Named for a rare gemstone mined in the rugged hills of San Benito County, Joaquinite is Ryan Stirm’s Pinot Noir from the historic Gimelli Vineyard in Cienega Valley limestone-rich soils, hot days, cold nights. Two blocks planted in 1997 are hand-picked, destemmed, and fermented spontaneously in redwood vats for eight days before aging in old barrels. The result is a Californian Pinot in a transparent, structured mode: red-fruited, lifted, and shaped by the alkaline soils underneath. Drinking it, you understand why Stirm keeps mining this overlooked appellation.