2017 Lost & Found Pinot Noir The Nines Vineyard Sonoma Mountain 750 ml

A Master Sommelier and Rockstar Winemaker Join Forces

Master Sommeliers have famously precise palates. Earning the coveted title takes years of study, and thousands of corks are popped as the candidates work their way toward expertise in—literally—the entire world of wine. So when Master Sommelier Geoff Kruth set out to produce his own wines, he had a wealth of knowledge, experience, and know-how to pull from.

It should come as no surprise, then, that his Lost & Found wines have found such a passionate cult following among both professionals and casual consumers alike. The 2017 Pinot Noir from The Nines Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain, is distinctly floral on the nose, with a hint of dried orange zest paving the way for flavors of ripe raspberries, brandied cherries, morels, and cinnamon.

It’s the complete Pinot package, perfect for everyone from Master Sommeliers to casual wine-lovers.

Kruth met consulting winemaker Megan Glaab back in 2006, and at the time, they could have had no idea that, a mere four years later, they would be harvesting their first vintage for the brand that they’ve built on crafting wines from previously “lost” vineyards. (The sites were lost and then found—get it?)

Kruth and Glaab accomplished the feat by leveraging the cooler, windier, west-facing aspect of the land to ensure that the wine is anchored by a remarkable sense of balance, rather than overwhelming fruit or tongue-coating alcohol. Once those incredible grapes were harvested, they put all of their energy into a winemaking regimen that would ensure the inherently elegant character of the certified-sustainable site came through.

All of that effort has led to a wine worthy of both their names. Glaab, after all, is a California-wine rock star in her own right: With her husband Ryan, she is also responsible for RYME wines, the Healdsburg-based label whose delicious, often idiosyncratic examples of Vermentino, Pinot Noir, Ribolla Gialla, and more are snapped up as soon as they appear. So the bringing together of Kruth and Glaab is, from a wine-geek perspective, kind of like having both LeBron James and Stephen Curry on the same team.

Unlike most pro athletes, however, this stellar single-vineyard Pinot Noir promises to just get better with age: As impressive as it is already, the next five years of evolution should bring out something even more unforgettable. Best to pick up a case and follow how it matures. From Master Sommeliers and rock-star winemakers to casual Tuesday-night sippers, everyone can appreciate a Pinot this special.