One-Time Pricing on CA Single Vineyard Pinot Gems

2022 Cordant "Bien Nacido Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $60) $19.95

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Wine Buyer

Bien Nacido needs little introduction as one of California’s “Grand Cru” vineyards. Established in the early 1970s, this legendary Santa Maria Valley site has long been recognized for producing complex, long-lived, and powerful Pinot Noirs—an ideal match for Cordant’s house style. The wine offers a beautiful interplay of dark, wild berry fruit with savory, earthy forest-floor notes. Winter mulling spices complement its fruitcake-like tones and leaf-litter nuances. It perfectly captures the slightly sauvage character so typical of Santa Maria Pinot Noir—distinctive and utterly delicious. A simply phenomenal value, thanks to our Insider’s Advantage hidden-pricing program!

93 points Wine Enthusiast: "Cinnamon and mace aromas make for a sharp edge that cuts into the jammy raspberry core on the nose of this bottling. The palate is bold, spicy and also sharp, with rich berry and penetrating baking spice flavors. (MK)" (05/2025)

2022 Cordant "Escolle Vineyard" Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $60) $19.95

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Wine Buyer

Escolle is one of the coolest sites—both in climate and reputation—in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Owned and farmed by the Caraccioli family, much of the fruit grown here goes into their world-class sparkling wines, which says a lot about the chilly conditions in this locale. The vineyard sits on a dramatic benchland plateau, mid-slope on the Sierra de Salinas Mountains. The soils are Chualar sandy loam, composed primarily of decomposed granite and shale.

The long, moderate, and famously windy growing season of the Santa Lucia Highlands allows the fruit extended hangtime to develop ripe, rich flavors and soft tannins. The significant diurnal temperature swings—driven by the nearby Monterey Bay, just six miles away—create wines that are highly aromatic and full of energy. This bottling is redolent of deep brambly fruit, dark cherry, baking spice, hints of dried coastal chaparral, hot stone, and dusty earth. Floral high tones weave seamlessly through the bold, saturated fruit. It’s an out-and-out crowd-pleaser from the first sip to the last drop.

93 points Wine Enthusiast: "The potent nose on this bottling manages to straddle the line between heavy and pretty, showing elderberry, black plum and violet aromas that ride the edge of over-ripeness. The palate picks up a toasty woodspice, balancing the unctuous cherry and boysenberry flavors with hints of mace and star anise. (MK)" (05/2025)

2022 Cordant "Radian Vineyard" Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $60) $19.95

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Wine Buyer

Radian Vineyard is one of the most renowned sites in the Sta. Rita Hills. Owned and farmed by The Hilt, the roster of producers sourcing fruit from this vineyard reads like a who’s who of California’s top boutique wineries. Situated in the southwestern portion of the appellation, Radian’s vines are draped over steep, undulating hillsides that feel the full force of the prevailing ocean breezes. The vines are rooted in chalky, diatomaceous soils with scattered pieces of flint (chert), forcing them to struggle and produce small but powerful clusters of fruit.

The resulting wine is deeply structured and expressive, with black raspberry fruit, hard-ground spices, clove, nutmeg, boysenberry, and liquid-rock minerality supported by fine, powdery tannins. It shows serious length on the palate, accented by exotic barrel spice and resonant berry-patch fruit. Weighty and concentrated yet defined by purity and structural precision—this is an unbeatable value at this price.

93 points Wine Enthusiast: "Rich aromas of boysenberry and dark raspberry are layered in caramel touches on the nose of this bottling. There's a firm tannic grip to the palate, where juicy berry and cherry flavors are lifted by mace, clove and vanilla elements. (MK)" (05/2025)

2022 Cordant "Solomon Hills Vineyard" Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (Elsewhere $60) $19.95

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Domestic Wine Buyer

Solomon Hills is a sister vineyard to Bien Nacido, also owned by the Miller family. This extremely coastal site sits on the opposite side of the valley from the older Bien Nacido planting. The vines grow on rolling hills composed of ancient sand dunes, and the cooling influence of the Pacific is nearly constant—temperatures rarely exceed 75 degrees, even in midsummer. Flavors develop slowly here, allowing winemakers to take advantage of extended hangtime to optimize ripeness without the fruit becoming overripe.

Once again, this wine perfectly walks the line between bold, ripe fruit and a clear sense of varietal typicity and place. While Solomon Hills can often yield lighter, more savory, even herbaceous Pinot Noirs, this example is fully ripe, concentrated, and expressive from the first swirl—showing alpine strawberry, spiced cherry, and hints of pomegranate. The palate is round and supple, with sweet spice and well-integrated oak tones. A touch of bramble lingers, though the fruit profile is purer than that of the Bien Nacido bottling. Refined, precise, and pure, it’s a perfect reflection of Cordant’s style and cellar artistry. Once again, our pricing is simply out of this world.

94 points Wine Enthusiast: "Intense and powerful aromas of raspberry jam, mace and clove are soaked in an oaky spice that is quite compelling on the nose of this bottling. The oak is prevalent but well applied on the palate as well, giving a toasty veil of clove and chai to the rich raspberry and cherry flavors. (MK)" (05/2025)