2021 Pinot Noir, Wine of Wisdom
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Join NowNorm created this tasty blend to celebrate our 25 years of Flying Goat Cellars. Medium garnet color with typical Santa Maria darkness. Enjoy the nose: oaky with fresh leather, cherry, raspberry, and a dusty herbaceousness. It’s a perfect blend of Sta. Rita Hills elegance with the power of the Santa Maria Valley. Moving across the palate in an ever-changing cascade are leather, red cherries, lingering fruit and dried tangerine peel. A sultry wine that slides across the palate like Rihanna in haute couture. Pair with smoked BBQ ribs or pork belly, cheese fondue, or a rich cream based pasta dish. For dessert, try Black Forest Torte, Orange Olive Oil Cake or warm dark chocolate chip sea salt cookies! No aging required and will hold 5 years easily in the cellar if you can wait that long. But why would you? Clones 2A, 667 and 777; 139 cases produced.
Specifications
- Acidity .72g/100ml
- Appellation Sta. Rita Hills
- Bottling Date May 12, 2022
- Country USA
- Fruit Pinot Noir Clone 2A
- Harvest Date September 21, 2020
- ph 3.69
- Region Santa Barbara County
- Residual sugar 23.9%
- Type Still
- Varietal Pinot Noir
- Vineyard Rio Vista Vineyard & Allan Hancock College Vineyard
- Vintage 2021
- Winemaker Norm Yost
Awards
Wine Enthusiast - 90 points
"Slightly rustic and gamy on the nose, this bottling offers dried cherry, light herb and tree bark aromas. The palate is a bit tart and wild, with sagebrush and sour cherry flavors."
--Matt Kettman
Food Pairing
Pair with rosemary lamb chops, eggplant parmesan, La Botte’s cioppino, tri-tip or pralines.
Production Notes
Clone Pinot Noir 2A; cases produced
Tasting Notes
“Legs” are considered irrelevant in Pinot Noir but it’s worth noting that this wine shows legs like Janet Leigh or a high kicking gal on Madison Avenue. The ruby red color brings to mind the original ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which just sold for $28 million at auction. The nose reveals red plum, red currant, rose petal, black dried earth and worn leather. Savor ripe pomegranate and mushroom on the palate.
Vineyard Notes
The Rio Vista Vineyard, appropriately named as it overlooks the Santa Ynez River, is the eastern gateway to Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Although slightly warmer during the growing season than vineyards further to the west, Rio Vista is also temepered by the marine environment of the near by Pacific Ocean.
Winemaker Notes
Rio Vista Clone 2A grapes were added to the Flying Goat portfolio in 2004, and the first 2A “clonal” bottling debuted the following year. Clone 2A is one of the Wadenswil selection, a group of Pinot Noir clones imported from Switzerland in the 1950’s. Many like to use it as a “blender” as it tends to add red fruit, spice and nuances like violets and blueberries to a wine, without affecting density or tannin structure. With the cool climate of the Sta. Rita Hills, we believe that 2A can easily stand on its own! The grapes were hand harvested and delivered early in the day while still cool and firm. Gently de-stemmed and placed into small open top bins, the grapes were made into wine and then placed into French oak barrels. We’ve
enjoyed watched our 2A clone wine evolve from a shy teenager to a diva over the past 20 years. At this stage, we think she’s settled into a married life with a Tiffany diamond ring on her finger.