Today, we’re very happy to present to you our 2016 Wine Intrigue Awards winner for Operative’s Choice for Top Pinot Noir of 2016.

This juicy, flavorful Pinot is elegant and an easy pairing companion. This is an Ultra QPR wine that drinks way above its price class, delivering a beautifully balanced, deeply delicious 95 point wine for less than $20.

If you can find a better Russian River Valley Pinot Noir for $18.99, we’d love to know about it. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a wine as juicy, delicious and balanced as today’s delectable offering from Brack Mountain.

On the nose, classically Russian River Valley aromatics, with young wild strawberry, dried wild mushrooms, slate minerals, dried forest floor, black cherry, dried leather and a hint of savory herb.

Layered and fruit-driven on the palate, with cherry juice and cranberry out in front. These are followed by hibiscus tea, wild mushrooms, young strawberry, red current and very subtle spice.

Today’s Brack Mountain 2014 L’Oliveto Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was made by Dan Fitzgerald, who rose to fame in the ranks of Pinot powerhouses Robert Sinskey Vineyards and Williams-Selyem Winery. We’ve featured many of Dan’s wines, but today’s offering is the best QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) of any of his Pinots.

Today’s budget-priced wine drinks way above its price class!

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Here’s what the wine press has to say:

95 points - “Sommelier to the Stars” Chris Sawyer - “With the warm days, foggy nights and the maritime influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean, the best new Pinot Noirs coming out of Russian River Valley are elegant, vibrant, and reflect the personalities of the special sites where the grapes are grown.

The latest case in point is the L’Oliveto 2014 Pinot Noir, a complex wine made with fruit from Hurst Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills and the Cousins Vineyard near the slightly warmer center of Russian River Valley. With an attractive garnet hue and dazzling aromas of wild berries, fresh plums, red licorice and earth, the wine immediately teases the senses. In the glass, the flavors are elegant and persistent with deep tones of fresh raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, rhubarb, blueberry, balanced tannins, and a long dry finish.

To compliment these dazzling flavors and firm structure, try this full-bodied wine with mixed olives, grilled vegetables, Burrata cheese with olive oil, fresh basil and heirloom tomatoes, eggplant parmesan, fresh tuna, grilled salmon, and roasted chicken with rosemary.”