2017 Freestone-Occidental

History Occidental is Steve Kistler’s pinot noir project with a singular focus – to make world-class pinot noir from unique sites on the headlands in the Freestone-Occidental area. Since the early 1990s, Steve Kistler has believed that the climate and soils on the uplifted marine terraces and ridges around the town of Bodega would be ideal for growing distinctive and Burgundian-style pinot noir. He founded Occidental as a small, family brand in 2011, and built a state- of-the-art winery just east of Bodega overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Peak production is planned to reach around 7,500 cases of pinot noir. Steve’s daughters Catherine and Lizzie have joined him at Occidental, along with many members of the original Kistler farming and cellar crews.

Viticulture The field selections planted in the Occidental vineyards represent years of experimentation and refinement. Back in the early 1990s, the initial field selections were collected from two grand cru vineyards in Vosne Romanée. Steve first propagated these selections as individual mother vines in order to identify which selections had the desired characteristics to be used in future Occidental plantings. Occidental’s approach to farming seeks to develop vineyards that are as naturally self-regulating as possible. Yields average less than two tons per acre. The low crop levels and the meticulous work of the crews are of critical importance in farming vineyards in such close proximity to the ocean.

Winemaking Picking decisions are based on flavor, physiological maturity, and on natural acidity and pH to preserve freshness and energy. All fruit is harvested by hand at night and arrives cool at the winery the next morning, where it is carefully sorted twice. The goal is to leave the maximum number of uncrushed, whole berries in each fermenter. The vineyard blocks with more millerandage are fermented with 20-30% whole clusters. Each vineyard block is fermented separately in order to capture as much individual site character as possible. Native yeast fermentations begin in 7-10 days and proceed to dryness in less than three weeks. Punchdowns are used only as needed to distribute the heat of fermentation, ensuring the most gentle extraction. After fermentation is complete, the tanks are drained and only the free-run (Occidental does not own a press) is transferred by gravity into François Freres barrels (25% new) to age in a cold, underground cellar. Native malolactic fermentations usually begin by the end of December and are complete by spring of the following year. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with a minimum level of SO2, usually before the New Year.

The Vineyards The Bodega Headlands and Bodega Ridge properties comprise 85 acres of vineyard and are the heart of Occidental. These vineyards define the western edge of where pinot noir can be grown successfully on the Sonoma Coast. Planted atop a southern-exposed ridge at elevations of 400-750 feet, these sites look west over pastoral farmlands to the Pacific Ocean. The Freestone-Occidental pinot noir comes primarily from these two maritime vineyards.

2017 Freestone-Occidental The 2017 Freestone-Occidental is a precise, site-specific wine that clearly reflects its place of origin. The 2017 Freestone-Occidental wine shares the same techniques as our vineyard-designated pinot noirs. Most of the 2017 growing season was cooler than in 2016. The moderate, slow ripening conditions ensured superb balance, color, and aromatic complexity and allowed our fruit to reach the early edge of ripeness just as temperatures turned warmer at the start of September. Especially in this , the Freestone-Occidental wine comes close to the quality of our best vineyard designates. There is a higher percentage of coastal fruit than ever before in the 2017 wine and it carries the elusive, signature saline quality of our ridgetop vineyards that makes them so compelling. If the 2016 Freestone-Occidental was a predominantly red-fruited wine, the 2017 expression is marked by saturated, purple-fruit tones. Mouthwatering, savory, and a bit wild with a briny mineral finish, the 2017 Freestone- Occidental evokes juicy blood oranges and vivid mix of red and black fruits. The 2017 Freestone-Occidental finishes vibrant and long with a delicate violet perfume. It is delicious now and will age gracefully for ten years or more.