Wine Review: Taz Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, Fiddlestix Vineyard 2003

Taz Vineyards 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir
This is a real fruit bomb, a very big Pinot! But, it does not blow up on the palatte, it holds together well. This is yummy. My "new scale" rating [Link] 92..

Winemakers Comments
In blending this 2003 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, we pulled together fruit from Santa Maria Valley and the Santa Rita Hills-two very different sites with contrasting signatures. The Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita gives dark fruits and brooding flavors, a concentrated and rich expression of Pinot Noir. The North CanyonVineyard in Santa Maria Valley delivers more delicate accents, with soft, pretty cinnamon and strawberry notes. When blended, you get a blackberry burst in the wine with cola spice and juicy jammy berry notes supported by a balancing act of tannins and structure. The resulting wine has breadth and an evenness we strive for with this tricky variety. -Natasha Boffman, Winemaker

Harvested September 2-18, 2003 Harvest Brix: 24.4-25.8 pH: 3.52 TA: 0.64g/100ml Alcohol 14.5% 100% Pinot Noir Clonal Selection: 115, 113, 667, 777, Pommard 4, Pommard 5.

Other Comments
A rich, intense burst of black cherry and juicy blackberry in the nose and mouth, this fleshy, intensely flavorful Pinot Noir is at once both lively and smooth as silk on the palate. This is a powerfully complex Pinot Noir that shows great structure and texture in its youth, and reflects why the Santa Rita Hills are so special for Pinot Noir.

And...
Ripe red cherries, hints of raspberry jam and a wee bit of herbs are washed over by a considerable wave of very sweet, vanilla-tinged oak in the nose. Not surprisingly, oak figures prominently in this wine's expressive flavors as well, but there are loads of sweet cherries at work once again, and the two themes of fruit and spice meld nicely together. There is just enough tannin to notice, but no more than the wine needs for a couple of years of comfortable keeping.(Connoisseurs Guide to California Wines)

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