2017 Capiaux Cellars Old Vine Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 750 ml

Sean Capiaux’s day job is crafting the triple-digit priced Cabernets at Napa Valley’s O’Shaughnessy, where he has pulled down a slew of 97- and 98-point scores. But he’s also got a brilliant Burgundy streak, having worked at Sonoma County’s 100-point superstar Peter Michael Winery, crafting their cult collectibles as assistant to Mark Aubert—yet another world-class Burgundy-style winemaker.

No wonder Capiaux, who Robert Parker called “one of Napa Valley’s most talented winemakers,” found the sweet spot in Sonoma’s stunning 2017 vintage, and parlayed it into a knockout debut Russian River Pinot Noir. Sourced from two famous dry-farmed vineyards—Widdoes and Starscape—that boast 30-year-old vines and bring the kind of lush New World concentration that has attracted the likes of DuMOL, we’ve got a few cases of this superstar Old Vine cuvée to share.

Sean’s Pinot are the ones we pour for Burgundy lovers—on the rare occasion that we’ve got a bottle handy—and this one will make lifelong fans. Showing notes of black cherry pie and savory herbs, an elegant and complex mouthfeel full of baked earth tones, and kirsch and spice resolving in a lively and long finish, it is as Antonio Galloni summarized it: “super impressive.” 

From a winemaker with pristine pedigree, this is the definition of a passion project: just 200 cases made, and we’ve got a fraction of that. This is sure to go fast, to Pinot lovers who want a $100 experience at a third of the price. 

When we get the chance, we love spending time with Sean because he brings a level of excitement and passion to our tasting table that we rarely see—he lights up when talking about fruit sources and the challenges of each vintage, despite having spent over 20 years vinifying grapes for estates like Peter Michael, where he absorbed lessons from the famed Mark Aubert, at a time when the estate was ground zero for experimentation with 100% barrel-fermented, all-malolactic treatments of Burgundian grapes.

Last time we visited with him was outside the Mount Veeder Progeny Winery where he makes his wines, focusing on Pinot Noir and a set of world-class vineyards he has been working with consistently, for over 20 years in some cases. It was there that he first told us about this bottling, one that would focus on old Russian River Valley vines, and reflect a bit of his own personality: complex, spiced, and full of flavor and wisdom. 

The 2017 is sourced from two old-vine sites Capiaux knows like the back of his hand. Half the fruit comes from Widdoes Vineyard, in the cool, fog-laden regions of the Green Valley. Also a favorite of DuMOL, where prices can run upwards of $90, this vineyard’s sandy Goldridge soils and microclimate produce concentrated power and exquisite acid backbone in the grapes. The other half comes from Starscape Vineyard, believed to be one of the oldest Pinot plantings in the Russian River Valley. Yields are less than a ton per acre, as clusters experience even, seamless maturation that leads to elegance in the glass.

Naturally fermented to preserve aromatic freshness, exposed to minimal new oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered, this is hands down one of the Russian River Valley’s finest Pinot deals. But there’s just 200 cases to go around.