WTN: 01 Hitching Post Fiddlestix Pinot Noir and more

We had the pleasure of meeting and greeting visiting WLDGer JC last night, and got together for a mini offline at the Hitching Post II in Buellton.

For starters, we had glasses of JL Wolf Pinot Gris from the Pfalz - sorry, didn't get the vintage, maybe 06?
This by the glass offering was clean and zippy, ample bodied but not overbearing, and was a nice way to start our meal.

JC wanted to try an HP wine, so we ordered off the list, a 2001 Hitching Post Fiddlestix - Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

This wine hammered home to me the fact that the Hartley-Ostini wines really reward a bit of patience. It's a vibrant ruby red in the glass. The nose is intriguing - a bit of sweaty saddle stopping short of barnyard greets us upon opening, before morphing into pretty aromas of old leather laced tart cherries.
It tastes even better than it smells, and is just a lovely example of pinot noir from Santa Rita Hills - it has that tell tale spiciness, and a purity of flavor that had me imagining biting into the fruit, rather than drinking it. There's a touch of smoke in there, and it made a splendid match with my oak grilled top sirloin. I really enjoyed this wine.

For dessert, I brought along a bottle of Ken Zinn's 06 Russian River Late Harvest Roussanne, in 375ml.
Whoa! I remembered liking this wine when I first tried it, but it has knitted together well with a few months nap time, and is really strutting now, with apricot and orange peel just powering out of the glass. It served as a real palate refresher - not cloying in any way. This was a delicious dessert wine, which we drank along with bites of bourbon pecan pie. Our server liked it, too! Thanks Ken.

It's always nice to meet traveling WLDG members and share some of the local flavor with our online friends.

Thanks, John and Cindy. That was the best meal of my trip to Santa Barbara County and the best dinner wines! I really liked the Pinot Gris (not usually one of my favorite varieties although I may have to rethink that as I also like the one from Carr Vineyard). I agree with your assessment of the Hitching Post Fiddlestix Pinot Noir. I did intially get a funky aroma but that dissipated and the flavor was very inviting. It stood up to the steak. I had also tried a Fiddlestix Pinot Noir from Fiddlehead that day but more recent vintage. (The pourer also let us try a 1996 Fiddlehead Pinot which was nice for comparison of a mature P.N. with the young ones.) If I get back to your area, I definitely want to dine at Hitching Post II again! And I enjoyed the Late Harvest Rousanne with its peach and apricot flavors. As I remarked that night, I tend to lose some of the varietal characteristics when appraising late harvest white wines (Riesling, Sauternes, etc. seem much more similar to me with the sweetness of a late harvest.)