2015 Fiddlehead Fiddlestix Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Grüner Veltliner

13.0% alc., pH 3.05, TA 0.66, 356 cases, $28. Harvested from 2.8-acres planted at Fiddlestix Vineyard. Grapes were harvested at night and handsorted. Whole cluster pressed to tank, cold-settled and racked to a majority of neutral French oak barrel where it was aged on its less. The remaining 25% was cold fermented in tank. Both fractions were non-malolactic fermented and aged separately for 10 months after which they were married together just before bottling. · Pale platinum color in the glass. Gracious aromas of lemon-lime, parchment, wax and nuts. Bright and crisp on the palate, infused with flavors of lemon-lime, pear, vanilla, cream soda and nuts. Very polished, with refreshing acidity. Still fine when re-tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. I do not have much experience with this varietal so I have few benchmarks for comparison, but this was an outstanding wine and I presume a superb example of this varietal. Score: 92. Reviewed September 28, 2018

Winery: Fiddlehead Cellars
From article: Fiddlehead Cellars 30-Year Anniversary: Drink ‘728’ on 7/28