By Wayfarer
2021 Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Estate

Wine Details
Blocks: 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26a, 30
Clones: Bacigalupi Old Wente, Dijon 115, 667, and 777, Hirsch, Hyde Old Wente, Mount Eden, Pommard 4 and 5, Swan, Wayfarer
Winemaker: Todd Kohn
Origin: Wayfarer Vineyard, Fort Ross-Seaview, Sonoma
Pruning: Double Guyot
Vine Yield: 3.02 pounds per vine
Harvested: September 3rd to 18th, 2021

Vintage Notes
2021 was a dry, warm, even vintage, giving us wines with great intensity and harmony. Though we experienced record-low rainfall of 20 inches, well below our 65-inch average, it was plenty to fill our pond and irrigate our vines throughout the season. Budbreak occurred on the early side due to an unusually dry, warm winter, and this early trend continued throughout the season. Spring and summer remained dry and warm, though temperatures never spiked. This consistency and bountiful sunlight allowed for even ripening across the vineyard. It was a smooth growing season and an ideal harvest, with all fruit picked at just the right moment and coming into the winery in a steady stream. The wines are remarkably dense and complex, with lots of structure, energy, and delicate aromatics.

Winemaking Notes
Each block was hand-picked at night, and firm, cool clusters were delivered to the winery before sunrise. We hand-sorted the fruit and reserved 4% for whole-cluster fermentation. The remainder was destemmed before we transferred it into stainless steel tanks for five to ten days of cold maceration. Fermentation was guided by native yeast, and hand punch-downs were tailored to each tank's taste each day. The free-run wine is aged in 55% new French oak barrels for 15 months prior to bottling.

Technical Details
Bottled: December 13, 2022
Release: Spring 2023
Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 14.40%
pH: 3.57
TA: 5.9 g/L

Tasting Notes
The 2021 Pinot Noir is pure and focused with brightness and stunning structure. On the nose, raspberry, tart cherry, and cassis merge with notes of violets, orange spice, and a burst of fresh basil. Fine, chalky tannins and hints of crushed cacao underlie the brilliant red fruits and florals. The density, complexity, and persistent minerality of this wine lead to a finish that lasts and lasts. The 2021s will age gracefully for many years.
[Information provided by Wayfarer]

Wine: 2021 Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Estate
Score/Rating: 96
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2032
Review Date: 07/25/2023
Reviewed By: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Tasting Notes: The 2021 Pinot Noir The Estate is a blend of all the clones. Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, it prances out of the glass with fragrant notes of Bing cherries, fresh raspberries, and wild blueberries plus hints of red roses, cinnamon toast, and black tea. The medium to full-bodied palate has electric tension and impressive purity with very fine-grained tannins and a long vibrant finish.

Wine: 2021 Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Estate
Score/Rating: 95
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034
Review Date: 06/15/2023
Reviewed By: Erin Brooks
Tasting Notes: The 2021 Pinot Noir The Estate (previously labeled "Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard") has inviting aromas of cranberry sauce, mushroom, allspice and bitters. The palate's concentrated, nuanced fruit is structured by focused acidity and generous, powdery tannins, and it finishes with a flourish of spicy accents. It's drinking beautifully now and will develop savory complexity in bottle over the next decade.

Wine: 2021 Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Estate
Score/Rating: 94
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034
Review Date: 07/21/2023
Reviewed By: Audrey Frick
Tasting Notes: A deep ruby, the 2021 Pinot Noir The Estate is ripe and layered with an attractive perfume of cardamom, pure wild raspberry, and fresh sage. Medium-bodied, it expands with good length and concentration, its pure fruit is seamless throughout, and it has a fresh spine of acidity. Offering a lovely balance of fruit and freshness, with ripe tannins and a rocky texture, it should be drunk 2024-2034.

Wine: Wayfarer Pinot Noir Fort Ross-Seaview Wayfarer Vineyard The Estate 2021
Score/Rating: 93
Suggested Drinking Window: Drink now through 2028
Review Date: 09/30/2023
Reviewed By: James Molesworth
Tasting Notes: Offers showy raspberry and boysenberry puree notes that stream through, gilded liberally with anise, violet and hibiscus accents. Shows a sense of polish on the finish, though there's a good tug of structure at the very end as well. Drink now through 2028.

Wine: Wayfarer 2021 Pinot Noir Estate
Score/Rating: 93
Suggested Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036
Review Date: 01/2023
Reviewed By: Antonio Galloni
Tasting Notes: The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate is a terrific introduction to this range. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, mint and blood orange lend nuance to this very pretty, deep Pinot Noir from Wayfarer. In this tasting the Estate comes across as pretty tight, but it was only bottled a month ago, so I remain quite optimistic about its prospects.

Wine: Wayfarer, The Estate Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview, Sonoma County, California, USA 2021
Score/Rating: 91
Suggested Drinking Window: 2025 - 2034
Review Date: 02/29/2024
Reviewed By: J'nai Gaither
Tasting Notes: Deep ruby colour with cherry spice undertones on the nose that are reminiscent of the holiday season. On the palate, those same cherry spice undertones, along with baking spices like cinnamon and cardamom, brown sugar and tobacco, follow suit on the palate. The 11 clones provide textural complexity, from smooth roundness to more geometric angularity.