Pinot Noir, Bodega Ridge Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Occidental Wines

Note:

The 2019 Pinot Noir Bodega Ridge Vineyard is a brand-new single-vineyard cuvée from Occidental. It comes from the Bodega Ridge property, where Steve Kistler began developing 65 acres of Pinot Noir in 2012. The first single-vineyard cuvée from this property was the 2016 Running Fence Vineyard. The Bodega Ridge comes from 25 acres at the top of the property, planted mainly on southwest-facing slopes behind the tasting room, overlooking the Running Fence Vineyard. Medium ruby-purple in color, it offers a broodier expression than the red-fruited Running Fence, with scents of blue and blackberry jam, fir needles, seaweed, salted licorice and soaring violet—a set of aromas that Catherine Kistler aptly calls “ultraviolet blue.” The medium-bodied palate has an abundance of finely grained tannins and excellent concentration without losing its purity and detail, and it boasts a tremendously energetic, lengthy finish. It`s an incredible first iteration that will develop savory complexity over the next decade or more in bottle. As the vines mature, Steve hopes to be able to make about 1,000 cases a year. Erin Brooks