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KATHY’S CORNER
The most admired wines reflect their
sense of place, their place of distinction,
the place that creates their unique and
unquestionable personality. At Fiddlehead,
my purpose was to find the place where
Pinot Noir was unmistakably Pinot Noir.
This release was made twelve years after
purchasing the ground that I believed
was indeed a very special place, the
place that now lies in the heart of what
achieved the AVA Sta. Rita Hills (in
2001), on Santa Rosa Road, at mile marker
7.28. That place is Fiddlestix Vineyard.
This wine purposefully bears its place
name, Seven Twenty Eight, to recognize
its “roots”, and to give
reason to its personality. The winemaking
respects this sense of place with traditional,
non-invasive and non-manipulative winemaking,
and with a commitment to creating expressive
wines that demand an extraordinary
vineyard. Its richness and yet restrained
expression
remind us of those historically exceptional
homes for Pinot Noir.
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notes
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THE ESTATE
VINEYARD and THE VINTAGE
• Located in the heart
of the Sta. Rita Hills on Santa Rosa Road,
Fiddlestix Vineyard is the confluence of
an exceptional growing environment that
meets the finicky demands of Pinot Noir.
On the north side of a tight east-west
running valley, fog hovers over our vines
until mid-morning. Then coastal afternoon
breezes blow through the Santa Rita Hills,
ensuring cool grapes over a lengthy day
of sunshine. Temperatures infrequently
rise above 75°. The soil is well-drained
clay loam loaded with chirt and Monterey
shale, specifically of the Gazos and Botella
soil series. Truly a Pinot Noir paradise!
 • 35 unique blocks of Pinot Noir,
across 100 acres first planted in 1998,
are meticulously farmed with sustainability
as the guiding force.
• A short crop in select blocks
due to a serious Spring frost mid-March
and early April and a heat spike flaring
mid-May followed by extreme wind, all of
which followed the previous 2007 vintage
beset by Winter frost. In spite of turbulent
weather patterns, timing of key phenology
events was “normal” with budbreak:
2nd – 3rd week of March; bloom: 3rd – 4th
week of May; veraison: 2nd week of August.
Night harvested September 11 – Oct
6, 2008 (almost identical to 2007).
THE WINE
• A
mixture of clones ensure diversity on the
palate. Included is a selection of six
clones: Pommard 4 and 5, and Dijon clones
667, 777, 113, and 115, each adding significant
layers to the palate as a reminder of the
intensity of place.
• Fermented in small open-top vats,
allowing 2 weeks of skin contact, and aged
16 months in our favorite selection of
tight-grain French oak (Rousseau, Bel Air,
Cadus, Saury, Seguin Moreau, Marcel Cadet).
Held a minimum of an additional two years
in bottle to allow the pinot charm to shine
in all its glory!
•“728” signature spice
of black cherry cola, star anise, black
pepper and dusty aromatics. Buttery mouth-coating
tannins dance on the palate and linger
with grace.
• 2,200 cases produced. |
