Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch Sonoma Coast 2017

Anthill Farms is one of our favorites. Micro-productions, highly sought after, and sourced from the very best vineyards – these guys routinely hit all the marks when it comes to world-class pinot noir. This 93 POINT 2017 Campbell Ranch is one of my all-time favorites...and just singing right now!

Anthill Farms had its beginnings when three gents – Webster Marquez, Anthony Filiberti, and David Low met whilst working at the legendary Williams Selyem. They headed out on their own with a pinot-dominant portfolio that was an instant cult hit. The wines are the perfect marriage of old and new world style – plenty of fruit, and whispers of oak, all in harmony with elegant spice, earth, and herb notes. They evolve beautifully over time as well, as the flashiness of youth transforms into a deep and layered complexity over time in bottle. At six years young, this wine is probably just entering the midpoint of its journey, with another decade of viability left. Supremely delectable stuff that will outperform many $75+ pinots on the shelves today.

Campbell Ranch is a revered vineyard site, far out along the Sonoma Coast – only a couple miles from the Pacific Ocean in Annapolis, just a couple miles south of the Mendocino border. At just under 1000 feet in elevation, this site receives cooling influences and plenty of moisture from the daily marine layer – making for a long and slow ripening of the grapes, with plenty of flavors as the happy result. Concentration is achieved through a meager two tons per acre yield – especially small considering the lush Goldridge soils and perfectly mature, prime-of-their-life twenty-year-old vines. Delicate cherry and ripe strawberry notes kick things off, with an almost Pommard-esque profile of pomegranate, cranberry tea, hibiscus, and fresh mint. There is a savory, roasted herbs and iron ore characteristic that showcases the wine’s power, but extreme polish and elegance shine over all else. This might well be on the shortlist for best under $50 pinot noir I’ve had in years...our only wish is that we were able to secure more!