Native9, Ranchos Ontiveros Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2016

Overview of the Wine
“Native9 is the fulfillment of my own American story two centuries in the making. Tracing my roots back to the first men and women who settled in the Santa Maria Valley, I worked for hourly wages along with my parents to buy a small plot of land our ancestors’ 8,900-acre Mexican land grant: a modest cattle ranch where I planted my 8-acre vineyard and a panoramic view of the land that had once been our own. Planted in 1997 by my own two hands with the help of friends and family while I attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard is now considered one of the finest sites for Pinot Noir in California. As a natural extension of my deeply personal vision for this vineyard, Native9 is made in small lots with a nod to both Old World sensibilities and New World stylistic freedom with the help of my longtime friend and vetted winemaker, Paul Wilkins.

Though I wasn’t born into the wine industry by traditional means, I have vine-growing and farming in my blood. The name Native 9 reflects my gratitude to the generations of California farmers and ranchers who came before me."

James Ontiveros, Viticulturalist & Owner, Native9

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Grape / Blend
Pinot Noir

Origin
Santa Maria Valley, Central Coast, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Following his grandfather’s arrival to California in 1781, Juan Pacifico Ontiveros took ownership of the Rancho Tepusquet Land Grant at the crossing of the Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. Here, with his wife Martina, he built a life and a family, yet over the next several generations, the land was sold off in pieces. Now, our story continues at Rancho Viñedo Vineyard, part of the original Ranchos de Ontiveros land, and brings our family’s legacy full circle—back to where it began.

94 Points - P.J. C.
Winemaker Justin Willett replaced Paul Wilkins at Native9 in the end of 2015. His first vintage retains some of the savor found in the early wines, though it's brighter at the core, with a strawberry note beneath and behind the scent of tobacco leaf and mushrooms. Savory, lean and slightly woodsy, this is dry and a touch astringent. Decant it to drink with game.

Product size: 750ml