Antica Terra Antikythera 2012
Antica Terra Antikythera 2012 – alternate view 2
1 - 2

Antica Terra Antikythera 2021

Antica Terra
$440.00

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2021
Type: Red

Sourced from the estate’s flagship 12-acre vineyard perched on steep, wind-swept slopes in the Eola-Amity Hills, this single-parcel pinot noir is rooted in shallow topsoil over fractured basalt bedrock. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts and relies on a high percentage of whole-cluster inclusion to impart structural spice and herbal complexity. The wine matures for roughly 16 months in French oak barrels before bottling. It stands as a taut, soil-driven expression that highlights the raw mineral intensity of this rocky, high-elevation site.

In the glass, it displays a translucent ruby hue with bright highlights. It pours with aromatics of sour cherry, tart raspberry, crushed iron, dried rose petals, and black tea. On the palate, a high-tension beam of natural acidity drives core flavors of red currant and pomegranate alongside fine, stem-derived tannins. A subtle touch of oak integration weaves through the mid-palate without obscuring the wine's stony, energetic texture. It finishes long and savory, leaving a lingering trail of damp earth, blood orange peel, and crushed rock.

Maggie Harrison is a first-generation winemaker, having grown up in the Midwest. With an educational background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, she fell in love with wine while working in restaurants and set out to follow that passion and create wine. She went on to land the position of assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, where she remained for eight years. She is currently the co-owner and winemaker for Antica Terra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2005, and is also responsible for the Syrah at Lillian Winery in Santa Barbara. Initially, it had been her goal to only produce a singular wine, but during blind tastings for blending, she felt the various components would not necessarily complement one another and would overpower or detract from the other. Rather than force them to homogenize, each of the wines bottled today chases the individual and opposing personalities each possesses. Her wines are impeccably expressive and worth seeking out if you can get your hands on them.

I have always found with these wines that I am never compelled to overly coax the wine in tasting. They are distinctive, singular wines that, when given the time to allow the wine to come to you, make the transcendence to art.

- Audrey Frick (9/17/2023) © 2024 Jeb Dunnuck