Along with RouteStock’s very fine Chardonnay, there’s also the longtime PRIMA favorite Pinot Noir.   Pinot lovers know Highway 116 well. It starts near the town of Sonoma and meanders through some of the best Pinot vineyards in the entire state before ending at Highway 1 near Jenner.  Vineyards at either end of the highway form the backbone for this wine.  Though they are contractually obligated to keep their vineyard sources confidential, there is some great stuff in their 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.  The vintage was sensational (if very, very small) on the Sonoma Coast, and, for RouteStock, was the eighth vintage in a row where their Pinot Noir was sourced from the same two vineyards, one site on the southern end of the coast with significant influence from San Pablo Bay, and the other much more to the north and heavily influenced by the Pacific.  With consistent sourcing and the experience gained from working the same material over and over, winemaker Vance Rose had a particular success.  Comprised of Pommard, and Dijon 777 and 667 clones, it’s an impressive bottle of Pinot indeed.  There’s a coolness to its blue fruit that brings to mind wines we pay a whole helluva lot more for from the region, and a nice savory, spicy edge that indicates a level of gravitas we never see for under $25!  Looking for a Pinot Noir you can happily open guilt free any night of the week?  This may be your tipple!