The Wine Access members who jumped to claim previous allocations of Laguna West have left raves in their wake, calling it top-quality and a great value. Someone said it was one of the nicest pinots I've had in a long time, promising: If you had more I'd buy more!

Well, today were fortunate to have scored a tiny allocation of the 2018 Fog Crest. No one else has this wine, and we dont expect it to last, especially since winemaker Jrme Chry shared these cases at 45% off, offering Wine Access members a stellar deal on this first-rate Russian River Pinot.

Catapulted into the spotlight when their release took top honors at the 2018 San Francisco International Wine Competition, Fog Crest wont stay under the radar for long, if our instincts are right about where this Pinot house is headed.

The value here is spectacular. From a region where household-name Pinots like Kosta Browne will set you back over $100 and similar quality Pinots will cost you twice as much, this is an incredible bargain at $30, down to $27 per bottle on cases.

Its no surprise that Fog Crest competes with Sonoma champions: Chry has crafted wine in the Loire Valley, Provence, Languedoc, and Australia, but made his name in the United States while working in St. Helena at Newton and as Director of Winemaking at Saintsbury in Los Carneros. Hes got incredible experience with Pinot Noir and an innate knowledge of how terroir translates into the glass. Fog Crest snapped him up in 2014, and theyve been on an upward trajectory ever since.

Located north of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, Fog Crest Vineyard boasts an advantageous southeast exposure, which allows morning sun to counterbalance the famous fog that blankets the best vineyards of the AVA. An ancient sandstone ridge on which the vineyard lies allows the soils to drain effectively but provides few nutrients, leading vines to produce smaller, flavor-rich clusters of grapes. The tension inherent in those conditions can be felt in the energy of this ruby-hued Pinot.

Now, four years after harvest, this Pinot is showing fantastically. Elegant across the palate, its cashmere-smooth and features juicy fruit flavors with layers of spice. It delivers red-fruit concentration, lovely tannins, and balanced acidity in equal measurethe Russian Rivers luxe signature, without the luxe markup.