As a former vineyard manager for Opus One, Cakebread, Duckhorn, and Stags Leap, he developed one of the deepest Rolodexes in the business. Once he launched his own label, he started mining those connections to deliver outrageous valueslike todays Russian River Pinot.

Russian River is famed for deep Goldridge sandy-loam soils, dense morning fog, and the lush, dark-cherry Pinot Noirs that they create. But Westside Road put the area on the map, as producers like Rochioli, Williams Selyem, and Merry Edwards mined their own estates or vineyards like Flax and Bacigalupi to define the modern style of Sonoma Pinot.

In the 2022 vintage, the region was blessed with a smoothif lower yieldinggrowing season. Those lower yields were the result of small berries, which in turn produced concentrated wines. Decanter noted that winemakers across the board appear to be delighted with the quality of the fruit they harvested.

Here, that translates to seductive cherry and blackberry notes, accented by the signature kola nut and spice of the region. The polish on the palate suggests a Pinot in the $50+ rangewhich is what this real estate normally suggests, as well. Its a bottle thats fine being a Saturday night centerpiece, but it comes at a price that will tempt you on the weeknights.