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At this point, the Occidental wines hardly need much of an introduction or explanation. Steve Kistler’s 85 acres of Pinot Noir on California’s West Sonoma Coast has cemented itself as one of the iconic vineyard properties that help define the newly minted American Viticultural Area (AVA).
In May 2022, officials with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced the approval of the West Sonoma Coast AVA, making it the third sub-AVA within the greater Sonoma Coast, as well as Sonoma County’s 19th appellation.
The recognition helped further define an area and a style that struggled to identify with wines labeled as from the Sonoma Coast but made from fruit on the eastern side of the appellation, some 20 miles inland.
"It's long overdue," Hirsch winemaker and general manager Jasmine Hirsch told Wine Spectator. "People have been talking about true Sonoma Coast for over a decade; there's already recognition. The TTB approval is just an acknowledgment of what we've been talking about."
The West Sonoma Coast AVA spans 141,000 acres and encompasses approximately 1,000 acres of vines in 50 vineyards, predominantly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, planted on mountainous topography ranging from 400 to 1,800 feet in elevation, in close proximity to the Pacific. The AVA can be broken into three sub-regions from north to south, including remote Annapolis, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA and the area around the towns of Freestone and Occidental.
The Occidental vineyards are planted atop a southern-exposed ridge at elevations of 400-750 feet just outside the town of Bodega. Looking west from both their Bodega Headlands and Bodega Ridge properties, you can see the waters of the Pacific Ocean through a notch in the hills formed by the Estero Americano, one of the several creeks flowing westward through the ranches. These lowlands and watersheds create the natural channels that bring wind and fog from the coast directly through Occidental’s vineyards each and every day.
Occidental’s special place in the world is the driving force behind the prized fruit harvested on the property. And while the conditions on the coast are well-suited to the cultivation of elegant and ageworthy Pinot Noir, they can also limit yields to less than two tons per acre in difficult vintages. Even then, there are still decisions to be made as to whether the grapes meet the qualifications. Picking is based on flavor, physiological maturity, and on natural acidity and pH.
The little fruit that does make into the winery is met with an equal measure of the detail utilized in the vineyard. Each vineyard block is fermented separately to capture as much individual site character as possible. Each fermentation generates its own momentum and strength, peaks at its own maximum temperature, and then proceeds to dryness at its own pace with little or no refrigeration. This simple approach to fermentation allows the wine from each vineyard block to develop its own set of aromas and flavors.
After fermentation is complete, the tanks are drained and only the free-run wine is transferred by gravity to French oak barrels (25% new) to age in a naturally cold underground cellar. Occidental does not own a press and sells its must for other wineries to press.
The Occidental pinot noirs are crystalline wines with vivid aromatics and intense red fruit flavors. They have a wonderfully chiseled quality, layered with savory and mineral character.
Today’s Mayacama wine offer highlights three Occidental bottlings, two of which are highly allocated single vineyard wines produced in minute quantities.
Being that the Steve Kistler is a beloved Mayacama Vintner Member, and this offering has become somewhat of an annual tradition, we have been given exclusive access to a generous quantity of wine. However, if previous offers of the Occidental wines are any indication of how this year’s offer will go, what we do have on-hand will not last very long.
2020 Pinot Noir, Bodega Headlands Vineyard, ‘Cuvée Elizabeth,’ West Sonoma Coast -- Vine age of over twenty years, Steve Kistler has produced pinot noir from this vineyard since 2004. The 2020 Bodega Headlands Vineyard 'Cuvée Elizabeth' is a bright, precise wine with great purity of fruit and a distinct saline edge. Vibrant, very pure red aromatics of red raspberry, rose petals, and crushed strawberry. Extremely high-toned and seamless with a superb concentration of fruit. Its salty, red fruit flavors are beautifully defined and focused. Finishes with great energy and exquisite balance.
2020 Pinot Noir, Running Fence Vineyard, ‘Cuvée Catherine,’ West Sonoma Coast -- The 2020 Running Fence Vineyard 'Cuvée Catherine' is a striking wine - there is no mistaking that this pinot noir was grown close to the ocean. Each year, the vineyard imparts an umami, briny minerality to this wine that sets it apart within their range. Luminous ruby color in the glass, like a jewel. There is a distinct marine influence here, like ocean brine, iodine, and tidal pools at low tide. Aromas of tiny red and black berries, laced with a violet floral note. On the palate, vivid flavors of black raspberry and black cherry are lifted by neon blood orange.
2021 Pinot Noir, Freestone-Occidental, West Sonoma Coast – a blend of fruit from Bodega Headlands and Bodega Ridge, the 2021 Freestone-Occidental is crystalline, vivid and mouthwatering with a salty mineral finish. The wine evokes juicy red/purple berries and a near perfect balance of finesse and energy with beautifully sculpted tannins. Its modest alcohol (13.3%) makes this wine a perfect complement to any meal. It is delicious now and will develop nicely in bottle.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to if you have any questions regarding these wines.
Thank you for your continued support.
Cheers!
Carey Vanderborg, Wine Director
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