Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard has delicate rose hip tea, garrigue, lavender and sage notes over a core of Bing cherries and pomegranate, plus a touch of pepper. Light-bodied, oh-so-fine and ethereal on the palate, it has a beautiful seamlessness and quiet intensity. If you’re looking for a fruit bomb, look elsewhere. 94+ points
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Like the Cargasacchi, the 2014 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix is a charming, elegant that offers plenty of cranberry, forest floor and dried flower aromas and flavors. Fresh, lively, and pretty with bright acidity, drink this elegant wine anytime over the coming decade.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.