Mission Codename Boont Camp
How!?
That’s what a lot of people will be asking when they see this offer. HOW DID THEY PULL THAT OFF? At this price?
Don’t worry about it, we’ll never tell. Just get some if you can because frankly, we’re pinching ourselves in wonder. This is the ultimate, insider info, locals-only, wine geekdom discovery in a long time.
Well, actually, you might remember we discovered this a year ago. The 2020 vintage vanished in a day, and we’ve been impatiently waiting since then to get more.
You cannot get closer to a Williams Selyem at a fraction of the cost. Plus, it’s only the THIRD ever release from this much-lauded Pinot project. We were lucky enough to have the 2020 as well and it FLEW out of the warehouse.
We are so, SO proud to share this winery with you. It’s a beautiful discovery, full of personality and style. Considering total production of around 3-5 barrels, we’re still scratching our heads about how we got ANY to begin with. Granted, it wasn’t much.
G.W. Lussier served 7 years in the U.S. Army, with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, before returning home to the Napa Valley. A chance encounter at a bocce game opened a winemaking door at Pahlmeyer. Then he moved to Williams Selyem for a little more experience making exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot. You can’t get any better direction. Today Lussier produces just two single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, and this appellation blend. Mostly available via the mailing list or direct. You won’t find them in a store.
Lussier takes a minimalist style approach, starting with sourcing from two organic vineyards on steep hillsides at 2,000 feet above sea level. He takes the hand-harvested fruit and ferments using native yeasts, including a healthy 25% whole clusters in the mix. Next comes a modest 11 months in used French oak. The result is a gorgeous wine with soaring aromatics and playful and dramatic flavors. Bright and juicy red fruit comes bursting to the surface. The high acidity ensures a long road ahead.
So new, and so small that these wines were only reviewed twice, with both Wine Enthusiast and James Suckling loving the 2019 Côte de Boont, finding “Red and black berries, rooibos tea, and rosemary on the nose. Medium-bodied with really clear and ripe red fruit. Silky tannins. Fresh and juicy.” And “Complexity and tangy fruit flavors help this attractive, medium-bodied wine stand out. It offers sour cherry and raspberry aromas followed by lively black-cherry notes and dashes of black tea, clove, and cinnamon.”
If you got some of the 2020 last year, you know it was ALL THAT and the 2021 is THEN SOME!
Some wines really show what “terroir-driven” means. This is one of them. A beauty, and there’s not much to share so you better make your move quick…
What the Winery Says
2021 'Côte de Boont' Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
- Winemaker
- G.W. Lussier
- Varietal
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Vintage
- 2021
- Alcohol
- 13.6%
- Appellation
- Anderson Valley, Mendocino County
- Total acidity
- 6.6 g/L
- pH
- 3.54
- Aging
- 11 months
- Barrels
- 80% new French Oak
- Production
- 3 barrels