Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Sonoma Coast — 65% Russian River Valley, 33% Sonoma Coast, 2% Petaluma Gap
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
- Oak Aging: ~40–45% new French oak
- Alcohol: 14.2%
- Cases Available: ~300
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $60–70/bottle equivalent
- Claude’s Source Guess: Failla Wines (Alt: Patz & Hall)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Patz & Hall
- Drink Window: 2025–2031 (peak 2026–2029)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Sourced from the same winery as Lot 30 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay — one of Sonoma County’s finest Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers with a colossal array of single-vineyard designated bottlings. The final blend is 62% of their $40–50 marketplace offering and 38% from their $65+ single-vineyard designate programs. All first-run, ultra-premium wine — no press lots, bad barrels or other shiite. New ownership is downsizing and I purchased the bulk of their 2023 Sonoma County Pinot lots for an unbelievable price.
Tasting Notes
Beautiful cherry red with a vibrant purple sheen throughout. The bouquet is fresh, ripe, spicy and complex — ripe strawberry spiced with cherry and clove notes, purple flowers mingling with hints of forest floor and fresh-turned black soil, with cranberry, cedar and cinnamon complexing the bouquet with air. Supple, fleshy and ripe on entry with mineral and clove-laced tannins carrying cherry and ripe strawberry fruit laced with cedar to a long, sustained finish. Exquisite balance and exceptional purity — a classic Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from an amazing vintage.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Bottled July 25th. Drinking well already per Cam.
Claude’s Source Guess: Failla Wines — Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir blend (Alt: Patz & Hall)
Failla Wines, founded by Ehren Jordan in 1998, has built one of California’s most comprehensive single-vineyard Pinot Noir programs — 30+ wines spanning RRV, Sonoma Coast, and Petaluma Gap sources including Keefer Ranch (Green Valley/RRV), Platt Vineyard (Petaluma Gap adjacent, Sebastopol hills), Peay Vineyard (Sonoma Coast), Whistler, and Occidental Ridge. Their Sonoma Coast appellation Pinot retails at $45–50 and single-vineyard designates run $65–75+, matching Cam’s blend tier breakdown precisely. The 40–45% new French oak is spot-on for Failla’s élevage philosophy.
The “new ownership downsizing” clue is the main uncertainty — no confirmed ownership change at Failla has surfaced. Patz & Hall is the strongest alternative: co-founder James Hall recently executed a buyback from Sycamore Partners, which would constitute genuine “new ownership” triggering an inventory rationalization. Patz & Hall also has a deep single-vineyard Pinot and Chardonnay program spanning RRV, Sonoma Coast, and Sonoma Valley, with similar pricing tiers.
WB’s guess of Patz & Hall is well-reasoned. The ownership narrative favors Patz & Hall; the portfolio breadth and Petaluma Gap component favor Failla.
✅ Confidence: Medium-High for Failla; Medium-High for Patz & Hall — both are strong candidates. The “new ownership” clue is decisive if it can be confirmed for one over the other.
Drink Window
Early: 2025 — Cam says it’s drinking well already, bottled July 25th.
Peak: 2026–2029. Sonoma Coast Pinot at this quality tier peaks 3–6 years from vintage.
Hold: 2031. The 14.2% alc and 40–45% new oak give this solid medium-term aging potential.
My Call: ✅ Drink window: 2025–2031 (peak 2026–2029)