Sta. Rita Hills

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One might assume that since we have such a mild climate here in southern California, the wines would not vary much from year to year, but that is simply not the case. We have gone from a super intense wine in 2003 (tiny crop), to a lavishly rich wine in 2004 (hot year), to a lively and nuanced one in 2005 (heavy winter rainfall, big crop, ideal weather), to a concentrated and fresh one in 2006 (moderate crop, cool summer). The 2006 that we offer now is terrific because it is intensely flavored while maintaining focus and freshness.As always, Fe Ciega offers lots of pretty floral and herb aromas with its blackberry fruit and an intriguing rustic, animal character that comes through in the finish.

The fruit arrived at the winery early in the morning and was destemmed without crushing the berries. After a 5 day cold soak, the native yeast began fermenting. We punched down (mixed) the vats by hand until the fermentation was complete. The wine was pressed and transferred to French oak barrels for aging (30% were new), and was left untouched for the next 14 months. At which time it was carefully racked off the sediment and bottled without filtration.

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir | Alcohol: 14.0% | Vinification: 30% New French Oak | Barrel Aging: 14 Months | Total Production: 245 cases

Press Reviews

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

“Vivid red. Seductive, gaudy nose displays compelling aromas of spicy red and dark berry preserves, patchouli, rose and incense. Sappy raspberry and blackberry flavors are firmed by dusty tannins and gain sweetness with air. Finishes juicy, sweet and long, with a suave floral nuance lingering. I can still smell this wine.” – JR 93 Points

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“Ojai’s lovely 2006 Pinot Noir Fe Ciega exhibits a plum/ruby color as well as sweet aromas of earth, herbs, black cherries, black plums, and blackberry-like fruit, silky tannin, pleasant, crisp acids, and a medium to full-bodied finish.” – RP 90 Points

Burghound

“Like the Clos Pepe, the nose demonstrates discernable oak influence on the layered and relatively airy cassis and ripe red berry liqueur nose that slides into rich, sweet and supple flavors that possess a seductive texture and very fine length. The relatively dense tannins are notably fine and this too should age extremely well as the balance is impeccable. There is less obvious depth than the ’05 Fe Ciega displayed at this same point in time yet like the Clos Pepe, the underlying material appears to be here to allow that depth to develop. Definitely worth a look.” 90 Points