2022 Wildcat Mountain

91 Points: James Suckling JamesSuckling.com - October 24, 2024

“It's a nervy, red-fruited, tangy wine with mouthwatering acidity and vivid herbal accents. Distinctive pine, rosemary and sage aromas lead to red cherry, cranberry and black tea flavors. A light to medium body. Drink now or hold.”

The 2022 vintage was impacted by a third consecutive year of drought that resulted in a reduction in yields from 10-30%. The growing season was temperate, which in grape growing means we were on track, or ahead of normal growth. Then we saw some heat spikes that prompted our first picks. 2022 was a year for vintage-to-vintage variation and differentiation between vineyards. The grapes for this wine came from two prized blocks: Arrow Block and Saddle Block. Both were planted to Clone 667, in 2000 and 1998 respectively, and both were harvested on August 23rd, 2022.

The grapes for this Pinot Noir came exclusively from our Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, owned by Steve MacRostie and his partners Nancy and Tony Lilly. On Wildcat Mountain, the vines dig into the sparse volcanic soil and stand firm against the strong winds that race in off of the Pacific Ocean most afternoons. This fog-shrouded mountaintop vineyard is a classic Sonoma Coast site—cool and challenging—and produces wines of great distinction.

• composition:

  100% Pinot Noir

• alcohol: 13.3%
• cases made:

  553 Cases

• bottling date: 07/31/2023
• aging:

  Aged 10 months in French oak, 33% new oak and 29% one-year-old

• fermentation:

  Gently desteemed into open-top fermenters; three day cold soak; cap management included pump-overs & punch-downs