Winemaker Notes
Deep maroon in color. Hints of cherry cola, dusty earth, blueberry and tar. Structured on the palate and fruit forward with hints of bramble.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium ruby-purple, the 2016 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard has an open nose of sliced blueberries, wild blackberries, cinnamon stick, mixed berry preserves and turned earth with hints of flowers and peppercorn. Medium-bodied and silky, it has a great core of intense black and blue fruits refreshed by juicy acidity and framed by firm, grainy tannins, finishing very long and very spicy.
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Wine Spectator
A firm, savory style, with good cut to the dried cherry, plum tart and dark currant flavors. Notes of dried thyme show on the finish, revealing dark chocolate accents. Drink now through 2023.
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.