2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" - Wine of the Day

2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

$43

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There’s a reason Ryan started with this vineyard when he made his very first wine. Fiddlestix just seems to deliver something special every single year. Welcome to this year’s installment! On the nose there’s just-ripe strawberry, wild cherries jubilee, anisette, dark roses, cigar box and just a touch of leather. On the palette, the strawberries and wild cherries remain, joined by ripe currant, candied raspberry, caramelized vanilla, and crushed flowers. This is a lighter-bodied wine than the past couple vintages, but is still quite rich with a round, smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel that envelopes your palette which yields to a cascade of sparkling acid. The finish just seems to...well...never finish.

2012 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" - Wine of the Day

2012 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

$43

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Sourced from the same incredible vineyard as my previous wines, the 2012 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir is all Sta. Rita Hills. The nose features a rich combination of black cherries, fresh raspberries, wet forest, anisette and rose garden. The medium-bodied mouthfeel is firm, rich and round, reminding me of the texture of liquidized sour hard candy. On the palette, rich tones of sour dark cherries, red berries and plum mix with flourishes of sweet lemon rind, rhubarb pie, eastern spices and jasmine tea. The generous acid at the end carries a finish that goes on and on. This is a powerful wine that will improve with cellar age. If you just can't wait, decanting is recommended.

2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard" - Wine of the Day

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2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills "Fiddlestix Vineyard"

$43

---

There’s a reason I started with this vineyard when I made my very first wine. Fiddlestix just seems to deliver something special every single year. Welcome to this year’s installment! On the nose there’s just-ripe strawberry, wild cherries jubilee, anisette, dark roses, cigar box and just a touch of leather. On the palette, the strawberries and wild cherries remain, joined by ripe currant, candied raspberry, caramelized vanilla, and crushed flowers. This is a lighter-bodied wine than the past couple vintages, but is still quite rich with a round, smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel that envelopes your palette which yields to a cascade of sparkling acid. The finish just seems to...well...never finish.