2020 Pinot Noir First Born

This is a stellar set of wines from Chris and Sarah Pittenger. I was so impressed with every wine I tasted. The 2021s have that combination of vibrancy and richness that is such a signature of the year. I also found much to admire in the 2020 Pinots, wines from a much more challenging vintage. Chris Pittenger typically employs some whole cluster (10-15%) on the Pinots, but in 2020 he opted to destem all the fruit out of an abundance of caution. Aging is on the longer side; the Pinots spent 16 months in French oak on gross lees. At Gros Ventre, the house style emphasizes freshness but never to the point of being austere or excessively lean, as is sometimes seen on the West Sonoma Coast.