2018 Windrun No. 16 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

This might be the first you’re seeing of the 2018 Windrun No. 16 Pinot Noir—yet it’s no exaggeration to say that it belongs in the ranks of the best of the Sta. Rita Hills, alongside top bottles from Au Bon Climat, Domaine de la Côte, and Lutum.

Crafted from three of the region’s top vineyards—including the legendary Sanford and Benedict—and meticulously pieced together by Santa Barbara icon Ken Brown, it has the pedigree and age-worthy structure of a $60+ Pinot.

Yet this cuvée—acclaimed as “opulent” and “rich” by Wine Enthusiast—is still something of an underground sleeper hit. With extremely limited distribution, it’s remained discreetly out of reach for most buyers, even the dedicated value-hunters who scan pricing lists and critics’ scorecards looking for hidden bargains. In fact, we hadn’t come across the producer ourselves until a Wine Access member dropped us a hot tip in an email.

When we called a sample in, we marveled over the ebullient aromas of black cherry, black plum, and cinnamon, as well as the densely packed yet silky and practically weightless palate. Made by renowned Pinot whisperer Ken Brown in minuscule amounts, most of the production is typically designated for the winery’s private member list.

That rarity is a byproduct of Brown’s meticulous, accept-nothing-but-the-best philosophy of sourcing. He’s one of the pioneering veterans of this region, the founder of Byron and Zaca Mesa, and mentor to a whole school of legendary winemakers, including Au Bon Climat’s (very recently passed) Jim Clendenen and Ojai’s Adam Tolmach.

The 2018 is composed of grapes from Sanford and Benedict, which was named one of the five most important and iconic vineyards in California by Wine Enthusiast; La Encantada, which has produced a bevy of 94-95 points wines for elite producers like Foxen and Siduri; and Rancho La Viña, a kind of holy site for cool-climate winemakers like Richard Sanford.

These three neighboring sites, overlooking the Santa Ynez River, form “the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills,” Brown told us when we last caught up. “The further east you go, the softer and more approachable the wines become. The further west you go, with more cold winds off the Pacific, you start getting more structure and stiffer tannins. With these vineyards right at the center, it sort of unlocks the whole region, pulling on characteristics from both directions.”

With a laugh, he added: “We should probably be selling it for $60.” But his dedication to true value, achieved by a spartan approach to overhead, means he’s offering something almost no one else is: A Pinot that tastes like 3x the price, overdelivering with every glass.