Dragonette Cellars, Fiddlestix Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine
Brothers John and Steve Dragonette and close friend Brandon Sparks-Gillis founded Dragonette Cellars in 2005 after having worked together at a renowned wine shop in Los Angeles. Their shared passion for great wine brought them to wild, windy and remote northern Santa Barbara County where they spent the next several years seeking out extraordinary, cool-climate vineyards and dedicating themselves to careful, patient, minimalist winemaking.

As vignerons, they have committed themselves, above all else, to the mindful farming of precise blocks in exceptional vineyards for low yields and high quality and to the shepherding of these grapes into wines of purity, complexity and balance. Given the remarkable climatic and soil diversity in Santa Barbara County, Dragonette Cellars produces small lots of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah of interest and distinction.

Grape / Blend
100% Pinot Noir

Origin
Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A product of a cool, wonderful vintage the 2021 Fiddlestix grapes were picked across a long 9 day period under ideal circumstances. The grapes were then fermented with 23% whole clusters and the wine aged on its lees for 19 months in French oak barrels (27% new). Bottling was unfiltered.

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Very intense and attention-grabbing aromas of dark strawberry, scarlet red roses and cinnamon draw the nose deeply into this bottling. The palate is fairly heavy in mouthfeel yet very grippy in texture, giving balanced depth to the rich black plum and boysenberry flavors.

95 Points - Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is a dense, brooding wine. Dark fruit, leather, incense mocha and gravel infuse the 2021 with tons of textural depth. Longer time in barrel vis-à-vis the other Pinots (19 months versus 15-16) further amplifies those signatures. Readers should expect a potent, dense Pinot built on serious textural depth.

Product size: 750ml