Briceland Vineyards, “Ronda’s Vineyard” Pinot Noir

The SparkNotes? Today’s rare, Burgundy-toppling library release from the backwoods of Humboldt is my sleeper wine of 2020. But the full story very much deserves to be heard, so please indulge me while I explain why my head is still spinning from today’s elegant and disarmingly aromatic Pinot Noir. Back in early July, an old acquaintance told me if I made the trek to Humboldt County that weekend, he could set up a meeting with Andrew Morris of Briceland Vineyards. I lurched at the opportunity. This was a name I was extremely familiar with, but my encounters with his wines were limited, and the dearth of information had turned him into somewhat of a legend in my mind. What my family and I discovered in this hidden oasis was anything but: Andrew is quietly crafting real, breathtaking wine here, and today’s 2015 absolutely rocked my world. This isn’t just world-class Pinot—it’s worthy of the history books, and should serve as the singular, global reference point for Humboldt’s remote “Burg