2020 FEL Pinot Noir, Wendling Vineyard
available
Wendling Vineyard has been known to produce a wine with great weight and power without any help from winemaking. It has a darkness all its own, and we typically try to simply hang on for dear life and make sure that the wine’s elegance stays front and center. The aromatics are full and spicy – cherry, molasses, and ginger. The palate is fleshy, with persimmon and plum, held up by its signature structure that will be polished and refined by each passing year in bottle.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2020
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Anderson Valley
Bottling Date
March 2022
Alcohol %
14
Wine Enthusiast
94
Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
Wendling Vineyard is owned and farmed by Paul Ardzrooni, whose vineyard management company farms many of the most acclaimed vineyards in Anderson Valley including the Savoy Vineyard. Located in the deepest end of the “Deep End,” Wendling is the last vineyard before the valley closes and the Navarro River meanders a last few miles to the Mendocino Coast. Perched on a steep east facing hillside that protects the vines from the relentless cooling of the ocean’s onshore. Wendling is a meticulously farmed vineyard and produces wines of great depth and concentration. This wine is made of a blend of clones including several Dijon selections, Pommard, and a Selection Massale of cuttings recently brought over from Burgundy.
Production Notes
The fruit was harvested on September 7th at 24.5 Brix. It then went through a five-day cold soak at 50°F, a seven-day primary fermentation, peaking at 90°F, and was pressed at dryness. The wine was aged sixteen months in 60-gallon French oak barrels, none of which were new. This vintage marks a transition away from the use of new barrels on our vineyard-designated wines, which we hope will lend greater focus on the terroir of the sites we love.
Winemaker Notes
Wendling Vineyard has been known to produce a wine with great weight and power without any help from winemaking. It has a darkness all its own, and we typically try to simply hang on for dear life and make sure that the wine’s elegance stays front and center. The aromatics are full and spicy – cherry, molasses, and ginger. The palate is fleshy, with persimmon and plum, held up by its signature structure that will be polished and refined by each passing year in bottle.