Nid Tissé Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 2022

Marie-Laure Ammons was born in the Limousin region of France- she and her sister Marie-Cécile were so petite at the time of their birth that their mother hadn't realized she was pregnant with twins.  So, as children, Maman encouraged her two growing girls to practice sports.  Marie-Laure and her sister took up track and field, becoming acclaimed scholar-athletes specializing in the 400m relay.  They loved the outdoors and being physically active, so they decided to study viticulture and winemaking at the Université de Bordeaux.  After graduation, Marie-Laure did a bit of globetrotting and, in 1998 took a harvest position at Stonestreet in Alexander Valley (Marie-Cécile works at Rémy-Martin crafting cognac).  After stints at Domaine Lejeune in Burgundy and Hartford Court in Sonoma, Marie-Laure joined the esteemed winemaking team at Atelier Melka.  For 18 years, she helped craft the wines in his illustrious portfolio.  She eventually met her husband, winemaker Frederick Ammons (RUDD Estate, Napa Valley Reserve), and they settled in Calistoga, where they're raising their two children.  Marie-Laure is now focused full-time on Nid Tissé, French for "woven nest," - referring to the fact that their family was stitched together by blending the fabrics of France and America. 

In 2022, Marie-Laure landed a deal for fruit from the prestigious Radian Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills for her brand's first-ever Pinot Noir.  The vineyard is renowned for its clay loam soils and substantial and numerous deposits of diatomaceous earth.  Diatomaceous earth comes from microaquatic organisms fossilized over time and is often prevalent in grounds that were once ancient sea beds.  It is a desirable soil for vines due to its excellent drainage potential, which aids in maintaining healthy, thriving root systems.  In addition to Radian's covetable soil composition, its proximity to the Pacific means a constant ocean breeze wafts through the vineyard, keeping the delicate Pinot Noir grapes cool throughout their growing season.

Marie-Laure applied her trademark meticulous and thoughtful style to this 2022 debut Pinot Noir from the very start.  She hand-harvested the grapes in mid-September and pressed the juice into Burgundian French oak barrels after fermentation.  The wine aged ten months, and a slight portion of the barrels (18%) were new.  Lightness is the first word that comes to mind when describing this Pinot Noir, as the fruit aromas impress with just perfectly ripe wild strawberry and Rainier cherry.  While fresh and bright, it is also intriguingly layered with deeper layers beyond the fruit of freshly turned earth, dusty baking spices, and minerality.