2018 Alma Fria Plural Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

We told you the story of the Alma Fria Plural Chardonnay, the 2017 beauty that first wowed so many sommeliers at Michelin-starred restaurants across the country—and then wowed you. Following in its footsteps is the dazzling Plural Pinot Noir, typically a restaurant-only, sommelier favorite that’s been just out of reach for years.

As silver linings would have it, the restaurant industry’s current pause allowed us to secure this highly allocated wild-berry Pinot for about three times less than what it would cost at SingleThread. While this is sure to join its sibling as a member favorite, unfortunately, it won’t be a regular. This is a rare opportunity to stock up on a restaurant-only Pinot Noir. 

Brimming with fresh black cherries and pomegranate dashed with Redwood spice—a unique mélange of evergreen and tangerine oil expressed by grapes planted near the Sonoma Coast’s leafy giants—it’s easy to understand why so many sommeliers love this stuff. Our friend Neal McCarthy, co-owner and beverage director of Michelin-starred Miller Union in Atlanta called Plural “elegant, acid-driven Pinot Noir. Great for anyone looking for well-made wines that are true to their place.” Paul Einbund, owner and beverage director of The Morris in San Francisco simply called it, “darn tasty stuff!”

We first tasted Plural at a trade show years ago in Austin with Alma Fria partner and winemaker Carroll Kemp. Straight away we fell for the extraordinary purity and agility derived from the cool-climate vineyards in Sonoma’s newly crowned West Sonoma Coast AVA. As Carroll put it, “the Plural Pinot Noir is like a ballet dancer.” 

While we made a friend in Carroll that day, we had to swallow a tough pill when he told us that we wouldn’t be able to share his masterful Pinot with Wine Access members. Our buddies McCarthy and Einbund plus a host of other somms had first dibs, and the wine was fully allocated. We conceded to playing the waiting game. 

Fast forward to a few months ago, when we called to catch up with Carroll. With the restaurant industry on a hiatus, many of his placements had disappeared. If we wanted it, we would get the first shot at 25 cases of the 2018 Alma Fria Pinot Noir. We didn’t hesitate.

On the heels of the 92-point 2017, which Vinous’ Antonio Galloni called “gracious, light on its feet and supremely delicious,” the 2018 Plural is better still, and the reviews will show it when they arrive next year. As Carroll told us recently, “It’s exactly what I try to do with Pinot Noir,” the result of a perfect Sonoma Coast vintage combined with a hands-off approach in the cellar, elevating terroir-driven brilliance to the realm of the sublime. 

This is gorgeous coastal Pinot, revered by, and usually reserved for, the restaurant industry’s top callers. While the wait to offer it has felt endless, we know we’re actually among the lucky few.