These wines are extremely limited
There’s only so much to spare of these wines as most of their case production is allocated to the current or upcoming Wine Club, so be sure to act fast.

We hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are enjoying the start to the Holiday season. We are happy to report that we just wrapped up a very successful (if incredibly long) 2023 growing season. Quality appears exceptionally high (more on that later).

With harvest over, we are excited to announce the release of our last two Pinot Noirs from the excellent 2021 vintage; long time Club favorites, the single vineyard Fiddlestix Pinot Noir and the topline Black Label Pinot Noir. These wines were both tremendously concentrated and exciting in 2021, and we expect great things from them as they age. Both wines will be in upcoming wine club shipments, but there is enough to offer a small amount to the rest of the world now.

Additionally, we do have a small amount of the 2021 Pinot Noirs from Bentrock, Sanford & Benedict and Radian. Mix and match and you can see and experience the various terroirs of the Sta. Rita Hills. Fascinating wines, each of them.

** NOTE TO WINE CLUB MEMBERS: The Fiddlestix Pinot Noir will be in the Winter Club Shipment (coming January 2024) and the Black Label will be in the Spring Club (April 2024). Additional bottles can be purchased/shipped now or combined with upcoming shipments (please note your preference on checkout in the Billing tab (Add a note about this order)). 

2021 Pinot Noir Black Label, Sta. Rita Hills

Here she is, our most dramatic Pinot Noir, the Black Label. The Black Label program was forged from a single barrel in 2010 that simply insisted that we create a cuvee of our most expressive Pinot Noirs from our favorite vineyards. Since then, this wine has gone on to become a Club favorite and to garner consistently high critical praise and even a 100 point score (from Jeb Dunnuck on 2019 version). We think the 2021, being a product of a long cool vintage is right up there with the 2019.

The 2021 Black Label is particularly interesting in that the blend consists of barrels from 6 of our Pinot Noir vineyards (7 different clones). The final blend is comprised of: Fiddlestix (40%), Radian (20%), Bentrock (20%), Sanford & Benedict (7%), Rancho La Vina (7%) and La Rinconada (6%). Additionally, the outstanding 2021 vintage permitted us to utilize more whole clusters in the various lots. The 2021 Black Label is 13% whole cluster as well.  Each of these characteristics increases complexity.

The 2021 Black Label was aged on its lees for 19 months in French oak barrels (40% new) and bottled unfiltered. We think it is remarkable expressive for such a dramatically scaled, well structured wine, and its silky texture and impeccable balance will yield a tremendous aging curve. Drink 2024-2036+.

The 2021 wine has not yet been rated, but the 2020 was 96+ points and the 2019 was 100 points Jeb Dunnuck.

Extremely Limited. Only 360 cases were made. This is a Spring Wine Club selection (April 2024), and therefore only a few cases remain for non-members.

2021 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

Our longest tenured single vineyard wine, the single vineyard Fiddlestix was first made in 2008 (though we bought grapes back in 2006 here as well). This venerable vineyard was planted by pioneering winemaker Kathy Joseph in 1998. Since then, it has gone on to become a stalwart member of the Sta Rita Hills appellation. Across the road from Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada and just below Sea Smoke and Rita’s Crown, Fiddlestix forms an integral part of what we like to call the tenderloin of the SRH. Others refer to this as the “goldilocks zone”, just close enough to the ocean to be cooled by wind and fog, but far enough away to obtain optimal ripeness. Recently Kathy sold the vineyard to a fantastic ownership group, and we have been able to retain (and in some cases expand) our holdings in various blocks. The future looks bright here.

A product of a cool, wonderful vintage the 2021 Fiddlestix grapes were picked across a long 9 day period under ideal circumstances. The grapes were then fermented with 23% whole clusters and the wine aged on its lees for 19 months in French oak barrels (27% new). Bottling was unfiltered.

We are thrilled with this wine, as think it has some of the best balance of fruit, acid and tannins of any Fiddlestix we have ever made. The wine has complexity from the whole clusters and the kiss of new oak, but remains medium bodied and texturally very smooth. This will drink well young but offer a substantial upside if aged.  Drink 2024-2034.

The 2021 wine has not yet been rated, but the 2020 was 96 points Antonio Galloni and James Suckling.

Very Limited. Only 500 cases were made. This is a Winter Wine Club selection (January  2024). Only a few cases remain for non-members.