Occidental Wines

Pinot Noir 'Bodega Headlands Vyd - Cuvee Elizabeth'

Pinot Noir 'Bodega Headlands Vyd - Cuvee Elizabeth'

Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vyd Cuvee Elizabeth
  • Certified Sustainable
  • 100% Pinot Noir
  • Bodega Headlands Vineyard was planted in 1999 by Steve Kistler
  • Certified Sustainable
  • West/Southwest Orientation
  • Goldridge, sandy loam soils over marine sediment and fossils
  • Hand-harvested at night
  • Hand-sorted as clusters before completely destemming
  • Each vineyard block is fermented separately in 2-4 ton fermenters
  • Not cold-soaked prior to fermentation
  • Native yeast fermentation
  • Punch downs are used only as needed to distribute the heat of fermentation, ensuring a gentle extraction
  • After fermentation is complete, the tanks are drained and only the free-run wine is transferred by gravity to Francois Freres barrels (25% new) to age 11 months
  • Native malolactic fermentations
  • Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a minimum level of SO2 (~50 ppm)
  • 13.3% abv

Info

Producer:
Occidental Wines
Vintage:
2023
Country:
United States
Region:
California
Appellation:
West Sonoma Coast
Variety:
Pinot Noir
Color:
Red
Farming Practice:
Sustainable

Sizes Available

Full Bottle US-OCC-41-23 12/750ml

Resources

Request POS

Press & Reviews

Vinous
Score
97
Date
2026-01-13
"The 2023 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is a wine of pure and total seduction. Tiny yields and a cool, drawn-out growing season produced a rich, textured Pinot that embodies the personality of the West Sonoma Coast"namely, its ability to produce Pinots with rich fruit at relatively low sugar levels. Hints of lavender, blue-toned fruit and exotic spice build into a layered, racy Pinot."
Wine Advocate
Score
94+
Date
2026-01-12
"The 2023 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is layered and spicy on the nose: sweet red cherry and pomegranate mingle with wafts of rooibos tea, red licorice, woodsmoke, saline and bitters. The light-bodied palate reveals complex layers of crunchy, earth-laced fruit and the mossy character reminiscent of a coastal forest. It™s framed by firm, lacy tannins and bright acidity, and its structural tension, combined with how dramatically it unfurls with air, suggests it will be long lived in the cellar."

REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES

2022
Decanter
Score
100
Date
2025-03-22
"I've tasted very few wines that feel as complete as the 2022 Occidental Cuvée Elizabeth. Like the 2021 vintage, it™s the most floral and ethereal in the lineup, but this new release reaches new heights. It comes from the estate Bodega Headlands vineyard, where the vines already tend to give tiny berries and low yields. With 2022 being such a warm vintage, the crop was even smaller than usual, making the flavours and aromas way more vivid. With a highly expressive nose, you get a beautiful bouquet of violets and wet lavender mixed with the scent of cool, damp soil. A dusting of baking spice and a clean, salty breeze root this wine unmistakably in the West Sonoma Coast. On the palate, cranberries, pomegranate juice, and wild berries blend into a juicy and lively core. Satin-fine tannins bring just enough structure without getting in the way of the wine™s elegant frame. Bright acidity lifts everything into a long, satisfying finish. It™s a wow-moment wine. Truly beautiful. Tasted from bottle E2021."
2022
Vinous
Score
95
Date
2025-01-30
"Silky, aromatic and light on its feet, the 2022 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is a wine of exquisite finesse and understated beauty. Bright acids lift a core of gentle red/purplish fruit in this classy, polished Pinot from Occidental. All the elements are so well balanced."
2022
Wine Advocate
Score
95+
Date
2025-01-16
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth is deep and heady on the nose. Youthful pomegranate and rhubarb give way to cinnamon, red licorice, hibiscus and rooibos tea, plus the complex woodsy and spicy undertones characteristic of the Occidental wines. The palate offers concentration without weight, flooding the mouth with waves of crunchy, saline-laced red fruit. It™s structured by lacy tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents. It will benefit from several years in the cellar."
2022
Wine Spectator
Score
95
Date
2025-05-14
"Full of alluring charm in the form of dried rose hip, rooibos tea, white pepper and cherry coulis notes that drive through, showing subtle but persistent underlying energy. Hibiscus and mulberry details add range and length alongside a flash of ocean breeze minerality. Best from 2026 through 2037."J.M."