Anthill principals Webster Marquez, Anthony Filiberti, and David Low met while working at Williams Selyem and decided to launch a Pinot project, sourcing fruit from cool Sonoma Coast vineyards. (They also produce Syrah and Chardonnay.)
This X West-Bourne Pinot is, according to Empire Wines, whence I sourced this bottle, a blend of some of their juiciest, most ready-to-drink barrels from three sites.
It’s stylish, highly perfumed with spiced cherries, dried strawberries, mint, a whiff of balsamic. The palate is like strawberry concentrate, but despite all that fruit the wine manages elegance and balance, and it has a piquant finish that reads like cinnamon. The tannins are modest but the texture is cleansing, which amplifies the freshness of the shiny berry fruit. Tasting it I conjured a beam of red light through snowflakes.
2018 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir X West-Bourne Sonoma Coast Sonoma County
13.3% ABV | About $32
Sounds much more fruit forward than many of their wines. Sometimes that’s a nice change!
It’s definitely fruit-driven. I haven’t tasted any of their other wines, but I was intrigued enough by this one that I reached out to see if I could visit with one or more of them when I’m out there at the end of the month.