The 2018 Foggy Hill Vineyard “Definitus” Pinot Noir is a blend of Clones 115 and 777 from a strip of vines over the site’s shallowest soils. Winemaking is similar to the rest of the vineyard’s production, and maturation takes place in 30% new French oak, with the balance of the wood being one and two years old. Compared to the regular bottling, it ratchets up the intensity, but it does so at the expense of some of the more delicate floral nuances. Herbal notes impart welcome complexity to the cherry-scented fruit, buttressed by fine, cedary oak. Medium-bodied, it’s slightly bigger and more generous than the regular bottling, with almost velvety tannins on the finish. I suspect it will age well for at least a decade.
91 points
