The 2022 Wildcat Mountain Pinot Noir displays an opulent color density and alluring aromas of sweet plum and rich, ripe boysenberry, underscored by notes of roasted coffee and toasty oak. On the entry, it is powerful and expressive, with flowing tannins and robust flavors of blackberry, black cherry, bramble, and black tea that dance across the palate. As it opens, the barrel toast emerges adding complexity and length to a finish that is both supple and strong.
The fruit was gently destemmed into small open-top fermenters, using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to avoid any pumping of the must. A three-day cold soak with daily pump-overs allowed us to extract color and tannin prior to fermentation. We then inoculated with select yeast strains that slowly build heat to produce aromatic compounds. In order to capture those compounds the fermentations were kept at cool temperatures. Wines were pressed off skins after a minimum fermentation of 14 days before being aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, with 33% new oak and 29% one-year-old. The Pinot Noir from Arrow Block provides lush tannins and lively fruit aromatics, while the wind-exposed Saddle Block contributes dense color and a long finish. We bottled the wine on July 31st, 2023.
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.
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