Jonive Pinot Noir Moon Dust Vineyard Russian River Valley 2022

MOON DUST!!! A Vinous 93 POINT, lean, elegant, and wickedly aromatic Pinot Noir from the coldest corner of the Russian River Valley — with a story as wild as the terroir itself — and a flat-out RIDONKULOUS price of ONLY $24!!!

Ok, good people...I have been SITTING ON THIS ONE, waiting for the right moment, and let me tell you — the wait is officially OVER!!!

MOON DUST. Not a nickname I coined…that’s what grizzled, old winemakers and vineyard gurus have dubbed that legendary Goldridge loam soil resting atop the Jonive estate — like sifted sand and finely crumbled chalk, and altogether otherworldly. Generations of Pinot Noir fanatics have spent the last century confirming what the Underwood family discovered just a few years back…this dirt is SPECIAL! The Underwoods — five generations deep in the spirits and wine world since 1888 — were absolutely NOT messing around when they swooped in and locked down this 15-acre gem. And what…a…GEM it is!!! As cold, as extreme, and as pedigree-dripping a corner of the Russian River Valley as you will EVER find. The kind of site where vines EARN their fruit by wrestling with coastal fog every single day of the growing season — 11 acres filled with six different clones of Pinot Noir, farmed organically — Moon Dust vineyard is a rising star in the Sebastopol Hills…full stop.

And the WINE!!! This is NOT a big, oaky, opulent bruiser. It is LEAN. It is FLORAL. It is SAVORY and SPICED and quietly, undeniably ELEGANT. Vinous hit it at 93 POINTS and nailed it — calling it "an especially savory, lean style" that "works quite well." Works quite well?!?! That's like calling Secretariat "a decent horse." 

Grip tight to the saddle, is all I can say, ‘cause this one is a WILD RIDE of complexity and intrigue: Mint and sour cherry on the nose, with crushed mulberries and sun-ripened plums and this provocative little whisper of tomato leaf that is just GORGEOUS. Then on the palate — red cherries and plums, blood orange zest, and Darjeeling tea, followed by white pepper and this earthy, terracotta and roasted red pepper thing that makes me want to slap on the noise-canceling headphones, hit the trail, and just SIP. The cinnamon-spice backbone is alive and crackling with bright, CRUNCHY acidity…and then, as if all of that wasn't enough, this lingering sassafras-cola note grabs hold of your tongue and refuses to leave. BRAVO, I say! 

$70 retail. $70 everywhere else on the web. TWENTY FOUR DOLLARS here. That is OVER 65% OFF for a debut-vintage, critically acclaimed Pinot Noir from what might be some of  the best terroir in all of California wine. The Moon Dust is calling, good people…don't let it slip through your fingers.

While it lasts!!!

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