2010 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Tina Marie Vineyard

Anthill’s 2010 Pinot Noir Tina Marie Vineyard shows the exuberance and flash of Russian River. A juicy Pinot, the 2010 stands out for its pliancy and generosity. The up-front style makes the Tina Marie a pure pleasure to drink young, although it doesn’t quite have the pedigree or complexity of the Campbell Ranch. No matter, though, it is striking just the same. A burst of sublime, perfumed fruit graces the finish in this exquisite Pinot. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. This is another set of gorgeous wines from Anthill Farms. Proprietor Anthony Filiberti comments that 2010 was a challenging growing season. A cold, wet spring resulted in an irregular flowering, which lowered yields and left the plants with grapes and clusters in varying stages of development. The only way to achieve full ripeness was to sacrifice the fruit that lagged in maturity, which reduced yields even further. These sacrifices paid off, however, and as a result, Anthill Farms produced a fabulous set of wines. Filiberti typically uses 40-50% stems and prefers low amounts of new oak. These are some of the most transparent, graceful Pinots being made in California today. Pricing remains quite fair within the context of top-echelon California Pinot. Tel. (707) 385-9396

(12.6% alcohol): Bright red. High-pitched aromas of blackberry and cherry, with complicating notes of potpourri, spicecake and smoky minerals. Tight and energetic, offering a silky texture, intense red and dark fruit flavors, and a subtle lavender pastille quality. Gains flesh and heft with air but with no loss of vivacity or focus. Fine-grained tannins add shape to the spicy, penetrating, very long finish.