94 Points: A Huge 60% Discount on a Boutique CA Pinot Noir

A Cult Winery’s Juice Under a Different Label Saturday Nov 21st, 2020 [View in Browser]( [KL-emailheader.gif]( WE94: A Ridiculously Good Pinot at a Jaw-Dropping Price [2016 Signal Ridge Mendocino Ridge Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $50)]( ($19.95) “One of the most distinctive wines in this range.” — Antonio Galloni, Vinous --------------------------------------------------------------- For time-sensitive bottles this November/December, please get your orders in early. Thanks and happy holidays! We appreciate your business. NOTE: Our walk-in retail locations are currently closed. We have curbside pickup and low cost (often free) delivery options available in ZIP codes where we can ship lawfully, including anywhere in California. We can also include any new or existing will call orders in your delivery batch. Choose local delivery at checkout to learn if you qualify. --------------------------------------------------------------- While we can’t tell you precisely where this outstanding Pinot value comes from, some modest sleuthing will reveal it is the exact same wine as one produced by a boutique winery with a committed cult following, just under a different label. The story goes that Signal Ridge sold their grapes to this celebrated producer, but rather than asking for a traditional payment, they requested a portion of the finished wine. A deal was struck, and here you have a top-tier bottling but marketed under Signal Ridge’s name. A topsy-turvy market allows us to offer this 94-point stunner for 60% off its original price. We live for deals like this, as it allows us to bring to an even broader audience a world-class expression at an everyday price. An outstanding high-elevation Pinot, this beautiful red checks all the boxes, serving up a dazzling array of bright berry fruit and the perfect complement of spice. We’ve had similar offerings like this in recent months, but this one takes things to a whole new level. Made in a classic Burgundian style, but with the unmistakable imprint of California terroir, it is all too easy to love. The combination of outstanding value and unimpeachable pedigree means this Mendocino Ridge stunner won’t be around for long. Act quickly to make this cult-classic your own. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Signal Ridge] --------------------------------------------------------------- [2016 Signal Ridge Mendocino Ridge Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $50)]( [2016 Signal Ridge Mendocino Ridge Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $50)]( ($19.95) 94 points Wine Enthusiast: "*This review is for the same wine bottled under a different label* This wine is light, floral and earthy, blooming in rose petal and feral forest floor. Delicately balanced and focused in acidity, it persists in juicy pomegranate and rhubarb flavors that charm and confound. (VB)" (06/2018) 93 points Vinous: "*This review is for the same wine bottled under a different label* One of the most distinctive wines in this range, the 2016 Pinot Noir Signal Ridge Vineyard captures the phenolic intensity of this site planted at 2,800 feet in altitude. Crushed rocks, smoke, slate, iron and bright red-toned fruit all develop in the glass, but it is the wine's structural feel and intense minerality that stand out most. The 100% whole clusters are less evident here than in many of the other wines. (AG)" (04/2018) K&L Notes: So here's the scoop on this one folks...some grape growers take payment for their fruit in a variety of forms, one of these is finished wine. So the farmer sells the winemaker a given amount of fruit, the winemaker in turn bottles some of the finished wine under the grower's own "house" label. The winemaker gets the fruit without much cash outlay (a great idea for a product that often takes two years to get to market) and the grape grower gets the expertise of the winemaker to create a wine for their own label. However...sometimes these growers are really good at producing world-class fruit...but not so savvy at selling the wines. Add in a global pandemic...and things get a little tricky. In steps K&L, we recognize the obvious potential to bring our customers a stunning bottle of Pinot Noir at a fraction of the price it would normally command. We make a deal to buy the entire production, and long story short...you get a stunning bottle of Pinot Noir from a top-notch vineyard, crafted by a very highly regarded winemaker, for 60% off what it originally sold for under its regular label. Happy grower, happy winemaker, happy K&L and happy customer: it's a win-win-win-win! (Ryan Woodhouse, K&L domestic buyer) [ryanwoodhouse.gif]( Woodhouse]( | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2020 Flat out one of the best deals we've offered in Pinot Noir this year...and we've had a LOT of incredible Pinot Noir deals this year! This wine is absolutely delicious and drinks like a $50+ bottle of Pinot Noir...because...well it is! I won't rehash what you've probably already read about this wine. Instead I'd like to talk a little about what gives this wine such beautiful, evocative aromas and flavors. The Mendocino Ridge AVA is very special; nicknamed "Islands in the Sky," this region is the only non-contiguous AVA in the USA. Meaning the AVA is made up of mountain peaks and ridge tops that exceed 1200ft in elevation in the coastal ranges of Mendocino County. If viewed from above on a typical Northern California day, these peaks look like islands surround by a sea of fog that floods in from the cold Pacific, leaving only the highest points to bask in the pure sunlight above the fog line. The vineyards are small, steep and remote. You have to be a very dedicated grower to want to farm in these rugged conditions, and yet the rewards are tangible. The fruit from these sites, such as Signal Ridge, is distinctive and seductive. Cool average temperatures give fresh, bright, floral aromas and flavors to the wine. Small red berry fruits, Alpine strawberry, clove, coastal forest notes of pine needle and fern. A subtle, savory truffle-like quality contrasts against the bright notes of rose water and elderberry preserve. This Pinot offers up a lovely interplay of fruit and forest, a wine that clearly purveys a strong a sense of place. An awesome bottle of wine made even better by our deeply discounted pricing. --------------------------------------------------------------- [New Feed]( [Auction]( [Local]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [On the Trail (K&L Blog)]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [BORDEAUX]( | [NAPA]( | [BURGUNDY]( | [CHAMPAGNE]( | [ITALY]( | [RHÔNE]( | [SPIRITS]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [My Account]( | [Wine Clubs]( | [Events]( |[Gift Cards]( | [Accessories]( | [Delivery]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Missed an offer? Check out recent opportunities at our [Email Archive]( page. 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