2021 Freestone Pinot Noir Occidental Bodega
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Pinot Noir Freestone Bodega Occidental is bursting with aromas of raspberry, shiitake mushroom, black tea leaves, blood orange and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate is finely chalky and refreshing. It’s bursting with layered, floral flavors and is notably concentrated for its elegant frame. It offers a long, pure finish laced with complex, bitters-like accents and will be long lived in the cellar.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega is a powerful, driving wine. Searing mineral and savory notes give the 2021 striking energy. This potent, steely Pinot is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. Today, it is intense and quite potent, with tons of structure but less in the way of immediacy. Orange peel, chalk, rose petals and white pepper linger on the taut, nervy finish. Readers will have to be patient.
Taking on a deeper ruby color, the 2021 Pinot Noir Bodega is pure and wild with delicate medicinal herbs, pine needles, and pressed violets. Medium-bodied, with broader shoulders, it has ripe tannins and more deep mineral tones of turned soil, black cherry, and tea leaf. It’s long on the palate, and although it has warming spice on the finish, there’s no heaviness. Give another couple of years and drink 2025-2045. Carlo and Dante Mondavi founded RAEN in the West Sonoma Coast AVA with the goal of seeking California Grand Cru-equivalent sites in the Freestone-Occidental area, and this year saw the promotion of Melanie McIntre from associate winemaker to winemaker. Less than two miles from the ocean, their wines are vibrant expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the vineyard, they practice no-till farming. The 2021 vintage introduces the first vintage of the Chardonnay Lady Marjorie, an homage to their grandmother and intended to be the counterpoint to the Royal St. Robert tribute of Pinot Noir. Seafield is a roughly 4-acre vineyard and is the rockiest site, with an eastern exposure at 1500 feet of elevation. Bodega is surrounded by redwood forest and is the smallest vineyard at just under two acres. Though the Chardonnays are certainly high quality, the Pinot Noirs capture another level of personality and energy that I find quite compelling.