2021 Montagu Pinot Noir Charles Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

Littorai. Williams Selyem. DuMOL. Ceritas. Kosta Browne.

A “Murderer’s Row” of great producers looks to Charles Heintz Vineyard for some of the Sonoma Coast’s most coveted and expensive Chardonnay. The site also grows incredible Pinot Noir, but there’s a reason you never see the Heintz name on Pinot labels: A major player has locked down nearly all of the Pinot Noir for decades.

Fortunately, Weston Eidson, the brilliant young talent behind the Wine Access-favorite Silver Ghost label, is well-connected. And in 2021—Wine Spectator’s top-rated California Pinot vintage of all time—he managed to peel off a few tons of Pinot Noir from this legendary vineyard and craft an EXTRAORDINARY wine.

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 2021 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.