WTN: 02 Arcadian Pinot Noir (Fiddlestix Vineyard)

2002 Arcadian Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard (Santa Rita Hills) 70% whole cluster
Wisdom & advice said this wine needs time but I had to pop one as a reference point. Opened and enjoyed over an evening so I tasted out of the bottle and with hours of airtime. As a copout I will say the nose was all SRH. Something brambly about SRH Pinot Noirs. Very uniquely California. Makes you think this will be quite ripe and luscious. On the palate it is a sculpture of structure. Lean and slightly green. Balanced acid and tannin. Red fruits, wood and earth all appear on the mid palate and finish. Without a doubt (besides the nose) I think most would mistake this as a youngish Burgundy. By far the most Burgundian Cali Pinot I have ever had. I will revisit this around 2011. Don’t have much experience with Fiddlestix but I would guess the upside is to have a truly thought provoking beautiful Pinot Noir once it has some maturity. The downside is you have a lifeless and tannic drain rinse. I will put my money on the prior. Fruit lovers run away! 90 pts.

Cheers,
Jason

Middle of the "dumb" stage? Sounds like very good wine to me!

I tried their new release in a wine shop late last year. Both the Fiddlestix and the Rio Vista bottlings were awesome-espeically the funky, earthy, mushroomy rio Vista bottle. Yet another wine that makes me rethink my general skeptism towards (California) Pinot Noir. I especially liked the Rio Vista.

I can't wait until these come into the shop!

I really do have to seek out some Arcadian Pinot. From everything I've read, Joe Davis makes a style of wine I would enjoy.
BP

[Jenise]

By far the most Burgundian Cali Pinot I have ever had.

If I were to rank all the California appellations in order of Most Likely For Jason to Say This About, SRH would probably have been dead last. No wait, make that second to last. Temecula would be dead last. I guess the real clue here is that its Arcadian, so all the usual bets are off.

I'm glad I have a couple of bottles of this in my cellar....Question is, do I open one now...for the experience????

My one tasting of Arcadian Pinot Noir was a disappointment. Maybe it needed to be cellared for several years?

By far the most Burgundian Cali Pinot I have ever had.

If I were to rank all the California appellations in order of Most Likely For Jason to Say This About, SRH would probably have been dead last. No wait, make that second to last. Temecula would be dead last. I guess the real clue here is that its Arcadian, so all the usual bets are off.

Many of the Arcadians are very California with lots of red fruit but this was not. The nose was uniquely Cali...but the palate threw me.

Jason

Question is, do I open one now...for the experience????

No. Remember the 03 we had...just use that as a reference point. Unless you have no experience drinking young Burgs or Pinot made in this style, I would hold off. In other words it is good for education but not for pure pleasure.

Jason

My one tasting of Arcadian Pinot Noir was a disappointment. Maybe it needed to be cellared for several years?

What did you have?

Jason

I can wait.. or maybe drink some of Gerry's Fiddlestix until mine are ready.....

Do you think this is a vineyard issue? As you know, Arcadian's generic bottling always seems ready to go on release. And the '01 Garys' has been drinking well for a while. So, I'm guessing it's not a wine making thing, but has something to do with the fruit from that vineyard???

I had a 1998 wine in early 2004. One would think that would be plenty of aging but I found it a little green or stemmy and tart. Could be the 1998 vintage. See tasting note from another forum: (I received a reply from someone parttime ITB that said usually Joe Davis does a commendable job with his wines)

1998 Arcadian Pinot Noir, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
wondersofwine
Member
Posts: 3782
From: Fayetteville, NC USA
Registered: May 2001
posted 01-28-2004 16:49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Monterey County, CA
13.8% alcohol
Pale garnet color--darkened considerably by third day of recorking and refrigerating.
Red cherry/cranberry nose. Interesting flavors--sour cherry, cranberry, blueberry with a bit of pine needle and cola--a little greenness or stemminess--somewhat tart.
Didn't like it well enough to finish the bottle on the third day or to buy again but found it somewhat interesting. I think there are better Pinot Noirs to be found in Monterey County including Morgan.
Had this with vegetable beef soup and tossed salad and another evening with cheddar cheese.

Hmm...that doesn't sound great. Not sure it would come around. I personally have found the 98 & 99s a little hit and miss. But I haven't had any stinkers from the 01-03s. There is a new bottling available (04 Santa Rita Hills) which is basically fruit Joe declassified because the vintage was so hot. It is like $25 so maybe be a good one to start with if you want to try Arcadian again. But I haven't tasted the wine so no promises.

Jason

Thanks for the reply. I am willing to give it another try but maybe in a more typical vintage.