You/we just met Overshine with their Maple Zin, from the legendary site powering Zins by Ridge, Wilson, Pezzi King, Carol Shelton, Gary Ferrell, Bella, and Armida… just last week.

But that was not the only irresistible deal in the portfolio.

GAP’S CROWN for how much?! We exclaimed, dazzled and confused. You know it’s impossible to get one for $25. With some deep negotiation magic and a promise to get such boutique, tiny production gems into the right hands, voila, you/we are reaping the benefits! It’s an impeccably balanced, delicate yet complex interpretation of this “Grand Cru” vineyard. Cranberries, pomegranate seeds, exotic spices, and a subtle kiss of vanilla all come together in this lovely, food-friendly Pinot Noir.

Compute this. Kosta Browne’s 2022 Gap’s Crown Pinot will set you back $170. Most others are in the $65-125 range. We bring forth an occasional screaming bargain from this site for $35, and it goes nuts. This is not a pricing error Ops, drop all you’re doing and crown this gap.

Wine Spectator may help clarify why this vineyard at this price is a needle in the haystack: “Gap’s Crown, a Sonoma Coast vineyard that supplies Pinot Noir to top producers like Kosta Browne, Patz & Hall, and MacPhail has been purchased by Bill Price (who) holds ownership interests in wineries such as Kistler, Three Sticks, Gary Farrell and Kosta Browne, as well as Durell Vineyard…” Glitzy, right? Yet per Forbes, “Overshine is showing drinkers something new: that the best group projects might just taste better than going solo.”

The Overshine Collective is what happens when a former Google executive falls in love with wine and passionately sets out to help small wineries with a shared vision to outshine, survive, and thrive. The hero behind this pioneering concept, at least for Sonoma, is David Drummond. Eric Asimov of The New York Times points out that “Aside from assembling a group of wine producers compatible to his own tastes - lower-alcohol, higher-acid wines made with grape varieties often outside the mainstream - Mr. Drummond said he saw this as a good investment opportunity.” And it all began with the purchase of Armida Winery in 2023 to create Overshine.

He chose Sam Bilbro as his chief winemaker, who’s a Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker, and owner of the somm-darling Idlewild wines. Bilbro believes that “as a small winery, it’s easy to maintain your identity and individualism, but you often miss out on the economies of scale. With the Collective, we all stand to benefit from both sides of the coin while gaining the joy of working together.”

Asimov continues the story, “Mr. Bilbro had gotten to a point in 2024 where he felt he no longer had the resources to continue growing Idlewild, which specializes in wine made from northwestern Italian grapes like Barbera, Dolcetto, Freisa, and Arneis. Last year, he sold Idlewild to Mr. Drummond, an arrangement in which Mr. Bilbro became the managing partner for all three of Mr. Drummond’s brands, Idlewild, Overshine, and Comunità. Even so, he said, it didn’t feel like the right size or fit. Both he and Mr. Drummond wanted the more collaborative feel of a collective.” Enter Overshine, stage left…

Where were we? The more you stash away, the more your future self will thank you. And us.