Wine Spies Favorite Modus has landed! At least, briefly.

Because this uber-limited 95 POINT Pinot will FLY! At $85 retail and $39 from us it’s a SOARING deal. But like Steve Miller said, “time keeps on tickin…” into a future - one where this Eagle is clear out of sight…

All-around Operative-favorite and friend of Agents, Jason Moore has been farming his winemaking aura and hitting new heights, racking up 95-99 points on nearly every release he makes. This one, no exception.

According to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “Gifted winemaker Jason Moore has, for me, been outstanding and yet a little ‘edgy’… I have truly seen the method to his madness. He’s clearly a mad genius.”

Mad genius indeed. The native Texan started Modus Operandi in his 20s and dropped out of UC Davis. Adamant in his own ways against the tide with his unconventional approach, he’s entirely self taught. And his style? BIG, sultry, pumped up and hedonistic. As a Cabernet devotee, he was reluctant to pursue Pinot early on. When he did take the varietal under his wing, it was with the same vision - to make something pumped up, LUSH and JUICY.

Aside from winemaking, his strengths also lie in relationship-building with vineyard sources. From Gap’s Crown to Bacigalupi and this one, Silver Eagle - these legendary sites offer up top tier fruit for his efforts.

Silver Eagle was owned and farmed by the late, great Ulises Valdez. The legendary farmer was of the best to do it, and top producers have always clamored to get fruit from his vineyards. This small site contains both Calera and “DR” clones - aka the Vosne-Romanée clone, which was smuggled over from the famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti estate.

The wine sees 50% new French oak and was 100% destemmed. His signature style shows off here, with a massive expanse of dense dark red fruit – fresh black cherries, red whips, toasty baking spices and dusty forest floor flood the senses. Not a wimpy Pinot, and the IPOB crowd would shudder at the sight – but if you like ‘em “real thick and juicy” like Sir Mix a Lot, you’re found the right one.

We recommend taking a cue from Operative Geoff Gibson. Start a weekly recurring “Modus Saturday”. Begin by loading up on this for any of the remaining 39 weeks of this year. You won’t regret having too much.

But like all Modus offers, there’s a very limited amount. You do not want to be among the ones who are kicking themselves for not getting enough.

95 points - The WIne Palate: “Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2022 Silver Eagle Vineyard Pinot Noir slowly emerges with graceful notes of cranberry preserves, kirsch, and black raspberries plus hints of fragrant soil and dried Provence herbs. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers great tension, with a fine-grained texture framing the bright, intense red berry flavors, finishing on a savory note. Drink 2025-2034.”