Anthill Farms - Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Baker Ranch Vineyard 2020

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"Exotic aromas of warm spices, black cherry, orange peel, dense earth and piñon. The body is built around a balance of succulent texture and brightness of acidity, making for easy and pleasurable drinking right away."

• Practicing Organic / • 100% Pinot Noir / • Baker Ranch sits deeper in the Anderson Valley west of the hamlet of Philo / • Vineyard sits on a mid-elevation east-facing slope on the south side of the valley / • Shallow slate-based soils of the Casabonne-Wohly complex (high mineral content and an unusually high pH for California) / • Planted 20 years ago and are farmed by the Baker family.

Anthill Farms Description

This trio of ants—Marquez, Anthony Filiberti and David Low—met while working at Sonoma’s Williams Selyem. Says Marquez, “We realized that we have the same approach: using Pinot Noir—the most ‘transparent’ grape in the world—to communicate the way vineyards from cooler areas create distinctive wines.” The partners themselves farm many of the small plots where they buy their grapes, and the results of this labor of love are remarkably seductive wines that combine concentration and finesse. Now that the company has grown from producing 200 cases in 2004 to 1,800 this year, the trio’s work is becoming ever more demanding. Notes Marquez, “It’s a good thing we’re young and don’t need much sleep.”

Wine Advocate: 93 Points

The 2020 Pinot Noir Baker Ranch Vineyard has a medium ruby color and earthy aromas of dried cranberries and cherries, mushrooms, bark and Angostura bitters. The medium-bodied palate offers loads of bright, alluring fruits, bursts of juicy acidity and gently chewy tannins, finishing long and flavorful.