• Certified Sustainable
• 100% Pinot Noir
• Occidental Station Vineyard was planted in 1998 by Steve Kistler
• North/South orientation
• Goldridge, iron-rich sandstone soils mixed with stony pebbles
• 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:
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-43-23 | 12/750ml |
Resources
Press & Reviews
Wine Advocate
Score
98
Date
2026-01-08
"The 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard is complex, refined and singular within the Occidental portfolio this vintage. Medium ruby-purple in color, it has arresting scents of strawberry, raspberry, blood orange, rose petals, red licorice and mushroom"each return to the glass offers a new facet of aromatic nuance, and I simply can™t put down the glass. The medium-bodied palate offers a weightless structure yet is brimming with expressive flavors that range from vivid fruit to bitters and earth. It has a luxurious and silky texture, vibrant acidity that structures its intense flavors and an epically long finish."
Vinous
Score
97
Date
2026-01-13
"The 2023 Pinot Noir Occidental Station is sourced from a site that is further inland than the Occidental estate. It offers a captivating mix of intense dark fruit and equally imposing tannins. The Occidental Station is often the most immediate of the wines in this range, but not in 2023. Readers will have to be patient here, as the dense 2023 is currently defined by its raw, unbridled energy."
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2022
Decanter
Score
97
Date
2025-03-22
"The 2022 Occidental Station Pinot Noir immediately feels like a classic Sonoma Coast expression. This wine comes from the most inland vineyards, on a different ridge from the Bodega Headlands and Bodega Ridge, far enough from the coast to gain warmth but still close enough to keep that signature freshness. The nose is floral and gently earthy, with soft spice, mint, and that coastal lift that ties the Occidental wines together. It™s easygoing at first, but there™s structure underneath"grippy tannins that shape the palate without weighing it down. Red berries, dried herbs, and a cooling note of mint carry through to a long, clean finish. Grounded and approachable wine. A quiet kind of confidence. Tasted from bottle OC1520."
2022
Vinous
Score
96
Date
2025-01-30
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Occidental Station is the most overt of the Pinots in this lineup. Plush, deep layers shape the wine™s frame. Wild cherry, cedar and pipe tobacco all meld together in a supple, creamy Pinot that is already absolutely delicious and ready to go. Time in the glass softens the contours nicely as the 2022 starts to blossom with air. Hints of blood orange, mint and cinnamon linger."
2022
Wine Advocate
Score
96+
Date
2025-01-16
"The 2022 Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard bursts from the glass with intense aromas of cranberry sauce, black raspberry, blood orange, iodine and mushrooms, becoming increasingly nuanced as it airs in the glass. The palate features powerful layers of crunchy fruit matched by vibrant acidity. It™s structured by finely astringent tannins reminiscent of black tea and has a very long, layered finish. It will be long lived in the cellar."
2022
Wine Spectator
Score
94
Date
2025-05-14
"A showy style, with mulberry, cherry and blackberry fruit that glistens prettily, while sleek accents of anise, iris and apple wood add a streamlined feel through the streamlined finish, which shows nice underlying energy. Lovely. Drink now through 2033."J.M."