Ortman Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Sta. Rita Hills Fiddlestix 2003

Winemaker's Notes:

Ships to: CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, IL, IA, MN, MO, NM, NV, NY, OR, TX, VA, WA, WV, and WI The Ortman Family Pinots are highly awarded wines. Not that the Ortman's care. If they did they'd be producing Pinot according to the currently fahionable formula - bigger, bolder, brawnier fruit extraction, higher alcohol, better as a cocktail than with food... You see, the problem with designing a wine to assure high ratings from certain influential critics is that wines from across the globe are becoming increasingly commoditized, tasting increasingly similar. Which is why it's such a pleasure to discover talented boutique producers like the Ortman's, winemakers careful enough to select well-tended grapes with a distinct personality, and confident enough to let the grapes determine the style of Pinot to be made. They interject their considerable winemaking skills sparingly, and only then to gently nudge the grapes into the best wine they can be. I think of producers like this as "grape coaches". Guaranteed Prestige! This wine is so rare and delightful that if you share it with a friend who already has a bottle of his/her own, we'll send you a free copy of the Sideways DVD! Just send your friend's proof of purchase to: Dave Chambers Wine Marketing Enterprises 5350 Fillmore Street, #183 San Francisco, CA 94123 The Winemakers: The father and son team of Chuck and Matt Ortman have came together in 2003, but leverages four decades of combined winemaking experience. Chuck abandoned a lucrative career in graphic arts to become a cellar rat for Heitz Vineyard in 1967. Since then his impressive portfolio of employers includes the likes of Far Niente, Shafer, Cain, St. Clement and his own label (now Meridan, sold in 1988 to Beringer). Today, Chuck enjoys the hands-on approach to winemaking that is only possible when the family calls the shots. He and his son Matt are advancing the Ortman family style of winemaking. As wine authority Dan Berger observed, "At an age when most winemakers consider retirement, Chuck Ortman launched Ortman Family Vineyards ... Matt didn't want the Ortman style of wine to die. And he was willing to change careers to see that it didn't." The Vineyards: Fiddlestix Vineyard resides in the heart of the Santa Rita Hills along a rocky alluvial bench above the Santa Ynez River. Though the Ortman's blended much of this fruit into their Santa Rita Hills Pinot, this single-vineyard pinot provides an exceptionally soft and well-integrated Pinot! The Wine: A deep purple robe. On the nose look for vanilla and well integrated oak spices balanced with bramble fruits and a touch of sage and a most pleasant earthiness. Ripe dark fruit flavors unfold on the palate. This wine exhibits a full, balanced finish.