Lot 512
2023 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

$65/bottle under the original label

Lot 512 is a 100% single-vineyard Pinot Noir with a Burgundian soul, routinely raking in mid-90s from the top critics in recent vintages. Sourced from a family estate with winemaking talent of the highest pedigree, it sells direct for $65/bottle, $780/case before shipping. Made tip to tail using minimal-intervention techniques and only natural inputs, the small, thick-skinned, and wonderfully concentrated grapes underwent meticulous fermentation before settling into top-tier cooperage of 100% French oak (40% new).

The wine bursts open from the glass with hillside-concentrated spiced cherries, mulberries, and freshly turned earth laced with dried herbs. The entry is layered and dynamic, with cranberry-like acidity, rose hips, red berries, and tobacco leaf interwoven with crushed, velvety tannins. The long finish is perfumed and persistent, with subtle barrel nuances that add depth and resonance. Elegant and pleasurable in the short term, it’s an obvious cellar stalwart over the next decade plus.