The Anthill Farms Anderson Valley wines perfectly capture the character (okay, “terroir“) of the Anderson Valley. Try either vintage to understand what this wine region is all about.
I’m not super-familiar with the story of Anthill Farms, but it seems they’re some young winemakers specializing in vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Brian Snelling at San Mateo’s excellent boutique wine shop 750ml first introduced me to Anthill Farms in 2008, but I recently (September 2009) bought the non-vineyard-designate Anderson Valley Pinots at two different stores and drank them the same week. Both were excellent.
I found the 2006 vintage at Santa Rosa’s Bottle Barn for $29.99 and am sorry I didn’t buy their entire stock. This is just a great Pinot for $30. Everything that’s special about the Anderson Valley: fruit-forward in the American style, but not thick or syrupy like some Carneros or Santa Barbara Pinots. A tiny bit of funky earth – maybe this is what wine writers mean when they say they taste “truffles” – but none of the watery thinness common to so many Burgundies. Very nice medium silky texture, less edgy than most Oregon Pinots. And while Pinot Noir is generally not “structured” in a Bordeaux/Cabernet way, this wine has a modicum of complexity that takes it beyond the juicy-fruit characteristics of lower-end Russian River Valley Pinots.
A week or two later I picked up the 2007 vintage of the same wine at K&L Wine Merchants in Redwood City. This was much more expensive at $39.99 – a fair price, but not a bargain for a wine of this quality. The 2007 had similar Anderson Valley characteristics – forward American fruitiness, but leavened with some earthy character. This more recent vintage lacked some of the depth of its 2006 sibling – not sure if this was because of vintage or vineyard variation, aging, or what. Still very, very good.
The Anderson Valley is my favorite region for Pinot Noir, though its special qualities are ephemeral – not every Anderson Valley Pinot captures them. These Anthill Farms wines absolutely do. Don’t pay more than $40, but definitely try either one as an exemplar of the character (okay, “terroir“) of this great Pinot Noir appellation.
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