Uncorked: Pinot noir gaining focus and approachability

John Sweazey thought he could get to like California. When he left north suburban Park Ridge for his first visit in 1963, he knew he’d return. When he did in 1974, it was for good.

In 2006, he would found Anaba Wines in Sonoma, and focus on wines driven by acidity that are easily paired with a wide variety of foods. That’s a fortunate trend that’s been going on across the state as pinot noir has shed some of the heftier, higher alcohol styles in recent years for a more focused and approachable style.

From the northern reaches of Anderson Valley to the southern sites in Santa Barbara, it’s a golden age for incredible California pinot noir.

“We want to make wines of finesse with limited extraction and fresh acidity,” Sweazey said. “Wine is our first goal, we want to get that right, and hospitality is second. We provide a number of venues at the winery that are attractive to people.”

The Anaba Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 ($48) had ripe strawberry and cherry notes that were sunny and cheerful. They’re the introduction to the wine. A little loamy earth swoops in on the finish on an acid-driven wine that’s fresh despite having so much ripe fruit flavors.

At Anaba, which is just 35 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, the Vintners House has bocce and pickleball courts, a seasonal menu with a wood-fired pizza oven, and a Saturday and Sunday brunch.

“Our best customer is one who has been here,” Sweazey said. “We built the courts for pickleball, and that has really taken off. Bocce and corn hole are fun for everyone. We’re still not quite finished because we are learning what people want in their outdoor spaces.”

Even though he’s a veteran winemaker, Ryan Hodgins is also still learning. He’s worked with the Savoy Vineyard in Anderson Valley since 2011, he’s been winemaker at FEL since 2009, and turns out one of the most complex and interesting pinot every year. The playful act that the fruit, earth and savory notes engage in throughout the drinking experience is always memorable and never the same.

The FEL Anderson Valley 2020 Pinot Noir ($48) has cranberry and pomegranate flavors that were well-concentrated, but, because it was layered with an iron-like minerality, there was an intensity in the wine that lifts the fruit to another level. The tannins frame the fruit well, and with the acid levels, it’s a wine to enjoy now, or to cellar and track its development for several years.

He’s taken a cue from a colleague at harvest time that has paid off. It’s better to be a bit early at harvest time when it comes to monitoring sugar levels in the fruit. Anderson Valley’s foggy mornings and cool days and even cooler nights mean the slow-ripening grapes are always going to be high in acid.

“I’d rather grab fruit at 22.5 Brix (the measure of sugar in the grape; he’s waited for 24 in the past) and still have freshness and purity of fruit than prune and dried-fruit flavors,” Hodgins said. “Jason Drew at Drew Family Cellars, one of my favorite winemakers, … compared harvest decisions to picking a rose. You can pick it at full bloom, and next day all the petals fall off, but if you pick it as a bud, you can watch it open with time. That resonated with me as a way to grab fruit a little earlier and let it open and develop over the wine’s life.”

As California’s weather trends drier and warmer, what was once an early harvest now seems to be the norm. In the drought years of 2004 and 2005, harvest would come in late September and carry on through October.

In 2014, harvest started in the middle of September, and, a year later, the middle of August.

“Spending time in the vineyards, you know when things need to move,” Hodgins said. “In the warmer vintages we’ve seen since 2014, when we get the heat, we are worried the sugar might move faster when the acid comes down. What we find is in warmer, earlier vintages, the wines have more freshness and are acid-driven.”

He’s super excited for the 2021 pinot to come online, and thinks 2022 could be more traditional due to a cold spring. Harvest might not start this year until the third week of September.

“It was an amazing vintage,” said Hodgins about 2021. “There were tiny berries and almost no fruit, the juice-skin ratios were way thrown off. We had the gentlest touch. The wine was on its skins 10 to 12 days, whereas in the past, we might wait 17 days. We fermented with cooler temperatures, and worked the cap less. It’s inky black for pinot with incredible concentration. It’s a case where we had to adapt to vintage, and know when it’s time to take your foot off the gas.”

TASTING NOTES

• Foxen Sta. Rita Hills Fe Ciega Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 ($70): Still tight when opened, give it some time, and it sheds its brooding nature to reveal very soft red fruit that still maintains a crunchy pomegranate note in the midpalate; there’s hints of sage and soy notes just peeking out on the finish.

• Sandhi Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2019 ($42): Plum, cracked black pepper, Earl Grey tea. Very savory.

• Kessler-Haak “Ohana” Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir ($48): All that’s captivating about pinot noir; red fruit, tea and loamy earth on the nose give way to dark fruit flavors, black cherry, a collection of baking spices, cigar wrapper and an acidity that lingers on the extra long finish. A showcase of the Sta. Rita Hills’ finest qualities.

• ROAR Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2020 ($48): An impressive foray into foreign territory for the Santa Lucia Highlands pinot house. Winemaker Scott Shapley captured the essence of Sta. Rita Hills’ pinot with this red fruit, earth, tobacco spice wine, with a lush mouthfeel and attention-grabbing tannins on the finish. It might be a one-off for Roar, but it’s super tasty.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.