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95 POINTS
  • A bottle of Etude Forte Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills
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2022 Forte Pinot Noir

2022 Forte Pinot Noir

Sta Rita Hills750ml 0.147
$70.00
$70.00

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Specifications

  • Vintage: 2022
  • Region: California
  • Appelation: Sta Rita Hills
  • ABV: 0.147
  • Varietal: Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes

This wine features a vibrant ruby color with a delicate hue of sapphire. The nose offers enticing aromas of blue fruit, marionberry, olallieberry, and dark red cherry. On the palate, these flavors are echoed and complemented by earthy notes of forest floor and minerality, robed in rich fruit. This wine is marked by its linear acidity and well-defined tannins, delivering a structured and captivating finish.

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Expert reviews

95 POINTS

“Perfumed and lifted aromas of raspberries, cassia bark, graphite and cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with plush tannins and a generous mouthfeel, giving flavors of strawberries, blueberries, river stones and dried herbs. A serious pinot with underlying tension and elegance. Drink or hold.” - JamesSuckling.com, January 2025

92 POINTS

“A generous version, with a mix of mulberry, blackberry and boysenberry compote notes that bring nice definition and focus, even with the slightly soft, forward structure of the vintage. Lightly singed anise and black tea infuse the finish, with the fruit lingering steadily. Drink now through 2028.” – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, March 3, 2025

Winemaker Jon Priest walking between rows of grapevines in a vineyard.

Fiddlestix Vineyard

In the heart of Sta. Rita Hills, Fiddlestix Vineyard was deliberately planted for Pinot Noir and the alluring varietal remains not only the vineyard’s, but the appellation’s “forte”. Comprised of the finest blocks of the vintage, Etude Forté is a limited bottling that best exemplifies the characteristics of Fiddlestix Vineyard: dense concentration of fruit flavors, natural balance, and vibrant acidity.

Winemaker Jon Priest holding up harvested grapes near stainless steel fermentation tanks.

Crafted Excellence

Winemaking

The grapes for this wine were harvested at night to preserve freshness and integrity. They were placed in open-top fermenters for 3-5 days of cold maceration followed by fermentation. A small percentage of the grapes were left as whole cluster to preserve the buoyancy of aromatics of the fruit and to add structure and refinement to the wine. Punch downs were performed during the early stages of fermentation with the extraction becoming gentler as the wine became dry and followed with a quiet extended maceration to help modify the richness and mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was lightly pressed into small French oak barrels where it rested for 14 months.