2015 Lambda Estate Pinot Noir - Ampelos Cellars

Earthy dark cherry, potting soil, ripe blood orange. Sweet strawberry, fragrant potpourri, pomegranate reduction. Coriander seed and powdered cinnamon, undergrowth and sauteed mushroom. Muddled raspberry, cranberry compote, and candied red plum collide dramatically with damp earth and crushed pine cone in a strikingly aromatic and tremendously nuanced display. Young rose and lavender oil inject deep and persistent floral notes that sway to and fro between ambrosial perfume and beautiful loamy funk. Peppercorn and citrus spice emerge to complement bright ethereal lift before crushed salt and ocean air impart impressions of clean coastal charm. Pretty yet powerful; carnal yet cerebral; boisterous yet balanced. Medium plus in body with moderate tannin and nicely elevated acidity. This 2015 "Lambda" Estate Pinot Noir by Ampelos Cellars is a wonderfully complex and enchantingly unique biodynamic red from the Santa Rita Hills.

Developed by the Austrian born Dr. Rudolph Steiner in the early 1920's, biodynamic agriculture is a highly involved form of farming that prioritizes soil health through the well-being of the local ecological system as a whole. It has been described as organic farming with a spiritual twist, and although it is scientifically controversial many of the world's greatest producers of wine have begun following its practices and swear by its validity. This bottling, crafted by Ampelos Cellars using Pinot Noir sourced from their fully biodynamic estate vineyard in Santa Barbara County, proves there is merit behind this esoteric yet highly effective practice. This wine manages to express ripe, lifted, and wonderfully high-toned fruit along with gorgeously funky earthy tones in near equal parts, and it does so with impressive balance and finesse. It possesses typical saline-rich elements of Santa Rita Hills terroir yet frames them with a distinct amplification of notes of loam and rich soil. An interesting, thought provoking, and delicious wine.