2016 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Toboni Vineyard Russian River Valley 750 ml

Named "One of the Best Pinots of 2019" by Wine & Spirits, the perfectly pure 2016 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Toboni Vineyard is a juicy testament to the fog-covered prestige of this Russian River site identified by one of Sonoma's most influential producers. The precise site-selection combined with the accolades make this exclusive release a steal at 41% off SRP.

Russian River Pinot is a rarity at this price, especially when it's a single-vineyard release from a local legend. With intense aromas of cherry and strawberry seasoned with cloves and cardamom spice, Wine Access members can add this 2016 Toboni release to the dozens of 90+ point wines crafted by celebrated winemaker Theresa Heredia, a Joseph Phelps alum with an otherworldly touch with Burgundian-style Pinot Noir. 

For Sonoma Pinot Noir enthusiasts, few names carry the weight of Gary Farrell, a pioneer of the Russian River Valley who famously helped usher in this region's rise to prominence. Since 1982, the name has been a standard-bearer for Sonoma class, earning a spot on Wine & Spirits' Top 100 Wineries list in 2019. Even the original Napa tastemaker André Tchelistcheff was deeply impressed from the moment he tasted Gary's first winemaking vintage (the 1978 Davis Bynum Pinot Noir). Knowing absolutely nothing about this new winemaker, he remarked, "Whoever made it, he knows Pinot Noir." 

Gary's modern-day successor, Theresa Heredia, has wowed nearly every influential critic and wine writer who has followed her career, amassing hundreds of top scores. A former candidate for a chemistry Ph.D., she turned her science chops toward the study of vine cultivation and ended up cutting her teeth in Burgundy, before running Freestone Winery for Joseph Phelps. 

When Theresa first joined Gary Farrell, her Côte de Beaune expertise was immediately evident: She embraced marginal vineyards where grapes struggle to grow, eschewing overblown ripeness for grace, acidity, and freshness.

That led her to Toboni Vineyard, situated on a slope in the Santa Rosa Plain. The site sees thick, gray morning fogs that counterbalance the hot afternoon sun, yielding this wine's rich, red fruit complexity and vibrancy. August fog was intense in the 2016 vintage, further emphasizing the glory of the Toboni Vineyard with soft and steady ripening that resulted in "wines of very good complexity," as Jancis Robinson put it. Given Heredia's deft touch combined with a vintage like 2016, this bottle is all but impossible to pass on.