Hello, Olivia, welcome back!

We loved your 2018. But oh boy, this 2019 raises the bar. 92 points and under $30!

Wine Enthusiast previously raved about “An elegant structure with nice acid and a bit of tannin on the finish. This takes me back to the Pinot Noirs I tasted from Acacia in the ‘80s and ‘90s”. But they had no idea what was to come. The chart goes up and to the right, and this will bring a smile to your Pinot-sipping face. Straight-up fantastic quality from the excellent 2019 vintage - ripe and silky, restrained, and gorgeous in every way. Our price!

Olivia Brion was a suffragist and descendant of a great French wine family. She earned recognition in 1905 by winning a wager - outrunning a locomotive from Canterbury to Maidstone. These wines honor that fighting spirit and determined ‘can do’ mindset.

Owner and winemaker Kira Ballotta immersed herself in the wine industry starting in 2011. Her work culminated in helping Alpha Omega earn their first 100-point wine in 2018 before taking over as winemaker for Olivia Brion in 2019. Today, this Pinot is exclusively on top restaurant wine lists such as Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc and Bouchon, along with Morimoto and La Toque in Napa to name a few.

And now, it’s here - and you can get a bottle for about what you might pay for a glass at those restaurants.

All their vineyards are organically farmed, just like Willowside, the single vineyard this Russian River Pinot hails from. It’s quite the purist’s Pinot as the raving review below alludes to. Despite the Russian River designation ringing intense ripeness, it retains excellent freshness, without sweet cola or jammy fruit. Elegant on its feet, dripping with finesse, while still dropping a BLAST of intense flavor. A basket of red fruit: cranberry, cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, rhubarb. A sneaky tiptoe of orange peel. A whisper of baking spices… It all unfolds in delicate layers, getting better and better with time.

Speaking of time, it’s of the essence!

92 Points – Wine Enthusiast

“This smooth, rather light-bodied wine offers a tasty combination of subtle baking spices like cinnamon and vanilla, and broad, ripe flavors of black plums and red cherries accented by toasty oak notes. Winemaker Kira Ballotta fermented different lots with variations such as whole clusters, whole berries, stems added, and crushed berries.”