2021 Little Boat Russian River Pinot Noir
2021 Little Boat Russian River Valley Pinot Noir I have been tasting, selecting, recommending and writing about great wines for 28 years. This is the 6th vintage of this wine we have recommended. This vintage is the best so far and I urge you, actually I implore you to get this wine. This is world class, top echelon, as good as it gets Pinot Noir of the absolute highest order. The wine will blow you away. Nothing blows you away like Pinot Noir. The most expensive wines in the world are Pinot Noir. This wine is under fifty. It is ridiculously well priced for killer Pinot. I have 25 cases! Do Not Miss This Wine!
We have just received the 2021 Little Boat Pinot Noir and it is a stunner. I tasted it over the weekend and it reminds me of when I first tasted Marcassin. Spectacular richness for Pinot Noir, killer fruit with a finnish that goes and on… 2021 is being viewed as an excellent vintage. Ridge Vineyards commented on 2021, “The results are particularly impressive. These wines are showing exceptional layered fruit and structure.” From Bloomberg on 2021, “After Awful Year, a Small But Mighty 2021 Wine Vintage Is Expected” This is a great Pinot year and this is the wine to buy!
As good as California Pinot Noir gets, a collaboration of some the greatest wine and food experts on the planet. When you follow great winemakers, you find great wine. The wines of William Knuttell are some of the most collected and age worthy wines coming out of California today. He is a legendary maker of Pinot Noir in California. Knuttell is known for his combined 35 year tenures at Saintsbury, Chalk Hill, and Dry Creek Vineyard, where he was responsible for cultivating those wineries into the benchmarks they are today, and revolutionized the varietals of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
We were presented with Mr. Knuttell’s latest project, Little Boat, a collaboration that is truly about friendship. Mr. Knuttell has joined forces with pinot master Brad Alper and with their expertise have collaborated with some of the greatest young sommeliers in the country.
These wines are the synergy between Alper, Knuttell, and sommeliers Harley Carbery (Joel Robuchon in NYC), Phillip Dunn (Spago in Beverly Hills), Lucas Paya (wine director for celebrity chef Jose Andres) and Robert Smith, MS (Picasso in Vegas). All of the wines that we tasted are being poured at all of their restaurants, in addition to Wolfgang Puck’s “Cut” and the famous Le Bernardin in NYC, Eric Ripert and their famous Sommelier Aldo Sohm who was voted “Best Sommelier in the World.” After tasting we are incredibly impressed and excited to offer to our customers. Total production on the label is 350 cases.
With the help of Pinot legend Brad Alper this is unapologetic Russian River Pinot Noir. Rich, layered, soft and surprisingly velvety. While it exhibits the full fruit and acidic backbone found in the finest Russian River Pinot Noirs, it also shows incredible balance and restraint. You will absolutely enjoy drinking it now, but if you give it a bit of time in the cellar it will continue to develop, improve and amaze.