Etude 'Fiddlestix Vineyard' Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Winery Notes
Sta. Rita Hills is home to some of Santa Barbara’s best-known Pinot Noirs and occupies the western portion of Santa Ynez Valley between Buellton and Lompoc. The region’s east-to-west orientation, extreme proximity to the Pacific Ocean and ancient marine bed soils are perfect for world class Pinot Noir.

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Tasting Notes
This Pinot Noir is bright and cheery with aromas and flavors of lifted red berry fruits, red plums and Bing cherry, alongside notes of ripe nectarine and golden peach. Layers of sweet baking spice notes come through from the well-integrated oak, with nuances of cinnamon and clove, all framed by a lithe texture with vibrant acidity, great balance and a lengthy mouthwatering finish. This Pinot has substance and complexity, making it very appealing to drink now, and also promises much more to come.

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Vintage Notes
A near perfect season was very much welcomed after several tense vintages. What may be considered a ‘classic’ vintage, the wines from 2018 show tremendous intensity and complexity. Santa Barbara County provided a mild to warm summer, with a cooler autumn, allowing the grapes to remain on the vine until they reached ideal maturity. While the quality of the grapes was phenomenal, our overall yields were down slightly due to smaller berry size and clusters. The fruit was harvested in late September, yielding wines with beautifully balanced acidity, exceptional weight and texture, and complex varietal flavors.

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Vineyard Notes
The vineyard lies a few miles inland alongside the Santa Ynez River bench at the western end of the transverse-oriented Santa Ynez Valley. Fiddlestix receives a consistent marine influence from Pacific currents, but sits low enough against the hills to achieve some protection from the area’s strong afternoon winds. Exposure to coastal breezes and fog ensures cooling influences throughout extended sunny days, which helps to add depth and vibrancy to the fruit. Temperatures are rarely above the mid 70’s. In 35 small blocks on 96 acres, a variety of rootstocks and clones are planted in well-draining Gazos and Batella clay loam and calcareous marine shale providing complexity and diversity to the vineyard. Nearby are some of California’s most famed and historic Pinot Noir vineyards.

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Winemaking Notes
The grapes for this wine were harvested at night to preserve freshness and integrity. They were placed in open-top fermenters for 3-5 days of cold maceration followed by fermentation. A small percentage of the grapes were left as whole cluster to preserve the buoyancy of aromatics of the fruit and to add structure and refinement to the wine. Punch downs were performed during the early stages of fermentation with the extraction becoming gentler as the wine became dry, and followed with a quiet extended maceration to help modify the richness and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was lightly pressed into small French oak barrels where it rested for 12 months.