2015 Brittan Vineyards Pinot Noir Gestalt Block McMinnville Oregon 750 ml

Robert Brittan was the first winemaker at Far Niente, before spending fifteen years at the helm of Stags’ Leap Winery. Then, with his impeccable résumé and decades of experience, he abandoned Napa and headed north.

We’ve been trying to track down his Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs ever since. 

Today we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve scored access to Brittan’s gorgeous, garnet-hued 2015 Pinot Noir Gestalt Block McMinnville. Grown in one of the decade’s legendary vintages, Wine Enthusiast hailed it as their #44 Cellar Selection of the year—and we’ve got it for 33% off, just $40 per bottle. 

Wine Advocate has gushed that a “personal encounter” with Brittan’s “singular wines should be high on the to-do list of any wine lover,” and the tiny-production Gestalt Block Pinot is positively singing after a few years in the cellar: The cherry and strawberry aromas are accented with oak and spice, the well-structured tea-like tannins are beautifully integrated and carrying sandalwood, clove, and a beautiful umami finish.

Boasting 95 points from Wine Enthusiast, this is one of the first-class Pinots of Willamette Valley, ready to drink now or go further in the cellar. We’ve got just a fraction of Brittan’s tiny 450-case production, so don’t hesitate to claim yours now. Perfect provenance, straight from the Brittan Cellars at the best price in the nation.

It took years of searching to find the right site in Oregon’s Coast Range—Robert started looking in 1988, and he and his wife Ellen finally purchased their land southeast of the town of McMinnville in 2004. The site had been planted in 2001, but they had to rip out half of the 18 acres on the property, then drop their whole 2005 crop in order to let the vines get more established. They produced their first vintage in 2006, and within a few years were making wines that left Wine Advocate brimming with “superlatives and awe.” 

One of Brittan’s first Pinots to make big waves (with a 95-point score from the Advocate in its third vintage) came from the Gestalt Block, a two-acre parcel where exposure and wind result in small berries that carry astounding concentration, phenolic load, and flavor. The southwest-facing site yields no more than a ton of grapes per acre, and they show absolutely stunning minerality. Aged in 30% new French oak and now having spent several years in bottle, the 2015 is bursting with brown spice and wood notes, and easing into its long drinking window. 

We’ve waited years to bring this to Wine Access Pinot lovers, and can’t wait for you to taste why. We’ll be socking some away ourselves, if there’s any left over.