2023 Failla - Pinot Noir Sonoma Estate Ft. Ross Seaview (750ml)

Failla was founded in 1998 by Ehren Jordan and his wife, Anne-Marie Failla, though Ehren's path to winemaking was anything but conventional: he studied art history and classical archaeology at George Washington University rather than enology, learning the craft hands-on at Joseph Phelps and Neyers Vineyards before spending eighteen years as general manager and director of winemaking at Turley Wine Cellars, where he helped build the reputation of California's finest old-vine Zinfandels. In 1995, on a tip from Helen Turley, Ehren purchased rugged land in what would become the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation, neighboring Marcassin, and began planting the site that remains Failla's cornerstone today.

The Estate Vineyard sits at 1,400 feet elevation just four miles from the Pacific, farmed biodynamically and dry with no irrigation. Planted in 1998 to Swan, Calera, and Pommard clones, the site's high elevation keeps it above the typical fog line while still benefiting from the ocean's cooling influence. The 2023 Pinot Noir was fermented with native yeast and aged eleven months in French oak, only twenty percent of it new, in a tiny production of just 170 cases.

The wine is bold and savory, with black cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, dried herbs, and menthol, framed by firm, structured tannins. It pairs well with seared venison, roasted game hen, or a rustic charcuterie spread.