School House Vineyards Pinot Noir Spring Mountain District Napa Valley 2019

NEW RELEASE, who dis?  

What better way to kick start Spring Break than with SCHOOL HOUSE! Napa’s most storied and spectacular pinot noir (in our not-so-humble opinion) with the miraculously fresh 2019 release! This just went live at the winery DAYS AGO and we’re thrilled to be the first retailer to market on this stunner! We NEVER get enough to do a full offer – but this is always one of the most oft-asked wines in marathons! This wine hasn't hit your inbox since the 2015 vintage...so we are thrilled to be able to offer some this year...DO NOT MISS! Coming off a glowing 94-point review from Wine Spectator for the 2018, we expect more of the same for this release.

We love this wine – a cult wine before “cult” was even cool, or anyone even knew what it meant.  It’s practically mythical, even here in Napa. This is a MUST for serious collectors, aficionados of Napa’s tiny, brilliant producers, and at a truly astonishing price of 44% BELOW retail! Goodness, our hearts are pounding with excitement.

There is a lot you need to know about School House - only a small handful of even the biggest Napa geeks know about this wine (it's a long one, skip ahead and grab some, THEN come read up, if you like)! Wow!! We really are shocked.

OK, ready to get geeky???

- DRC. Yes, Domaine de la Romanee Conti in Burgundy, arguably the greatest pinot noir producer on Earth (well, that is not really debated actually). The cuttings for the School House vineyard were brought by the legendary Gustave Niebaum (founded Inglenook) and when they converted to cabernet in the 50s, THOSE cuttings went to School House and to this day are the only clonal selection there.

- School House was planted in 1953 (!!) and is one-of-a-kind, perched up high on Spring Mountain. Owner John Gantner’s father purchased the property in the 40s for a jaw-dropping $25/acre. Can you imagine?!

- For decades the minuscule production has been made at Pride Mountain Vineyards, a neighbor and personal favorite of your humble scribe. This is the iconic Sally Johnson’s last full vintage, as she grabbed the gig at Robert Mondavi these past few months.

- The vineyard is dry-farmed and organic, and just incredibly hard to find; retailers get a few bottles here and there but most of it goes to restaurants and savvy collectors.  Dry farming pinot on the hillsides of northern Napa just boggles the mind. Yields are beyond minuscule as a result, but they keep at it.

- The price. We continue to be shocked to ever GET any, much less like this.

- Your most hardcore collector friends will be amazed to see a bottle of this in your cellar! Don’t tell them what you paid for it, they’ll be upset! Need more history? Peep this.

2019 is yet another great vintage for this groundbreaking hillside winery. With ample fruit flavors upfront of cherry, blackberry, and raspberry, the wine is already showing well in its infancy. But as the wine opens and deepens in the glass, paprika, white pepper spice, licorice and anise seeds, iron ore, bay laurel, and cedar – just RICH, powerful, and decadent pinot noir!!!  This pinot noir is loaded with perfume and flavor but glides lightly and effortlessly. Light in color, but intense and sophisticated. Concentration? YOU BETCHA!

Grab a handful, drink a couple, and hide the rest. These beauties will last DECADES! The last vintage I had was from the 80s and it was straight-up rocking!!!  Holy moly, y’all. SCHOOL HOUSE! Fantastic, cerebral stuff!! We are stoked beyond belief – please, please get some. A piece of Napa history (at a price that can’t be beaten)!