2018 Ojai Pinot Noir Kessler Haak Vineyard Santa Rita Hills

JD95 I also loved the 2018 Pinot Noir Kessler Haak Vineyard, which has a more exotic, gamey, nutty character that fleshes out with air, showing beautiful red and black fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, a layered mouthfeel, and a great finish. This cuvée sees a touch more stems (50%) and it shows, so give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar. It’s a gorgeous, complex Pinot Noir that will evolve for 10-15 years.
VIN94 The 2018 Pinot Noir Kessler Haak Vineyard offers an intriguing array of brambly notes and red berry fruit. Medium in body, with striking aromatics, the Kessler Haak has so much to recommend it. The 2018 is maybe not as obvious or direct as some of the other wines in this lineup, but it has tons of character. It’s the sort of wine that reveals itself gradually, over time. It is also one of the more floral, savory wines in this range. The 2018 was done with 50% whole clusters, the most in the Ojai range.
Estate Notes: 2018 was our coolest and latest harvest yet at Kessler Haak, and this vineyard provided us outstanding fruit. The fragrance of this wine is powerful and stirring, with a real Californian thing going in its scents of bay laurel and flowering purple sage, along with berry medley and exotic spice aromatics. The palate is quite focused initially, with brisk purply red fruits channeled by stemmy tannins that evoke Earl Grey tea. With air it takes on more radiance along with suave and saline texture, and it carries on with great length into a savory finish.
This wine is super dynamic over a few hours of drinking. It’s also quite structured and commanding of your attention. So, you might say this wine wants a couple more years of aging to jell further. This wine is surely an experience now though, and it is fantastic with any duck preparation.