Occidental Pinot Noir Cuvee Elizabeth Bodega Headlands 2022

Occidental Pinot Noir Cuvee Elizabeth Bodega Headlands 2022

Occidental Winery is a brand of Pinot Noir wines, produced by Steve Kistler in the Sonoma Coast subregion of California. It was founded in 2011 by Steve Kistler, the founder and previous winemaker of the cult-status Kistler Vineyards for 37 years. 

The current portfolio is composed of five single-vineyard bottlings. In the winery, each plot is kept seperate throughout the fermentation process with higher portions of whole clusters kept when the incidence of millerandage is high.The temperature of the cellar initiates fermentation with wild yeasts from the vineyard and winery. The wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal additions of sulfur dioxide.

Critical Acclaim

96 Wine Advocate

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth is spicy and expressive, with singular aromas of cranberry sauce, rhubarb, fennel, saline, tea leaves and amaro-like undertones. The light-bodied palate offers an excellent balance of fragrant, concentrated fruit, mouthwatering acidity and pleasurably chalky tannins, and it finishes with a flourish of spicy accents. Although it has what it needs for cellaring, I would be inclined to drink it on the younger side because of the challenges of the vintage.

95 Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvee Elizabeth pours a youthful ripe ruby hue and has very attractive floral aromas of wild raspberry, incense, wildflowers, and wet stone. Medium-bodied, with great balance of ripeness and purity, it offers cherry liqueur, violets, fine tannins, and a soft mineral texture and has seamless freshness of acidity without any harsh edges.

93 Vinous

The 2020 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth is a dark, brooding wine. Black cherry, plum, gravel, game, incense and dried herbs all run through the 2020. Intensely lifted and mineral, the 2020 offers notable energy and fine balance. There’s a bit of nerviness in the tannin that needs to resolve. The Cuvée Elizabeth is usually a bit more forthcoming than it is today. I would give this at least a year or two in bottle.