2012 William Knuttel Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 750 ml

A Knockout on Russian River … “Once Pinot Noir gets its hooks in you, it doesn’t let go”

We’ve never much cared for sites that tell you to buy now … or ELSE. But today, we’re doing just that. Bill Knuttel’s 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is a knockout. Wildly opulent, flashy, and polished, finished alcohol is 14.9%. Still, you never feel the slightest hint of heat. If you know of another under-$20 Russian River Pinot Noir of this extraordinary vintage that holds a candle to Knuttel’s, give us a holler. We’ll be right over. ONLY 1,200 bottles. Snooze? You lose.

After almost a decade at Saintsbury, where he fashioned Carneros’ richest, most elegant Pinot Noirs, Bill Knuttel moved north to Dry Creek, where he focused his winemaking talents on warmer-climate varieties. But, as Bill has always told us, once Pinot Noir gets its hooks in you, it doesn’t let go.

So, even as Knuttel fashioned some of the most lavish old-vine Zinfandels in Sonoma, he spent weekends scouring the Russian River Valley, teasing himself into rekindling the Pinot Noir fire. “Every Saturday, before I went scavenging, I reminded myself to walk away from whatever I might find. I was just getting my life back into balance. I needed a Pinot Noir project like I needed a hole in the head.”

For a couple of years, Bill remained disciplined. He ran up and down the hillsides outside of Occidental, then pushed north, to the warmer reaches of the valley. Every so often, he went so far as to go through the charade of grape contract negotiation — only to retract his offer a week or two later.

Finally, one Saturday in March, Knuttel did what he swore he’d never do, and took the plunge.

Many are now suggesting that Russian River will never see another Pinot Noir vintage like 2012. Dry and temperate from start to finish, the small-berry Pinot Noir at the Rued family’s Olivet Vineyard ripened effortlessly. The call to harvest came early under turquoise skies. While sugars came in at over 25 Brix, making for a deep, dark, flashy Pinot Noir that measures 14.9% in alcohol, there isn’t the slightest vestige of heat or over-ripeness.

Knuttel believes the 2012 Russian River Pinot Noir to be the finest of his career, outpointing even those single-vineyard wines at Saintsbury. Based on the bottle we tasted on Sunday night, he’ll get no disagreement from WineAccess.

Brilliant dark-ruby. Flashy, polished aromas of black cherry, raspberry, and sweet spice, tinged with new-wood cedar. Rich, powerful, and wonderfully opulent, packed with black raspberry and cherry preserves, silken and palate-staining, finishing with extraordinary length and persistence for a Russian River Pinot Noir of such natural concentration. Drink now-2020.

$40 on release. Just $19.99 today on WineAccess. Shipping included on 6.