“James MacPhail’s Pinot Noirs are full-flavored and show generous fruit.” – PinotFile

Remember the Exprimere Persey Pinot that sold out FAST last May? Since then, we’ve been doing all that’s possible to get to its sister, Mia. Under $30 they are up there with our best Pinot deals of the year. Delicate Rainier cherries, tilled earth, black tea, and sweet baking pie spices. Silky red plums and cranberries broaden seductively all over the palate. Lush, vibrant, and broad, with saturating fruit that retains wonderful lift, energy, and structure despite the shy color, elegant texture, and juicy complexion.

This gorgeous creature also hails from Peake Ranch vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, which is basically the “tenderloin” of Santa Barbara wine country. It’s sandwiched between two prime vineyards there, Rio Vista and Alma Rosa. Insanely good neighborhood.

Founded by a young, iconoclastic Princeton University Molecular Biology Ph.D. (John Dimos) who shuns the traditional notions of terroir, Exprimere has a secret weapon in the cellar. Call it Weapon X, Marvel Comics style, if you will.

That weapon? James MacPhail. He’s tall, shaves his head, and cuts an imposing figure. But when it comes to Pinot Noir, he is all finesse. His own label, The Calling, Sangiacomo, We Know Jack wines come to mind. Most recently, he’s also been wowing wine insiders with his small-lot Tongue Dancer project, too. In fact, Wine Enthusiast just shortlisted him for their 2024 Winemaker of the Year award.

But there’s still time… Time to get in on the inside before this secret weapon gets the spotlight. And as they say in real estate and fine wine, the best time is RIGHT NOW! Justifiably, this one normally goes for almost a cool Benjamin ($96 currently), but you can snag it TODAY for $28, at a discount of OVER 70%. Which is kind of insane, except without the “kind of.” It’s certifiably nutty.

Oh, and the previous vintage was a Cellar Selection with 95 points from Wine Enthusiast, which raved about “a very dynamic nose that weaves through aromas of raspberry, pomegranate, light pepper and dark herb… fruit-forward at first, then white pepper, bitter herb, and spicy kicks of cinnamon and mace complete the picture.” That picture is, trust us, a lot more complete in 2023.

How did we manage that one? Even we are not entirely sure (we’re just sure that our VERY limited amount is sure to soon be gone.) Don’t think too hard about it, just run with it!