2023 Tyler Fiddlestix Pinot Noir Sta Rita Hills

Justin Willett didn't just buy grapes from Fiddlestix. In 2021 he bought the vineyard.

That changes things. Fiddlestix sits on Santa Rosa Road, directly across the street from Sanford & Benedict — the site that essentially drew the Sta. Rita Hills map. Gazos and Botella clay loam underneath, laced with chert and Monterey shale. Cold Pacific air pushing through the valley all day long. Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars planted it and made it famous. Willett farms it as estate fruit now, and it's the first block he picks every harvest.

He's been doing this since 2005, back when Tyler was eight barrels borrowed in the corner of someone else's cellar. The house method hasn't changed much: native yeast, open-top fermentation, partial whole cluster, a deliberately light hand with new oak. Nothing gets pushed.

Which is what makes this bottling the interesting one in the range. It's 100% Pinot Noir, but it's built on graphite and cola rather than the high-toned red fruit that leads the other cuvées. Bigger than anything else he makes from the grape. And it still doesn't shout.

If you think California Pinot has to pick between power and precision — open this one and report back.