Antica Terra Botanica 2017
Antica Terra Botanica 2017
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Antica Terra Botanica 2017

Antica Terra
$280.00

Grape: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2017
Type: Red

Sourced from high-altitude plots in the Eola-Amity Hills, this white-label red wine showcases a texturally driven approach to Oregon Pinot Noir. Winemaker Maggie Harrison isolates these barrels during a rigorous cellar audit, seeking out components with broad shoulders and aromatic lift. The hand-picked fruit ferments spontaneously with indigenous wild yeasts and a component of whole clusters. It undergoes a lengthy aging process in neutral and low-toast French oak barriques to permit the elements to assemble.

It pours a translucent ruby color, opening with fragrant aromas of wild raspberry, blood orange, and fresh thyme. The palate is medium-bodied and tightly structured, balancing primary red fruit with a serious, fine-grained tannin profile. Savory notes of damp earth, leather, and cedar blend into the core fruit flavors. A central beam of natural acidity drives the wine, ensuring freshness and drinkability. It finishes dry and long, leaving a lingering, mouthwatering trail of 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