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Specialty Cellars
The Wine
Dominated by fruit from the Mount Olivet Vineyard, this wine has roots in a historic site - planted by the Rued family in the 1870s, it is still farmed today by Richard Rued. The vineyard's old vines and clonal diversity gives the wine its layered red‑fruit profile.
Complementary fruit from Windsor Oaks Vineyard in the warmer Chalk Hill section adds body and structure. Soils across these parcels are Russian River Valley's classic 'Goldridge loam', soils that are light, sandy, marine‑derived, and exceptionally well‑drained. What's that all mean to you the Pinot lover? Wines with purity, lifted aromatics, and fine tannins.
The 2024 is made in a restrained Burgundian style: fully de‑stemmed, cold‑soaked at 50°F, gently extracted, then aged 18 months in French oak (35% new) from François Frères and Remond. The result is a polished, expressive wine with vibrant cherry, raspberry, cranberry, orange zest, floral notes, and subtle spice, carried on a silky, seamless palate with refined tannins and a long finish.
Pairings: grilled salmon, roast duck (or duck confit), mushroom dishes, and herb‑driven poultry. Cheese‑wise, reach for our Comté, Tomme de Savoie, or Red Hawk.
The Winery
Little Boat is the personal project of winemaker José “Pepe” Galante and proprietor Mark Tarlov, created to highlight small, carefully farmed vineyard parcels across Sonoma.
Tarlov’s background in film and storytelling informs the brand’s ethos: wines meant to be expressive, transparent, and tied to place rather than to formula. Galante brings deep experience with site‑specific winemaking, focusing on gentle handling, native fermentations, and restrained oak.
The team works closely with growers who farm some of RRV’s most respected Chardonnay sites, many of them family‑run vineyards passed down through generations. Little Boat’s identity is rooted in collaboration between growers, winemaker, and proprietor aligned around crafting wines that feel handcrafted, precise, and unmistakably Russian River Valley.
The brand was built for the on‑premise fine‑dining world, especially chef‑driven tasting‑menu restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Tarlov’s earlier projects (Evening Land, Chapter 24, Maison L’Envoyé) were heavily adopted by Michelin‑starred programs, and Little Boat follows the same distribution model: tiny allocations, sommelier‑focused placements, and wines crafted for pairing flexibility. Sommeliers often cite Little Boat’s restrained alcohol, clean fruit, and subtle oak as reasons it fits tasting‑menu service.
