Joel Aiken’s goal is to produce wines of distinction from exceptional vineyards in outstanding appellations. With over 30 years of winemaking experience, Joel knows the vineyards and growers capable of producing exceptional grapes for these wines.

Fiddlestix Vineyard is in the heart of the cool Santa Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County. Owned and farmed by Kathy Joseph, the vineyard produces Pinot Noir grapes that yield a wine of beautiful black cherry fruit and cola with silky tannins. This wine is a blend of clones 777 and Pommard 5.

Gentle handling began in the vineyard with hand harvesting at night, followed by cluster and berry sorting in the winery. After de-stemming, the fruit dropped by gravity into the tank for a 4 day cold soak with gentle pumpovers. Next, the fermentation began and punchdowns were added to the daily routine to enhance extraction. Finally, after draining and pressing, the wine was racked to barrels where malolactic fermentation took place and the wine aged until ready for bottling.