So start thinking ahead, because at more than 50% off SRP, I don’t expect either of these wines to still be around come Turkey Day.
This installment of Spina’s Cellar Steals should probably be renamed “Spina’s Cellared Steals,” because we’re offering a pair of Pinots that have already done the waiting for you. Both are squarely in their prime drinking windows—no additional aging required—and ready to pop for the upcoming holidays. And yes, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.
So start thinking ahead, because at more than 50% off SRP, I don’t expect either of these wines to still be around come Turkey Day.
These two Pinots are very different, but equally delicious.
2021 Copain Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Was $43.99 | Cellar Steal: $19.99
Copain’s 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is crafted by one of my favorite winemakers, Ryan Zepaltas. After Adam Lee’s departure, Ryan became head winemaker at Siduri, and in addition to producing wines under his own Zepaltas label, he now runs the show at Copain.
This wine really shows off its coastal influence, with fruit predominantly sourced from the Cloud Landing and Seascape vineyards. There’s plenty of concentration, but it’s matched by every bit of the elegance and freshness you’d expect from Sonoma Coast Pinot.
For twenty bucks, I’m not sure there’s a better Sonoma Pinot in the store right now.
As for Thanksgiving, stuffing is my favorite side, and I could probably just park myself at the table with a bottle of this and a bowl of stuffing and be perfectly happy. Turkey optional.
2020 Pali Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir
Was $84.99 | Cellar Steal: $39.99
For more than five years, Pali’s Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir has consistently received great press, but for whatever reason, the 2020 vintage was never reviewed.
Unfortunately, when you’re talking about a wine with an $84.99 SRP, sometimes it takes a big score or glowing critical review to get people to pull the trigger. In this case, I didn’t need one. I tasted the wine, saw the jaw-droppingly low price, and bought every bottle my distributor had in the warehouse.
Like the Copain, Fiddlestix has a coastal influence, although its Sta. Rita Hills location in the Santa Ynez Valley gives it an entirely different personality. This is the darker, more brooding of the two Pinots, with the savory, earthy character that makes Sta. Rita Hills Pinot so distinctive.
For the holiday table, I’d pair this with something that plays off both its savory character and its fruit—pan-seared duck with a pomegranate or cranberry reduction would be pretty hard to beat.
Two coastal California Pinots. Two completely different expressions. Both drinking beautifully right now. And both priced at more than 50% below SRP.
These are Cellar Steals you can skip the cellar on.