“God made Cabernet.

The Devil made Pinot Noir”

~ André Tchelistcheff

If you like delicate, Burgundy-esque Pinot, please come back another day. This one comes straight from the devil’s grasp. It dips into the powerful and extracted realm, with dense ripe stacks of fruit. A lush, sexy beast, redolent of the style you might find in a Rivers Marie or Aubert bottling.

At a fraction of the price.

And that’s really no accident. Rivers Marie proprietor and 100-point machine Mr. Thomas Rivers Brown historically happens to be the only winemaker with access to the Gioia Vineyard. While it was in 2019 that Furthermore signed on another superstar winemaker Ross Cobb to craft these wines, there is good reason why such legendary names like these gather around great sites and wineries.

Furthermore makes small bottlings of site-specific, ultra-premium Pinots. You rarely see their wines in the wild and we’ve been lucky to offer them in small amounts over the years. Most of their releases are distributed to restaurants or local shops around here. A meager 6 barrels of this exist and we got maybe a couple of them to share with you.

The Gioia Vineyard is a rarely seen location, once reserved for the aforementioned Rivers Marie (which carried a hefty $90 price). Today Furthermore has a grip on this coveted location that Stephen Tanzer of Vinous once described as “a very steep south-facing vineyard in a very cool site between Summa and Occidental…” resulting in “virile and broad-shouldered wines.” And in a review of all their 2017s, Gioia and Gap’s Crown fared best according to the Prince of Pinot, and we tend to agree.

Just past the gorgeous lucid core and vivid yet deep ruby glowing rim, equally deep and complex flavors abound here. Red and black cherry glaze combined with sweet cranberry sauce, plum, sandalwood, clove, nutmeg, and raspberry jam packed in there too. It’s weighty with lush, mouthcoating texture, and a long finish reminiscent of the ripples from a pebble tossed into calm waters. It’s concentrated, complex, and straight-up crushable stuff!

If you love world-class Pinot, don’t skip this one…

98 Points, Double Gold – San Francisco Wine Competition

93 Points – PinotFile

“Moderate garnet color in the glass. The aromas of black cherry, spice cake and earthy flora unfold over time in the glass. Delicious flavors of black cherry, dark raspberry and dark strawberry backed by suede tannins and the slightest toasty oak. Silken in texture with good harmony and some persistence at the end. About the same when tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle.”