Head up. Shoulders back. Look into the mirror and say, “Do it for the Operatives.”

That’s how we prepared to negotiate this unreal deal you see today. After psyching ourselfs with affirmations we picked up the phone and got down to business. Lo and behold, it WORKED.

Only $22 for Russian River Valley Pinot Noir?? Seems unreal. But it’s not. With neighbors like J Vineyards and Kosta Browne which go for WAY more, you can’t afford to miss this under the radar find.

The family behind Merriam Vineyard have been stewards of their property in Sonoma County for decades and done all the right things. After Diana and Peter Merriam founded the winery in 2000 and ran it for a few decades, they brought their son Evan Merriam into the business in 2017 after he moved back to Healdsburg. He works alongside winemaker and Sonoma County native William Weese, whose resume includes Mauritson Vineyards, Copain, Kendall Jackson, and MacPhail Family Wines.

The family doesn’t seek a lot of outside validation as their wines speak for themselves but the SF Chronical gave it a Gold Metal which we whole heartedly agree with.

The wine itself is juicy and gorgeous. Loads of red fruits and layered spices add up to a textbook Russian River exactly how you like it. Flavors of lilac, fresh forest floor and soft leather wrap around silky smooth tannins and well-structured acid. This is a wine meant for those last few moments of summer weather and will easily hold up to brisk fall evenings.

At this price, it’s a “case me” kind of offer, if we ever had one. You’ll pop one of these and wish you had 10 more so load up quickly before it’s gone!