Welcome to our latest Super Spy Sunday! Every Sunday, we strive to bring you our deepest deals of the week, always on an exceptional wine that you won’t find for less anywhere else. Today’s steal is the delectable Alta 2015 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. This wine was born of the Moore Vineyard, a beautiful site that produces exceptional Pinots.

Its density reveals a Pinot with a medium body, while its even ruby color throughout is pleasing to the eye. The nose simultaneously reminds you of the Russian River AVA while also promising something new. It’s got juicy red fruit such as wild strawberry and raspberry, while also offering dried roses, Ulster fragrance, and bergamot. The fruit takes on an even more central role on the palate with fresh, perhaps even sautéed strawberry and raspberries being prominent. It’s backed up by a woody base of cinnamon and potpourri. The ample tannin provides an excellent backdrop that coats your tongue as the waves of fruit are carried over the top and linger at the finish. The perfect pairing for an All-American turkey dinner, with mashed potatoes, gravy and seasonal veggies.

The Russian River Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Sonoma County is particularly is known for exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but, with enough sunlight exposure to aid ripening, Zinfandel also grows quite well here. This AVA was officially designated in 1983, but many of the wines in the region used the designation as early as the 1970s (early in California’s wine history) with many of the vines having been first planted in the early 1900s.

The Moore Ranch Vineyard lies on Occidental Road, near the western edge of the plain of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Jim and Cindy Moore lavishly care for their vineyard, which enjoys a warmer location where the summer fog burns off a little earlier, allowing the Pinot Noir fruit to regularly obtain plum and boysenberry flavors.

What the Wine Press has to say about today’s wine:

90 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine - “Tannic at first, this structured, youthful wine needs time in the glass to become itself, which is a well-made, lightly touched expression of wild strawberry and spice. The grapes come from the Moore Vineyard.”