2018 Wendling Vineyard Pinot Noir

The 2018 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E has intense, youthful aromas of pomegranate, blood orange, mixed tea leaves, wildflowers, mushrooms and earth. The medium-bodied palate offers powerful flavors framed by grainy tannins and bright acidity, and it has a long, iron-laced finish. It will continue to gain savory complexity in bottle over the next 10+ years.

Sits at 335–500 ft of elevation on a south-facing slope nine miles from the Pacific Ocean near the hamlet of Navarro in the 'Deep End' of the Anderson Valley on Bearwallow–Wolfey complex: red-to-brown well-drained, shallow sandy loam, sandstone and shales with only 6–12 in of topsoil. This is the most north-westerly vineyard in the AVA. Planted in 2010, this site is farmed using organic and biodynamic methods, but is not certified. Free-run juice from a combination of destemmed fruit and roughly 30% whole clusters ferments with ambient yeasts in a combination of steel and wood, utilising both punchdowns and pumpovers, with the wines pressed at dryness. Aged for 14–17 months in 20–25% new French oak on the lees with no racking. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 668 cases produced. Smells of raspberry and black cherry, dried herbs and a touch of earth. Powdery tannins coat the mouth and flex their muscles slightly as wonderfully bright flavours of raspberry and cherry mix with dried herbs and dried flowers. The acidity drives a bright sour-cherry note through the darker fruit, and the athletic tannins support a long finish. Delicious. (AY)

The 2018 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E shows all of the fruit intensity that is so typical of this site, with an extra kick of both acid and tannic clout than has been the case in the past. Perhaps that is the 33% whole clusters, the most since this wine was first made in 2015. The 2018 is going to be fascinating to watch, as it is captivating. Moreover, all the wines I have tasted from Wendling so far have been deeply intriguing.