2023 Typicite Pinot Noir Gaps Crown Sonoma Coast 750 ml

There isn’t a French-style classification system for the Sonoma Coast, but if there were, Gap’s Crown Vineyard would be a Grand Cru. 

Pinot Noir legends like Kosta Browne, Gary Farrell, and Three Sticks have done some of their best work off this prized vineyard, resulting in classic bottlings that have nabbed a slew of lofty scores. Kosta Browne’s 2011 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year—their 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot—was heavily sourced from Gap’s Crown. 

The right winemakers can work wonders with the vineyard’s fruit, and Typicité’s team of Collin Cranor and Craig Ploof are out to make their mark with top vineyards like this one. Wine Advocate has described Typicité and their work as “hyper-clean, quality-focused, with a selection of grape sources that is still being curated and refined.” They concluded that Typicité was a “newcomer to watch.” 

In the excellent 2023 season, the team managed to peel off a few tons of Pinot Noir from the legendary Gap’s Crown vineyard and craft an EXTRAORDINARY wine. 

Famously cold and rocky, the western-facing Gap’s Crown site 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 further inland, achieving striking balance and precision. 

Buttressed by the electrifying acidity of the fog-shrouded coast, the 2023 Typicité deftly captures the outstanding vintage, eliciting the high-tension beauty that’s made Gap’s Crown one of the best-known sites along the Sonoma Coast. An instant YES from our wine team at our weekly judging panel, this is the kind of limited-production deal that doesn’t come along often, so grab it while it lasts.