2021 Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
A ripe ruby red color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Ridge Vineyard comes from a parcel that sits atop the property’s highest ridge, overlooking the Running Fence Vineyard and the winery. The wine is electric with bright red cherries, blood orange peel, spices, cranberries, and bright spice. Medium-bodied, with compact intensity and ripe, chiseled tannins juxtaposed with citrus-noted lift, it’s chiseled and long, with great definition. It offers a great, persistent mineral texture and refinement. Drink 2026-2046. The estate of Steve Kistler and his family in the Bodega Headlands, Occidental is exclusively devoted to producing coastally influenced Pinot Noir, and they are members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association. Kistler was initially drawn to the area after tasting a bottling of Summa Vineyard that expressed a vivid and more cool climate style. Although Occidental was officially founded in 2011, Steve has been planting vineyards and purchasing property in the area since the 1990s and has retained his original cellar team for the past 30 years. His daughter, Catherine Kistler, has been the assistant winemaker since 2017. Each of the wines tasted for this report are their vineyard-designated selections, which are held back an initial year prior to release. I was highly anticipating this tasting, as the quality of the 2021 Freestone-Occidental tasted last year far exceeded my expectations, and this year’s visit did not disappoint. I would be thrilled to have any of these wines in my cellar.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Ridge Vineyard is a wine of pure and total sensuality. Dark red/purplish fruit, orange peel, cinnamon, new leather, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco give the 2021 striking aromatic presence to play off its mid-weight personality. The 2021 Bodega Ridge is all class, but it is the most reticent of the wines today. It manages to bring together all the elements that define these wines, namely serious fruit concentration, backed by vertical, explosive structure. (AG) 98+
The 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Ridge Vineyard is tightly coiled to begin, slowly unfurling pure aromas of raspberry and pomegranate, shiitake mushrooms, iodine, pipe tobacco, licorice and tremendous floral perfume. The light-bodied palate is more open at this youthful stage, bursting with expressive red fruit. It's structurally seamless, its powerful, velvety tannins balanced by focused acidity that drives the wine forward, and it has a very long finish with a kaleidoscopic array of spicy accents. It gained weight and nuance for several days after the bottle was opened and will be long lived in the cellar.
About the producer
Steve Kistler is a man who needs little introduction. He founded, and – for almost 40 years – made the wines at, Kistler. Since leaving his eponymous estate in 2017, Kistler has been focused exclusively on Occidental, his new, family winery on the outer edges of the Sonoma Coast.