Syntropy Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021

For Syntropy founder Aaron Whitlach, making wine is the convergence of community and creation. He experiences an energy in the bottle formed by the bonds of farmer, winemaker, glass blower, and cork producer coming together to produce wine. When an old friend from UC Davis began converting an abandoned apple orchard in Sebastopol to vineyards, Aaron again felt that draw of new energy and eagerly awaited the chance for a fruit contract. In 2021, he harvested his first vintage of the Twin Hills Vineyard sustainably farmed Pinot Noir, and Syntropy Wines was born.

Aaron was instantly drawn to Max Reichwage (owner of Twin Hills) when they met at UC Davis in 2010. Both men grew up in the Midwest and had traveled to California to embrace unexpected career paths in wine. Their friendship was one of Aaron's first wine-centric connections and sparked his understanding of the community necessary to bring the fruit from the vine to the bottle. After hitting the books at UC Davis, Aaron dove into hands-on work in the vineyards as an intern for Opus One and as a technical viticulturist for Atlas Vineyard Management. From there, he transitioned to the cellar as the Assistant Winemaker for Mayacamas Vineyard & Winery and eventually as the Winemaker for Green & Red Vineyard, where he works today and has since the 2020 harvest. While Aaron's daily focus is in the cellar, his background in vineyard work informs all of his winemaking decisions. Max's passion and care for rehabilitating his property convinced Aaron to launch a wine brand to showcase the exceptional new life of the once-abandoned property.

The nine acres of vineyard at Twin Hills are supremely primed for fantastic Pinot Noir growing conditions due to the slight incline of its hilltop position and closeness to the Pacific Ocean. Bracing marine winds rush through the vineyard in the late afternoon through the Petaluma Gap, allowing the thin-skinned Pinot Noir grapes to cool down from the hot, midday temperatures and ripen over a more extended period without "cooking" in the sun. In addition to its ideal peak location, Goldridge soil (also lovingly nicknamed Moon Dust by grape growers) is the majority soil type of Twin Hills. The soil is low vigor with fantastic drainage, so the vines struggle for nutrients and seek water, producing concentrated berries with impactful flavor.

Aaron crafted eight barrels of Syntropy's inaugural release 2021 Pinot Noir, with a small percentage of the clusters (10%) remaining whole for the slow and cold fermentation, adding a touch more texture and delicate spice to the wine. Of the eight French oak barrels, only one was new, and the wine aged for 18 months in the barrel before bottling. The result is a wine with ripe red fruits, florals on the nose, and a medium-bodied palate with a refreshing acidity that balances beautifully with soft tannins.