2022 Vivier Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast 750 ml

The sublime union of priceless terroir and expert winemaking—that’s what you get in Stéphane Vivier’s 2022 Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir. Famously cold and rocky, the western-facing Gap’s Crown Vineyard peers over the mouth of the Petaluma Gap. Here, a daily dance of wind and fog allows the grapes to ripen more slowly than they do farther inland, achieving striking balance and precision. 

Grapes from Gap’s Crown, one of the Sonoma Coast’s great sites, are allocated, with a long waiting list, but Vivier’s connections from his Hyde de Villaine days secured him access. This wine, likewise, is rarely available outside the winery. In fact, if we hadn’t run into Stéphane and his wife Dana at JFK, we probably wouldn’t have the chance to offer it. For once, we were thankful for a comical series of delayed, rebooked, and then also delayed flights.

Stéphane and Dana originally started their label with a single credit card and an initial production of a mere 30 cases, though that number isn’t too much bigger now. They were in the same boat (or, err, canceled plane) as we were, and it was a blast to see them both, so far away from home. We watched the Roland Garros final with the couple—and we secured our first ever allocation of the Vivier Gap’s Crown over drinks afterwards.

For our money, Vivier’s 2022 Gap's Crown is one of the best buys you can find off this hallowed site. Stylistically based in the Old World, it shows a stunning brand of elegance and fine-boned grace. Don’t miss it.