2018 Patz & Hall Wine Company Pinot Noir Chenoweth Ranch Russian River Valley 750 ml

We’ve been in business for going on two decades. We’ve offered THOUSANDS of wines. But in all this time, one Pinot Noir icon—from our own backyard, no less—has eluded us. 

That icon is Patz & Hall—and the drought ends today, because we nabbed an allocation of their 2018 Chenoweth Vineyard Pinot Noir.

This bottle shows why experienced Pinot-philes hold Patz & Hall in the same regard as the triple-digit-priced giants of Sonoma County. Powerful, elegant, and spiced, grown in the prestigious Green Valley of Russian River AVA from vines planted to Patz & Hall’s specifications, it’s an absolute stunner that earned 95 points from Wine Enthusiast.

Crafted by legendary winemaker James Hall, bursting with pedigree, there might be no more impressive Pinot on the market for the price.

Patz & Hall was founded in the late 1980s by Hall and Donald Patz, and for two decades the winery has been relying on Charlie Chenoweth’s gorgeous grapes. 

The Chenoweth family has farmed in Sonoma County since 1847, three years before California became a state. Their site, which sits on the cool western edge of the Russian River Valley, gets a hefty dose of Pacific influence in the afternoon—perfect for dropping the vineyard temperature, cooling off the grapes, and keeping acid scintillating. 

The site is planted to Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, and, as Charlie says, “a dab of 828 and 23.” The vineyard yields between two and three tons of grapes per acre, a figure that Hall—who calls Chenoweth one of Patz & Hall’s best vineyards—is quick to point out is similar to the low numbers harvested from Burgundy’s Grand Cru sites. 

This is a long-awaited gem from a stalwart of Sonoma County.