2022 Fiddlestix Vineyards Pinot Noir

Medium ruby and translucent in color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard delivers mulled cherries, redcurrants, leafy herbs, gunflint, and scorched earth aromatics. Including 15% whole clusters, it’s gorgeous on the palate, with medium-bodied richness, a surprisingly structured, grippy mouthfeel, and beautiful balance leading to a great finish. It’s another straight-up brilliant effort from this team that has so much to love. Drink 2025-2035. Dragonette continues to fire on all cylinders, and this lineup showcases why they're one of Santa Barbara County's most complete producers. Brothers John and Steve Dragonette, along with Brandon Sparks-Gillis, work across multiple AVAs and varieties with remarkable consistency. The estate produces four Sauvignon Blancs from Happy Canyon, including an estate bottling and three single-vineyard wines from Vogelzang, Grassini, and Grimm's Bluff that are some of the few from California to rival great Bordeaux Blancs. They make four Chardonnays from Sta. Rita Hills, sourcing from Grand Cru-level sites like Radian, Rita's Crown, and Bentrock to produce pure, crisp, age-worthy wines. The Black Label Chardonnay brings together fruit from these top vineyards to showcase the best of what the vintage has to offer. The Pinot Noir program includes five wines highlighting Sta. Rita Hills’ best vineyards, with bottlings from Sanford & Benedict, Radian, Rita’s Crown, Bentrock, and Fiddlestix, plus an appellation blend. Like the Chardonnay, there’s a Black Label Pinot that blends across their top sites to capture the essence of the vintage. The Syrah program features three wines, including the estate Seven blend, single-vineyard Stolpman, and the flagship MJM, plus the new multi-vintage XX bottling that displays classic Northern Rhône style paired with ample California fruit. These are some of my favorite Syrahs from Santa Barbara County, year in and year out. There's not a weak link in this entire lineup, and while most drink beautifully on release, these wines consistently reward patience.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is a dark, brooding, powerful wine that leans into its base layer of inky red fruit and lavender/menthol herbaceousness. The 2022 is very young today, but it impresses for its weight, mid-palate density and chiseled feel.