Daniel Ricciato (Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, likely Mill Station/Dutton Ranch vineyard)
The 53-year-old vine math is the key clue. Cameron says “53-year-old vines” on a 2024 release, putting the planting at approximately 1971. Charles Heintz Vineyard sits just east of Occidental on Goldridge sandy loam, is consistently described as one of the oldest and most iconic Chardonnay sites on the Sonoma Coast, and is dry-farmed — checking every geographic and agricultural box Cam drops. The Heintz family has owned the land since 1912, with old-vine blocks predating the more widely cited 1982 Clone 4 planting that most producers reference.
The style is a dead match. Lemon oil, crushed slate minerality, beeswax, extreme acidity tension, and a Burgundian frame at only 20% new oak — that’s textbook Heintz-zone fruit. Littorai’s Heintz Chardonnay retails around $60–65, DuMOL’s Isobel is in the same range, and both fit the stated retail price and mid-90s score tier perfectly.
Cam’s producer clue — “they know more about vineyard sourcing on the north coast than just about anyone” — reads less like a grower and more like a winemaker or operation with deep sourcing connections across multiple sites. That points toward Ceritas (which sources Heintz, Zephyr, and others) or a Duckhorn-tier operation like Migration, which has long-standing Heintz contracts and retails their single-vineyard Heintz Chardonnay right at the $60 mark.
One data point worth noting for cellaring: the very low malic acid (0.13 g/L) confirms near-complete malolactic fermentation despite the restrained oak — classic Burgundian technique, and a sign the wine is already in structural balance and built to age.
Alternative consideration: Bohème Wines (English Hill or Taylor Ridge Vineyard). Kurt Beitler sources from several dry-farmed Occidental-area sites, is deeply embedded in north coast vineyard networks, and makes world-class Burgundian-style Chardonnay in the $49–65 range. The “knows more about vineyard sourcing than just about anyone” line could fit Beitler’s profile as well.
✅ Confidence: Medium-high on Heintz Vineyard as the source site; moderate uncertainty on which label/producer.
Drink Window
Early Enjoyment: Summer 2025 once bottle shock settles — lemon, apricot, and floral notes front and center.
Peak Drinking: 2026–2030, when acidity integrates and beeswax/brioche tertiary notes develop.
Hold Potential: Up to 2033 with proper cellaring. The high TA (5.6 g/L) and near-zero malic say this wine is built for the long haul.