Only a handful of the many Pinots we tasted this year have been truly eye-opening.

And then this came along…

We previously offered the 2018 vintage to a small group of Ops, having just a few cases to share. Today we’re back with the 2019, and there’s barely enough to warrant an offer for everyone. If you’re quick enough, you should absolutely grab some.

Read Holland wines blindsided Agent Noir at the Sonoma Garagiste festival a few months ago. After 25 years in the business, it takes a lot to impart such a deep longing for a winery.

This is a rare opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a hot new project that very few people know about. Yet. But word is spreading among the cognoscenti. 94 points, not found in any but smallest boutique wine shops, and even then - never at a discount.

Heavenly juice that is impeccably made from coveted sources that supply only top winemakers when they need something extra special. Coming from two tiny vineyards in the Deep End of Anderson Valley, the ‘tenderloin’ Northwestern Pacific edge of this great region sought after by visionaries like Littorai, Williams Selyem, Rhys, Anthill Farms, and Drew.

It’s a befittingly rich and mouthcoating Pinot, with head-spinning intensity red fruits, Luxardo cherries, raspberries, strawberries, exotic spices, cocoa nibs, a dose of minerality, and sufficient lift from perfectly delineated acidity. It’s the kind of wine that’s impossible to stop drinking, the sample was passed around and empty, while the complex finish kept lingering long thereafter.

So how did Read Holland pull this off? Chatting up with proprietor and winemaker Ashley Holland primarily on HOW she makes wines so good, hearing about her time at Pax, and Three Sticks partially explained it. Just a few hundred cases are made, and most are sold directly to her mailing list. How we got any, is a small miracle. Or maybe just because Ashley is graceful and generous enough to share these mailing list gems!

Sonoma Magazine highlighted her as one of the Rising Stars on Sonoma’s Wine Scene with her fascinating story: “All it took was a college class called ‘International Beverage Education’ to switch Ashley Holland’s dream of becoming an equine veterinarian to a winemaker. Holland loves horses but was fascinated by the creative essence of wines. After working at wineries across California, Oregon, Australia, New Zealand, and Uruguay, she returned to Sonoma to join the Three Sticks Winery team as associate winemaker. In 2016, Holland launched her own brand, crafting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling, in a boutique production of just 450 cases.”

You can hardly find a more ‘garagiste’ type, undiscovered boutique producer than this. You’ll be among the rarified few who own a bottle.

Hurry before they get more, and well-deserved bigger press. Ultra-limited and if you’re still reading, inventory is dropping fast!

94 Points, Cellar Selection – Wine Enthusiast

“This robust, medium-bodied and moderately tannic wine from the coolest part of Anderson Valley offers attractive black fruit flavors and a good, grippy mouthfeel. It was made with 35% whole clusters in the fermentation and aged in 25% new French oak barrels. The flavors keep building and adding depth with each sip. Best 2025-2035.”