Clos Julien exists thanks to a clever arrangement: one of Sonoma’s serious Pinot houses wanted to expand its vineyard footprint without the risk, and the result is genuine far-Sonoma-Coast fruit at a price that shouldn’t be possible. The vines sit on ridge-tops a couple of miles from the Pacific, where marine fog pours through the Petaluma Wind Gap and stretches ripening out slow and cool. That gives you Pinot with real nerve and lift, not sun-cooked heft. It drinks beautifully right now, and a light chill does it no harm.