“But he made only 4 barrels…” the voice on the other end of the line explained, “and 2 of those sold immediately between friends and family” he continued, “we can only allocate you a barrel or so” Too bad we already were madly in love with this Pinot that stood out amongst tough company at a recent tasting panel… needless to say, we JUMPED on all we could. Be warned though, a barrel is just not enough to go around all day, so there’s no time to snooze!

Deep, deep ruby with a bright near-neon purple haze on the narrowing rim, first and foremost greets and pleases the eye. The enticing nose is adorned with zesty blackberry, raspberry, crushed rock, and lavender scents. Remarkably smooth, supple and polished on the palate, with a refreshing and robust core. A hint of smoky, toasty oak and fine tannins enhance the remarkable length on the broad finish. Save this one for a hedonistic feast, be it wild salmon, duck with rich sauces.

And why is this SO yummy? Perhaps if we told you that the prodigy winemaker behind it is Justin Harmon, who was a protégé of Russel Bevan it would help explain some? A perennial 100-pointer Robert Parker favorite, who defines the Bevan style as “pedal-to-the-metal, full-throttle and super-intense, truly mind-blowing, big, rich, majestic wines” is what this Pinot Noir truly is all about dear Operatives. While Bevan’s Pinots fetch 3-4 times what you can steal this for here today, it’s not far from the immensity and deliciousness you’d get. Justin also makes wine for other highly rated boutique projects such as Argot and Standard Deviation.

Wine Spectator recently recognized the talent we’re looking at here, stating that; “for his Pinot Noirs, Harmon aims for texture and intensity for his fruit-driven style” and Jeb Dunnuck raved that; “if you haven’t heard of Justin Harmon, you should write that name down” recently too. Need more be said?