Faith Armstrong’s “Onward” Pinot Noirs are among the first domestic wines I reach for when converting my Burgundy-obsessed peers. At half the cost, her 2013 “Hawkeye Ranch” possesses all the exotic mystery of a delicious Volnay 1er Cru and it is my favorite wine she bottles. This is a rare bird—what little is released each vintage sells out briskly to top restaurants in San Francisco and New York.
And while every vintage we’ve tasted is a hedonistic pleasure on its own, the experience is imbued with even greater meaning when one considers how hard Faith—a pickup truck driving, soccer practice-attending, mother of four—works to bring this wine to life. We drink with an even broader smile knowing that each bottle puts her closer to affording her first real cellar and tasting room. Faith Armstrong is on the verge of wine stardom and we're confident the cost of this single vineyard cuvée will soon increase to one more proportional to the buzz surrounding her wines.
In the glass, the 2013 Onward Pinot Noir “Hawkeye Ranch” transitions from translucent red and crimson hues to a blood orange tone on the rim that could easily masquerade as Burgundy. This wine’s noticeably un-doctored appearance mirrors the purity of the wine’s aromatic palette: dried rose petals, mountain flowers, dried black mushroom, provençal herbs, tajine spice, tart cherries, confit rhubarb, blood orange, and strawberry leaf - all married with the perfectly delicate kiss of neutral French barrel age. And as in past vintages, this bottle balances these ethereal aromas with palpable power and directness on the palate. This complex and superb expression of Pinot Noir is exactly what we look for in the variety, be it of Burgundian or Californian origin. We have enjoyed multiple cases of this wine over 3-4 vintages and today can share a few valuable and time-tested pieces of advice. First, this is one of the truly cellar-worthy Pinot Noirs in the “New California” landscape. It is not an overripe, flabby wine that only offers fleeting immediate gratification before deflating after a year or two; this is the real deal. Faith’s first releases are only growing more expressive and characterful as they age —and while 2009 was her first Pinot Noir vintage, after a recent tasting we’re confident that it still offers at least a decade more of evolution and prime drinking. So if you’re looking to add domestic depth to your cellar, this wine is a slam dunk. Next, we cannot emphasize strongly enough that this wine is built for the table! It is a dream with simple salmon preparations, a no-brainer with pork chops, and a surprisingly deft companion to barbecue. In short, this is an ideal “skeleton key” to keep around for dinner parties—it accommodates a variety of cuisines while being approachable to a diversity of wine tastes. Everybody wins!