Ojai's Kessler-Haak Pinot Noir is a gorgeous product of the exceptionally cool and windy 2021 vintage. The fruit was perfect at harvest, with ripe stems and high acidity, so winemaker Adam Tolmach upped the whole-clusters in the fermentation to 70%. This bottling exudes Sta. Rita Hills with its profuse fragrance of lifted fruit. But there’s also appealing sagey and piney chapparal-like aromatics, along with cherry pit and savory spice. Upfront on the palate the fruit is both succulent and brisk, with threads of currant and cranberry. Then fine astringencies of stemmy spice and black tea start to take hold, channeling the wine’s energy into a long and textural finish with mouthwatering brightness.
ANTONIO GALLONI 93 POINTS - "The 2024 Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak Vineyard delivers a super-pretty aromatic profile of hibiscus tea, white pepper, tobacco leaf and pressed rose petal. Delicate and juicy but nicely ripe and neatly balanced, the 2024 leaves behind an attractive echo of orange zest. The 32% whole clusters are neatly integrated, adding texture, lift and just a shade of savoriness. This is a success."
ANTONIO GALLONI 93 POINTS - "The 2024 Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak Vineyard delivers a super-pretty aromatic profile of hibiscus tea, white pepper, tobacco leaf and pressed rose petal. Delicate and juicy but nicely ripe and neatly balanced, the 2024 leaves behind an attractive echo of orange zest. The 32% whole clusters are neatly integrated, adding texture, lift and just a shade of savoriness. This is a success."
