Occidental Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth Pinot Noir 2021

Dry farming is always an option, even in hot vintages. In 2021, Occidental grew abundant canopies, and a cool September meant a more relaxing vintage. Everything is destemmed, tasted from bottled #1566. This wine is aromatically haunting with lots of high-tone red fruited character with wild violets, white pepper and turned soil. The gorgeous flavours of blueberries and wild green strawberries meld together for a well-knit palate, with elegant spices, clove, five spice and wild anise. Certified sustainable, all estate vineyards are a proprietary massale selection of mixed clones. (CP)

Waves of succulent black cherry and mulberry fruit drape over a subtly piercing mineral aspect, while a backdrop of red and black tea, dried anise and blood orange zest adds alluring range. Racy, finely beaded acidity provides a nearly invisible corset of structure, letting it all play out with confidence through the lengthy finish. (JM)

The 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth, from vines planted in 2000, is particularly alluring for its aromatic complexity. Generous cranberry sauce and pomegranate aromas are complemented by detailed accents of charcuterie, blood orange peel, mushrooms, aniseed and an array of spices reminiscent of Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate is like a finely balanced scale, its expansive, detailed flavors supported by silky tannins and a spine of focused acidity, and it has a long, spicy finish. After the bottle is opened, it unfurls dramatically over several days, and its dynamic character and chiseled structure point to a long life in bottle. 96+ (EB)

The 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is bright, aromatic and effusive right out of the gate. Rose petal, lavender, red/purplish fruit and spice are beautifully articulated. Medium bodied and gracious, the 2021 is all precision—all class. Bright saline notes resonate on the vibrant, persistent finish. I especially admire its understated personality. This site, planted in 2001 with suitcase clones on 101-14 rootstock and picked early for vibrancy, yields a tense, aromatic, red-toned Pinot endowed with tons of class. (AG)

Deep ruby color. A perfumed, elegant and wafting nose hints at the coolness of the vineyard yet the spicy black cherry and violet-scented aromas are fully ripe. There is excellent density to the beautifully textured medium-bodied flavors that possess focused power on the impressively long, balanced and youthfully austere finale. This beauty is quite firmly structured though the abundant dry extract should permit it to age gracefully over the next decade and perhaps even a bit longer. In a word, excellent.