Fates' Lieutenant - 'Ampelos Vineyard' - Pinot Noir - Sta Rita Hills AVA, CA - 2021
Regular price $40.50
Unit price per
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Notes from the Winery/Importer
Ampelos Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills Terroir-driven wine leading with attractive aromas of wild strawberry, black raspberry, cherry, black tea, spice, and floral notes. Pronounced fruit tones grounded in earthy structure already showing layered complexity.
Notes on the Producer
We believe the beauty of a wine is in how little it’s asked to change. Fates' Lieutenant focuses on cool-climate, coastal vineyards—sites shaped by ocean influence and tended sustainably. These growing conditions, paired with natural farming practices, allow for complexity, clarity, and authentic expression of place. We harvest at optimal ripeness to preserve vibrancy and balance, aiming for moderate alcohol and bright acidity. In the cellar, we honor nature’s chemistry. Our approach emphasizes native yeast fermentation, gentle maceration, minimal sulfites, and no additives.
Grapes & Style
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is one of the old noble red grapes of Burgundy, and still the variety most associated with the Côte d’Or’s ability to translate small differences in site into meaningfully different wines. It’s been known under older names like Morillon, Noirien, and Auvernat, and its history reaches back to medieval northern France. Over time, the Pinot family produced or revealed a whole set of mutations — Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Teinturier, Pinot Noir Précoce — but Pinot Noir remains the central red expression.
In the vineyard, it’s famously sensitive. It buds early, so spring frost can be a real issue, and it ripens early enough that warm climates can push it too fast, leaving thin-skinned berries prone to shrivel and sunburn. It prefers temperate climates, calcareous-clay soils, and careful yield control. It’s also susceptible to mildew, botrytis, virus pressure, and plenty of other vineyard headaches, which is part of why great Pinot has such a fragile, hard-won quality.
In the glass, Pinot Noir is rarely about sheer power. At its best, it’s relatively pale, aromatic, and finely structured, with red-fruit notes like cherry and raspberry when young, often moving toward more savory, autumnal, earthy, mushroomy, or truffle-like tones with age. The better examples are compelling because they carry delicacy without feeling thin — fruit, perfume, texture, and place all held in a lighter frame.