Jeff Gaffner has been a consultant or winemaker for many prestigious wineries in California, including Ram’s Gate, Black Kite, Xtant and Stephanie. As a kid growing up in Sonoma Jeff loved the Jack London book In the Valley of the Moon, and when he was unable to use the name of the plucky heroine for a daughter, he decided to use it for his winery instead. Jeff makes only single-vineyard wines from sites of distinction that also have a wind component. Strong winds cause the vines to shut down photosynthesis in order to avoid evaporation, thus lengthening the growing season and adding complexity. Carneros is, indeed, well-known for its winds. Made in a Burgundy style with oxidative pump-overs during the cold soak that turns the juice brown until fermentation returns the wine to its yellow color, aging in 50% new oak barrels with lees stirring, and keeping the wines very cold in order to lengthen the malolactic fermentation, this wine has such an impressive natural acidity that Jeff cellared it until 2020. Some might call this Californian in style, but we would say it is more akin to a Premier or Grand Cru Burgundy and we have blind-tasted industry friends on this wine to prove it! This wine is normally priced in the “baller” range of $50-60, but we got an amazing deal on them and passed the savings on to you.