2002 Fiddlehead Cellars Doyle Fiddlestix Vineyard Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

14.3% alc., 50 cases, $97. A Pinot Noir of extraordinary breeding, only produced when the vintage delivers. One barrel produced in 2003, none in 2004. This is the second time I have sampled this wine and both times I found it to be incredibly exotic. · Fat and opulent, tight and concentrated, the wine must be decanted before drinking. It is a dense and powerfully structured Pinot Noir with perfect integration of oak and alcohol, possessing soft mouth coating tannins, and finishing with a taste that lingers to the next day. I would swear there is some Vahlrona chocolatein this Pinot Noir. This is a wine to cellar if you can keep your hands off of it. A mouthful so sensuous you will need a cold shower afterward. Reviewed September 26, 2006

Winery: Fiddlehead Cellars