Occidental "Freestone-Occidental" Pinot Noir 2022
(West Sonoma Coast, California)

Produced entirely from estate-fruit from Occidental's coastal vineyards. The vineyards are Certified Sustainable. All Occidental vineyards are grafted with proprietary massale selections developed over three decades by Steve Kistler.

The Freestone-Occidental pinot noir includes a blend of fruit from our Bodega Headlands, Occidental Station, and Bodega Ridge vineyards. It also shares the same winemaking techniques as our vineyard-designated pinot noirs. All our pinot noirs are fermented with native yeasts and native Malo-Lactic bacteria.

This bottling expresses the same energy, precision, and purity of flavor that gives all of Occidental’s wines lift and perfume, along with the deeper soil tones that contribute to its complexity. Made entirely from free-run juice, it is delicious now and will develop nicely in bottle. Currently available in restaurants and very few selected retail stores.

Notes from the Winemaker:
The 2022 Freestone-Occidental wine shares the same winemaking techniques as our vineyard designated pinot noirs. Crystalline, bright, mouthwatering, and a bit salty with a saline mineral finish, the 2022 Freestone-Occidental evokes juicy red berries and a near perfect balance of finesse and energy – of bright, primary red fruits and saline elements. It conveys outstanding precision and lift in the mouth and finishes vibrant and long with beautifully sculpted tannins. Its modest alcohol (13.3%) makes this wine a perfect complement to any meal. It is delicious now and will develop nicely in bottle.

98 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2021 Vintage):
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is incredibly expressive and detailed! Its aromas open slowly from blueberry, rhubarb and cranberry to tones of bitter orange, amaro, mossy bark and lavender, continuing to reveal new accents with each return to the glass. Light-bodied, it floods the mouth with fragrant, detailed fruit supported by chalky tannins and focused, shimmery acidity that calls you in for another sip. It has a haunting finish loaded with spicy layers, and it's very difficult to put this delicious wine down. Drink it now for its transparency and perfume, or allow it to develop savory complexity in bottle over the next decade. Drink 2024 - 2035." -Erin Brooks (6/15/23)

95 Points - Vinous (2021 Vintage):
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is outrageously beautiful. Rich, heady and explosive, the 2021 is captivating right out of the gate. Inky dark red fruit, blood orange, game, spice, cedar, pipe tobacco, pomegranate and exotic flowers build as this, dense, potent Pinot shows off its tremendous resonance and textural depth. Wow! Drink 2024-2033." -Antonio Galloni (7/2023)

95 Points, #38 Top 100 Of 2023 - Jeb Dunnuck (2021 Vintage):
"A youthful deep ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental is highly expressive with wild lavender, kirsch, and fresh mountain herbs. Full-bodied, with youthful suppleness to its fruit at this stage, it has the same fantastic salinity that’s present across this whole lineup Occidental. Drink 2024-2034."

The family estate of Steve Kistler in the Bodega Headlands, Occidental is exclusively devoted to producing coastally influenced Pinot Noir. Kistler was initially drawn to the area after tasting a bottling of Summa Vineyard that expressed a vivid and more cool climate style. Though Occidental was officially founded in 2011, Steve has been planting vineyards and purchasing property in the area since the 1990s and has retained his original cellar team for the past 30 years. His daughter Catherine Kistler has been the assistant winemaker since 2017, and they are members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association. Looking toward the estate's future, they have acquired a new ranchland property two and a half miles from the coast and will begin planting Pinot Noir vines on Goldridge soils next year at this even cooler temperature site. The following wines were tasted at the winery in May. For each of the single-vineyard sites, they hold the wines back an additional year, so this tasting focused on the 2020 vintage (with the exception of the 2021 Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental).

94 Points, Rank #2 Top 100 of 2023 - Wine Spectator (2021 Vintage):
"Boasts blackberry and plum fruit enlivened by a light savory thread, while anise and iris notes add range through the sleek, tangy finish. Shows a nice underlying mineral edge, which adds subtle tension throughout. Refined. Drink now through 2030. 4,000 cases made." -JM (Web Only 2023)