Marnet Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch Sonoma Coast 2023

Hello, gorgeous! 95 points on this spectacular 2023 vintage from a prized single vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA, from one of Thomas Rivers Brown’s greatest mentees... all for under $30 when you get 3 or more?! McDougall Ranch is way, WAY out there on the Sonoma Coast – closer to Mendocino than Russian River Valley, and cool, windy, and wild... making for some of the most expressive and ageworthy Pinot Noir on this planet! Luck like this just doesn’t come around every day! 

Named after founder Daniel Ricciato’s German grandmother, Marnet is a small, producer-focused winery specializing in single-vineyard, character-drenched Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast and Mendocino. Daniel’s an Outpost Estate alum – so in addition to those 100 point Howell Mountain beasts, he’s also had a hand in everything from Schrader, to Black Sears, Maybach, and more, all under the mentorship of the most awarded American winemaker of all-time, Thomas Rivers Brown. TRB himself chose Daniel to head up all growers’ relationships for his myriad consulting projects – over 100 top sites spread across Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. You can bet your bottom dollar that Marnet was born right on the heels of these invaluable relationships.

Minimal intervention is the backbone of Ricciato’s philosophy, complete with whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, minimal sulfur, and no additives, creating wines with distinct personalities reflecting their unique vineyard sites. All this thoughtfulness and measured processes make sense after his personalized TRB training camp, and the results are astronomically exceptional.

Now, let’s talk about the wine! Coming from McDougall Ranch – positioned 1,000 feet above the Pacific, only 3.5 miles from the surf zone, in a renowned neighborhood (Marcassin, Flowers, Hirsch, and Martinelli all have their best-of-the-best lots nearby) – this young and pedigreed Pinot is laser-taut with densely woven fruit notes of black cherries, and black raspberries, with tart strawberries, too – all held together with a smatter of spice and woodsy warmth. Grab a sizable handful and lay a few bottles down for the next few years of unbridled enjoyment. It’s as layered as any of its $125+ neighbors – and that TRB influence brings out a voluptuousness that is really prized to stretch out over time. A beauty and a beast – all rolled into one! We wish we had more, so don’t wait to make some yours!

PAIRING IDEAS: Neapolitan pizza with caramelized onions, spicy sausage, and buttery sauteed mushrooms, finished with a few drops of Calabrian chile oil. OH, you won’t even know what’s hit you.