Antica Terra Coriolis Pinot Noir 2016

It was Sine Qua Non assistant winemaker – Maggie Harrison, Frankl’s handpicked mentee, who after more than a decade learning from Frankl, brought the rules-be-damned playbook to Oregon to set the region on its head.

Like her Sine Qua Non mentors, Maggie’s winery in Dundee looks like a place that would interest Walter White, a completely unassuming and unattractive building on a residential street whose closest commercial neighbor is Lumpy’s Tavern down the road.

But in that landscape, her Antica Terra brand has been producing some of the most sought-after Pinot blends in the country, let alone Oregon. They don’t have a club. Just a first come, first served allocation list. Two emails a year and the wine lasts about 18 hours after they hit the send button. Maggie holds back a small amount of production each year for select restaurants like Eleven Madison Park, Coppo in L.A. and 67 Pall Mall in London.

Her 2016 Antica Terra Coriolis Pinot Noir is an intricate blend that is crafted by picking select barrels from Antikythera, Ceras and Botanica Pinot Noirs each AVA specific Pinot Noirs that retail for $120/each and consistently garner several 95+ pt scores. Drawn from two of the best vineyards in the state (Shea and Seven Springs) – this is a Pinot for the ages.

When the sample arrived two weeks ago with the price attached – I wasn’t sure it was right. Released at $60/btl, the lowest price I could find online was $47.99. Though I was only going to have 72 hours at my price, it will be significantly below that. This wine is almost exclusively sold to restaurants and is not even available to the allocation list. I say that to be realistic– it’s unlikely we’ll see this wine again. To get a shot at a true artist and one of the best Pinot Noir winemakers in the country, especially at this price — it’s an absolute steal.