Anthill Farms has a special place here at Flatiron. They are one of the producers that inspired us to open a shop on the west coast. They've long been a lynch pin of our New York domestic section, so it seemed crazy to be so far away from where they and the rest of the USโs best wines are grown and made. In fact our first ever SF newsletter featured Anthill farms way back in 2016. Since then the wine has only gotten better as the Pinots below will attest to.
David Low, Anthony Filiberti and Webster Marquez met working at Williams Selyem during the wineries golden age. They hit the road after harvest ended in 2003 at and toured wineries in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The idea of forming their own winery hatched on that trip. The trioโs goal is to craft Pinot Noirs that express the growing site and the characteristics of the vintage, and above all else, taste great. They disdain the riper style of Pinot Noir that California is known for. They are looking more for freshness, balance and an elegance of texture.
To achieve their goals they work with some of the best growers in the state that are also working biodynamically. Some whole clusters are included in the winemaking, depending on the vintage and the vineyard. New oak is limited to about 30%. Racking, fining and filtering is avoided. The sites they work with are located in some of the coolest spots throughout Mendocino and Sonoma counties, with optimal sun exposure allowing for ideal ripeness while still retaining acidity.
The Pinot Noirs that Anthill produces are also one of the few Northern California wineries that can easily thread the line between โclassicโ and โnaturalโ. They are elegant and terroir transparent and therefore satisfy many lovers of restrained Pinot (we hesitate to say โBurgundianโ) but youโll find them next to Pet Nats and Orange wines on the hippest natural wine lists as well.
Details
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Grape Variety
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Vintage
2019
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Size
750ml
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Farming Practice
Biodynamic
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Style
Earthy , Fruity , Minerally
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Sweetness
Dry
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Body
Full Bodied