2015 Mindego Ridge Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains 750 ml

A Chance Phone Call and California’s “Most Overlooked” Terroir

Site and skill: no grape demands more of both than Pinot Noir, and it’s tough to name a New World Pinot born of a better combo than the 2015 Mindego Ridge. It is crafted by Failla legend and San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year winemaker Ehren Jordan from the fruit of a tiny 8.7-acre plot in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This AVA, which produces the world-famous Ridge Montebello and the stellar Rhys Pinot Noir, is not just the “most overlooked terroir in California,” according to Antonio Galloni, but contains some of the “world’s greatest vineyards and wines.”

It’s no wonder that Galloni called the 2015 Mindego Ridge a “knockout,” and gave it a 94-point score good enough to place it among California Pinots that push—and push way past—the triple-digit price-point. Mindego Ridge is a soon-to-be household name, and this Pinot—which boasts lush cherry fruit, gorgeous savory flavors, and notes of granite, incense, and sage— belongs among the best and most expensive Pinots in the West.

In 2013, Ehren Jordan got a call from Master Sommelier Bob Bath about a stunning vineyard next to a grove of redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Wasting no time, Jordan hopped in his six-seat prop plane and flew 85 miles down to the tiny site on Alpine Road. The view from above didn’t disappoint: The Mindego Ridge Vineyard, owned by Dave and Stacey Gollnick, sits on dramatic south-facing slopes, and reaches up to 950 feet in elevation. Cool and tempered by its location just nine miles from the Pacific, it’s an ideal site for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Jordan was immediately captivated by the surroundings, of course, and equally drawn to Dave’s meticulous farming practices. “There’s no question about it,” Jordan affirmed. “Mindego Ridge is a very, very special place.” Jordan and Dave made their first vintage together that same year, and immediately got Antonio Galloni’s attention: He said the inaugural Mindego Ridge Pinot Noir stood out for its “striking aromatics, racy personality and terrific overall balance.”

Now in his third vintage, Jordan has made Mindego Ridge one of the most talked-about mountain Pinot Noirs of the last several years, and vaulted this tiny-production vineyard into the rarefied company of Hirsch, Williams Selyem, and Rhys. Mindego Ridge has also staked a bold claim in restaurants all over the country: First with a by-the-glass placement at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in NYC, and now with spots in the cellars of Benu, Spruce, Boulevard, and Manresa in the Bay Area; Melisse, 1 Pico, and Shutters on the Beach in LA; and Tocqueville and Cull & Pistol in NYC.

Despite this popularity among the cognoscenti, Mindego Ridge has yet to hit it big-time with mainstream Pinot lovers. That is a very good thing for you. Take a look at the chart: Based on the company that Mindego Ridge keeps, prices can go nowhere but up. Don’t miss out on this chance to claim one of the West’s ascendant wines while it’s under $50.