“In 2013 We were making wine in a garage…In 2015 we scored 95 points.”

Cali Pinot lovers, let’s go for a ride! Montagne Russe means “roller coaster” in French. And we’ll kick this off with a gut drop from $76 to $35.

There’s “boutique” and then there’s garagiste. The kind of winemaker who’s literally fermenting barrels in a garage until the feds bust down the doors. Which is exactly what happened to Kevin Bersofsky in 2013. His neighbor snitched. The Alcohol and Tobacco suits were not amused. A few perfectly good barrels got poured down the drain.

That was then. And today Montagne Russe is a certified boutique operation. Making small lot, single-varietal, single-vineyard, mostly Pinot and Chardonnay from some of Sonoma’s best real estate. Sound familiar? Williams Selyem started in a garage. Papapietro Perry too. The garage-to-cult pipeline is very real, and Kevin is on it. The only reason this bottle costs $35 instead of $75+ is that the rest of the world hasn’t caught on yet. Now is your window of opportunity.

Gap’s Crown is literally the crown jewel of Sonoma AVAs. There’s a good reason the best names are locked in here - from Kosta to Modus to the aforementioned Williams Selyem and more. It’s a breeding ground for top shelf Pinot. This is generous and ripe, but not heavy or overblown in any way. Pure cherry pie floods the palate up front, along with shaved nutmeg, clove dust, it has beautiful lift and elegance plus some added structure and everything you want to add up to one complex, heady, and utterly satisfying Pinot.

Got some? Good - we promise it’s worth the ride!

92 Points - James Suckling “Plenty of California ripeness in this, along with tasty complexity. Shows all the bright, sunny fruit flavors that the vineyard is known for. It has a good, appetizing texture of moderate tannins and a full body. Interesting, enticing earth, toast and spice notes expand on the palate and linger in the finish. Drink now or hold.”