2024 Montagu Pinot Noir Charles Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Charles Heintz is one of the greatest Pinot Noir sites in California. You can tell by who gets fruit from the vineyard: Names like Kosta Browne. Littorai. Williams Selyem. DuMOL. Ceritas. Ultramarine. These blue-chip producers have all worked with the coveted site—and their bottles often bear the triple-digit price-tags that reflect the vineyard’s grandeur.

But a few years ago, a new winemaker got access to a few tons of Pinot Noir from this legendary vineyard. It was Weston Eidson, the brilliant young talent behind the Wine Access-favorite Silver Ghost label. And he crafted a top-class Pinot that competes with all the big names.

Weston Eidson is nothing if not well-connected… and well trained. He’s worked with mentors that included Russell Bevan of Bevan Cellars—author of nearly twenty 100-point wines—and Jason Moore, the brains and inimitable palate behind Modus Operandi.

By the time he made his first vintage, Eidson was tapping sites like Sonoma’s iconic Bacigalupi Vineyard and chatting up Steve Matthiasson to nab grapes from the California guru’s famous Linda Vista Vineyard. Still, copping fruit from one of the crown-jewels of Sonoma County for this 2024 Montagu is a masterstroke of its own. This guy clearly knows the secret passwords to get what he wants.

Charles Heintz Vineyard is special because it’s on the second ridge in the Coast Range, a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Here the buds pop early, and moderate summer days make for a harvest that typically happens in October. It’s truly on the edge of viability for grape growing, which is the key to great vineyards all around the world. Charlie Heintz’s farming team has been working this land for over 20 years, and they minimize yields in order to maximize quality.