Somewhat vultured this off a resty list today who was selling off their reserve bottles. I’ve always loved these wines, they’re kinda understated little affairs, but brimming with Santa Rita Hills expression. Simple label and focus, not terribly priced, a little tragedy in their story we won’t go into, and when I saw this 11 on the list I couldn’t resist.
Not-crystal-clear garnet, even color throughout, with your classic pinot-orange glow at the rim. Meaty and dense on initial, with air took on a far more chocolatey nuance, and after an hour, calmed down into pure rich ripe pinot with clean barnyard. There’s a briar in the nose telling of green-ness to come, and the fruit–while obviously tertiarily-affected–is a robust, rustic black cherry, laced with HdP and velvety dust. There’s a really muddy smell to it also: black boggy mud, freshly tilled–but very wet–loam.
In the mouth–again–things shape-shifted with time. Initially fresh-fading fruit and a wallop of green structure suggesting imbalance or fatigue, it calms down with some time to a situation where the fruit does not grow, but the bitter harshness of the middle and finish decrease to balanced levels. Clean, cool and thin, it packs flinty shards into every pore, acid a vibrant beast and tannin swelteringly available, but not over-powering the sweet, gorgeous berry and Burgundian funk.
Lots of these great wines–even in back vintages–available on the website. I’m a big fan, and you owe it to yourself to check them out.
2011 BONACCORSI Pinot noir Fiddlestix Vyd Santa Rita Hills Santa Barbara Co. 13.9
Stephen McConnell 