2020 Montagu Pinot Noir Rita’s Crown Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

Rita’s Crown is one of THE Grand Cru vineyards of Santa Barbara County. That’s why Kosta Browne’s Rita’s Crown Pinot Noir goes for well over $100, and why its contiguous neighbor, Sea Smoke, bought the vineyard in 2016. The fruit is now harder than ever to come by.

Fortunately, Weston Eidson, the brilliant young talent behind the Wine Access-favorite Silver Ghost label, is well-connected. And in 2020, he managed to peel off a few tons of Pinot Noir from this legendary vineyard and craft this extraordinary, seldom-seen single-vineyard Pinot.  

Eidson’s connections begin with mentors that included Russell Bevan—author of nearly twenty 100-point wines—and Jason Moore, the brains and inimitable palate behind Modus Operandi.

By the time he made his first vintage, Eidson was tapping sites like Sonoma’s iconic Bacigalupi Vineyard and chatting up Steve Matthiasson to nab grapes from the California guru’s famous Linda Vista Vineyard. Still, copping fruit from one of the crown jewels of Santa Barbara County for this 2020 Montagu is a masterstroke of its own. This guy clearly has the secret passwords to help him get what he wants.

Rita’s Crown, planted in 2007, is noted for its calcareous, diatomaceous earth soils, high altitude (highest in the AVA), and the strong winds that whip through these slopes. The soils here contain large amounts of silica and rocks as light as feathers—similar to the same prized qualities in the soils of Champagne and Spain’s Jerez region. On these steep hillsides of poor soils, the vines struggle mightily, which keeps yields incredibly low. The upshot? These tiny bunches of intensely flavorful grapes make for world-class wine.