2016 Westwood Estate Winery Annadel Gap Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma County 750 ml

This single-vineyard 2016 Westwood release epitomizes what we love about Sonoma Pinot. Juicy, rich, and round in all the right places, it’s the kind of deeply satisfying bottle we’ve come to expect from the critically acclaimed Westwood winery. What’s surprising today is the  price tag—which makes the Westwood a total steal considering the pedigreed estate vineyard and winemaker, the legendary and multi-100-point-scoring Philippe Melka. 

Melka first made his name in France at First Growth Haut-Brion and Pétrus, and continued to perfect his craft in California at Dominus, Dalle Valle, and Ridge. But it was the rugged natural power of the windblown Annadel Gap Vineyard that lured his powerhouse talent to Sonoma. In 2016, the result is a detailed and precise Pinot that won an Editors’ Choice award from Wine Enthusiast, which declared it “exuberant.” Silky, polished tannins give way to pure, wild strawberry, rich forest floor, a dusting of cinnamon and baking spices, and dense red-fruit concentration.

The price that Westwood founding partner Carl Stanton quoted us gave us pause. A single-vineyard Pinot of this pedigree and craftsmanship could normally go for twice as much. Stanton shrugged. “It’s a long-term investment. We want these bottles to get into the hands of consumers, so they can see what Sonoma is really capable of.” They want this bottle to be shared, and we were only too happy to oblige for the benefit of our members. This is the kind of luscious Pinot Noir we’d be delighted to drink any night of the week. 

The Annadel Gap Vineyard is located in the coolest, northernmost part of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Comprised of a verdant 22-acres squeezed between Hood Mountain and the Sonoma Mountains, it’s reminiscent of the Petaluma Gap: remarkably cold and windy and nakedly exposed to marine influence. The morning sees thick morning fog whisked away by stiff afternoon breezes, maintaining firm acidity in the Pinot grapes and making for slow, even ripening.

Stanton and his partners first started planting vines here in 2001, originally with the intention of selling the fruit. By 2014, Stanton decided to start bottling wines, and began following biodynamic farming principles. Supporting a holistic ecosystem helped maximize the site-transparency of the sedimentary, glacial, and alluvial soils, imbuing wines with superb complexity.

Interested in courting a talent from a Bordeaux background, the team invited Philippe Melka to tour the vineyards. After getting out of the car and gazing into the thick fog cosseting the vines, Melka turned to Stanton and said: “I’m going to be your winemaker. Not your consultant.”

He’s since cracked the code of Sonoma Pinot, creating a luscious expression that leaves you wishing you had a case in the cellar. Grapes hand-harvested by night arrived at the winery by dawn, and were separated and fermented by clone. The vinification is all about extracting flavor as gently as possible, with juices gravity-fed into French oak (half new) and aged 11 months in barrel.

The result is a luxury-level Pinot Noir offered at a value price.