Description / Reviews
// Planted in 2010, organic and biodynamic methods, but is not certified. Aged for 14–17 months in 20–25% new French oak on the lees with no racking.
"Garnet with some purple highlights. Smells of black cherry and ripe raspberries. Bright and juicy flavours of cherry and raspberry fruit are shot through with orange peel and orange oil as vibrant acidity makes the mouth water. Beautifully gauzy tannins stiffen a little with time as a deep stony character emerges in the finish, along with orange peel and flowers and the faintest hint of something savoury and salty. Expansive and stunning. Truly exceptional." - 18+/20, Alder Yarrow, Jancis Robinson
"One of the highlights of this range, the 2023 Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard Block E is dense and quite powerful but also tightly wound. The 2023 delivers all the fruit density typical of this site, but it needs a few years in bottle to be at its most expressive. Dark red/purplish fruit, new leather, cedar, mint and blood orange build through the mid-palate and into the deep, resonant close." - 97 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
"
Wendling Vineyard is located in the “Deep End”, the coolest section of Anderson Valley, and, is really not in the valley at all. It is the most northwesterly vineyard in the AVA and the closest proximity to the Pacific coast. In 2009, one of the finest growers in Anderson Valley, Paul Ardzrooni, approached us about this site which was open pasture. With Paul, we directed a soils study on the entire 20-acre piece. Because of our contributions, we were offered the first choice of parcels on the property and ultimately decided on a very steeply sloped, dramatic block which faces due south. We chose over 14 rootstock and clonal combinations for our parcel, with most of the budwood coming from our own vineyards. In 2016, we added the “Block E” designation to the label to highlight its exceptional quality. This vineyard has been farmed biodynamically with extraordinary care from the very beginning." - Littorai, Winemaker
