2022 Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvee Elizabeth is a bright ruby color, and the nose is ripe and expressively perfumed, spiced with black raspberries, cardamom, dark stones, and pine. The palate is medium-framed, with a ripe but compact feel, snappy and crisp, refined tannins, lifted acidity, and an attractive salty spice on the finish. It offers fantastic intensity as well as compact depth and complexity. It’s fabulous all around. Drink: 2026-2040. This wine comes from the second vineyard that Steve Kistler planted out here in 2000. The estate of Steve Kistler and his family in the Bodega Headlands, Occidental is exclusively devoted to producing coastally influenced Pinot Noir, and they are members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association. Kistler was initially drawn to the area after tasting a bottling of Summa Vineyard that expressed a vivid and more cool climate style. Although Occidental was officially founded in 2011, Steve has been planting vineyards and purchasing property in the area since the 1990s and has retained his original cellar team for the past 30 years. His daughter, Catherine Kistler, has been the assistant winemaker since 2017. Each of the wines tasted for this report are their vineyard-designated selections, which are held back an additional year prior to release.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
More reviews and scores
Very polished and luxurious, with a hint of boudoir perfume. (JR)
Silky, aromatic and light on its feet, the 2022 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is a wine of exquisite finesse and understated beauty. Bright acids lift a core of gentle red/purplish fruit in this classy, polished Pinot from Occidental. All the elements are so well balanced.
The 2022 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is deep and heady on the nose. Youthful pomegranate and rhubarb give way to cinnamon, red licorice, hibiscus and rooibos tea, plus the complex woodsy and spicy undertones characteristic of the Occidental wines. The palate offers concentration without weight, flooding the mouth with waves of crunchy, saline-laced red fruit. It’s structured by lacy tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents. It will benefit from several years in the cellar.
About the producer
Steve Kistler is a man who needs little introduction. He founded, and – for almost 40 years – made the wines at, Kistler. Since leaving his eponymous estate in 2017, Kistler has been focused exclusively on Occidental, his new, family winery on the outer edges of the Sonoma Coast.