2018 Olivia Edmund Pinot Noir Sonoma County 750 ml

The brown bag swaddled around this bottle may have concealed the label, but it did nothing to hide the impeccable grace that marked this 2018 Sonoma Pinot as the standout of our blind tasting—a prince in pauper’s clothes.

Before any notion of price or producer even entered our minds, we were marveling over the balance of juicy freshness and earthy depth—perfectly calibrated and indicating elite California pedigree. Once the bags came off and the tech sheets came out, we realized that a Wine Access favorite had again surpassed expectations, putting another huge value winner in our hands.

Coming in at a massive discount off the original price, this exquisitely chiseled, mineral-kissed Sonoma Pinot Noir lives up to the high standard set by our previous Olivia Edmund wine, a knockout Napa Cabernet that was explosively popular with our members. As a bargain, it may even surpass it, which means our 45 cases are as good as gone.

Crafted from high-density, fog-cooled vineyards situated just ten miles from the Pacific Coast and put through a 100% French oak regimen, this painstakingly-crafted bottling normally costs $85. We don’t often see this kind of price for a Sonoma Pinot Noir this sleek and supple, with a refined elegance that feels almost Old World. This same vineyard has produced a bottle that Decanter ranked 3rd overall in a tasting of 93 California Pinots, and one sip makes clear why this wine is going to be at the top of anyone’s list of favorites.

The nose opens to interweaving chords of dark berry, cassis, and dried flowers, threaded with hints of mint and smoky minerals. Restraint and elegance rule the palate, but there’s nothing austere about the luscious floral core and attending layers of plum, strawberry, and baking spice, concluding in a brooding finish of black pepper and black cherry.

If you saw the vineyards that produced this bottle, you might think you were in Burgundy. The renowned Sonoma estate that Olivia Edmund tapped for Pinot Noir grapes is unique in its dedication to planting at high densities: roughly 2,000 vines per acre, promoting competition between plants that generates nuance and lithe power in the fruit.

Well-draining Goldridge sandy loam, marine sediment, and sandstone subsoil give this Pinot its fine mineral detail—just one of the subtleties that come into focus in the glass. The grapes are hand-harvested, spend two weeks in fermentation, and age for ten months in 18% new French oak, burnishing the cherry-laced Sonoma elegance here to a fine sheen.