Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir is bright and cheery with aromas and flavors of lifted red berry fruits, red plums and Bing cherry, alongside notes of ripe nectarine and golden peach. Layers of sweet baking spice notes come through from the well-integrated oak, with nuances of cinnamon and clove, all framed by a lithe texture with vibrant acidity, great balance and a lengthy mouthwatering finish. This Pinot has substance and complexity, making it very appealing to drink now, and also promises much more to come.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2018 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix is rich, deep and so expressive. Dark red cherry, red plum, pipe tobacco, spice and lavender infuse the 2018 with striking depth. Low yields give the 2018 a bit more body and creaminess than I remember seeing in the past, along with more fruit depth and fewer of the wilder/gamier qualities that can be distracting. This is one of the best Fiddlestix Pinots I have tasted from Etude.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from Sta. Rita Hills, the 2018 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard was aged for 12 months in French oak, 25% new. Medium ruby-puepl colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal elegant notions of tilled soil, underbrush and wild mushrooms over a core of kirsch, wild strawberries and thyme. The medium-bodied palate delivers refreshing herb-laced red berry flavors with a light chewiness to the texture and a fragrant finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Zesty raspberry aromas meet with wet wood and a light touch of licorice on the nose of this single-vineyard expression. The palate combines dried herbs with soft cranberry and mulberry flavors.
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.