2020 Desforges Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 750 ml

By the time the deal hits the Wall Street Journal, it’s too late to make the trade.

That’s what our friends in finance have always said—and, you know what? It’s true in wine, too: By the time a winemaker gets crowned by Spectator, the wines have already been clocked by the market.

And Blaine Brazil, who made the superb 2020 Desforge Russian River Pinot Noir is a name to pay attention to. He’s already been named as one of Sonoma Magazine’s Winemakers to Watch, a serious honor for insiders in California winemaking, and one day—probably not too far from now—we wouldn’t be shocked if he was crafting some of the Russian River’s priciest bottles.

In the meantime, you can drink his fine handiwork—drawn off of Desforges’ enviable estate vineyard in Russian River—for a massive discount right here. VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler called it “a gem” after trying it out at Appellation, in Healdsburg, and immediately sourced it for our members. It’s a delicious bottle that shows off all the Russian River Valley bells and whistles at a stunning price. 

And if you haven’t heard of Desforges, you aren’t alone: They’re a tiny winery even by the standards of the boutique Russian River elite.

Their estate vineyard is just six acres, all planted in the Chalk Hill sub-AVA of the Russian River Valley—and it’s planted to three different grapes across four blocks, so there’s barely any of their individual wines made. They call the single block of Pinot Noir “Chandler’s Block,” and it’s planted exclusively to a Pommard selection of the grape in signature Russian River Valley soils, and it yields a whopping 200 cases of wine.

Blaine Brazil really goes for a classically rich Pinot style with the fruit, harvesting after the grapes have had enough time to develop silky textures and bold flavors—think of dark cherries, red roses, and a touch of kola nut, with a hint of spice and a beautiful mouthfeel. The winery sells their cases primarily to a devoted mailing list—for $65 a pop.