2018 Wildcat Mountain

94 Points: Meridith May The Tasting Panel - August 2021

“Wildcat Mountain Vineyard is owned by Steve MacRostieand his partners Nancy and Tony Lilly. Its volcanic soils, strong maritime winds, and coastal fog contribute to the distinctive character of this lushly layered red, which opens with inspiring notes of cinnamon roll and cherry pie. A more complex mid-palate unfolds with jasmine, frankincense, and other exotic floral notes, leaving a trace of lavender and plum on the finish.”

93 Points: Jeb Dunnuck JebDunnuck.com - May 2020

“More complex notes of mulberries, black raspberries, forest floor, bouquet garni, and spice emerge from the 2018 Pinot Noir Wildcat Mountain. Beautifully textured and medium-bodied, with a great mid-palate and silky tannins, it's unquestionably an outstanding effort and should easily drink well for 4-6 years or more.”

90 Points: Virginie Boone Wine Enthusiast - February/March 2021

“Reductive in thick, dark fruit—a mélange of concentrated cherry and plum—this wine has supple texture and elongated tannins. The oak is well integrated and provides additional highlights of vanilla and baking spice.”

Because the 2018 growing season was one of naturally high yields, we worked closely with our grower partners to thin the fruit in order to bring each vineyard into ideal balance. In general, 2018 was a late harvest, and the clusters ripened slowly. The grapes for our Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir came from two different blocks: Arrow Block and Saddle Block. Both are planted to Clone 667 but were planted in different years, 2000 and 1998, respectively. All of the grapes were hand-harvested in the cool early morning on September 24th, 2018.

The grapes for this Pinot Noir came exclusively from our Wildcat Mountain Vineyard, owned by Steve MacRostieand 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: 14.1%
• cases made:

  790 Cases

• bottling date: 08/07/2019
• aging:

  Aged 10 months in French oak, 19% new oak and 38% one-year-old

• fermentation:

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