Winemaker Notes
Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir always shows a sense of elegance balanced with vibrant energy. This vintage makes a statement, quite bold in assertive flavors of black cherry and plum, wild raspberries and aromas of boysenberry. White pepper and oak spice are evident, accented by floral hints of violets, roses and lavender. Mid-weight and medium bodied, the wine is well integrated and balanced. As is common with Fiddlestix, a sense of minerality from the calcareous vineyard soils lingers in the finish, with fine grained tannins completing the picture. Distinctive and lovely, another memorable wine from this exceptional vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I like the blue-fruit, cream, chocolate and citrus-fruit character to this. It’s medium-to full-bodied. Creamy tannins and a delicious finish. This is always very satisfying.
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Wine Enthusiast
A richer style, this bottling begins with black cherry, clove, star anise and opulent strawberry aromas on the nose. There's a chalky grip of sandy tannins on the young palate, which is ripe, with cherry sauce and white-pepper flavors yet cut by ample acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard rolls seductively out of the glass with notions of black cherries, mulberries and black raspberries plus touches of chocolate box, wild sage and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers bags of red and black berry goodness with a pleasant chewiness to the texture and seamless freshness, finishing with some earthy suggestions coming through.
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.