Bodega Ridge is the second of Occidental’s two estate vineyard properties in the Freestone-Occidental area of the West Sonoma Coast, distinguished from the Bodega Headlands by its position and soil composition, and the site from which both the Bodega Ridge Pinot Noir and the Running Fence Vineyard Cuvée Catherine are produced. The Bodega Ridge wine represents Occidental’s most concentrated and structurally powerful expression of the West Sonoma Coast terroir, a wine with a broader frame and deeper fruit density than the more ethereal Cuvée Elizabeth.

The West Sonoma Coast’s extreme Pacific influence, characterised by perpetual afternoon fog and wind, dramatically slows the ripening of Pinot Noir compared to warmer Sonoma Coast sites, producing wines of striking natural acidity, deep colour and considerable tannin structure. The Bodega Ridge Vineyard is farmed without chemical inputs, and the approach in the winery is fundamentally interventionist only when necessary: native yeast fermentations, careful sorting, minimal new oak and long élevage are the defining choices. The 2022 season was challenging in its heat and fire events but the coastal headlands were largely insulated, and produced a wine of exceptional concentration.

Occidental’s 2022 range attracted superlatives from critics on both sides of the Atlantic, with the Bodega Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir earning 97 points from both the Wine Advocate and Vinous, the highest scores given to any wine in Occidental’s lineup aside from the SWK Vineyard and the Cuvée Elizabeth in this vintage. Antonio Galloni of Vinous described the 2022 as a wine of “layered aromas of cranberry sauce, Earl Grey tea leaves, bitters and foresty undertones” with tremendous concentration and juicy acidity. The estate distributes exclusively via mailing list in very small quantities.

Layered aromas of cranberry sauce, Earl Grey tea leaves, bitters and foresty undertones, becoming more floral as it airs. The palate derives power from sheer concentration of pure, expressive, spicy fruit, structured by powdery tannins, with tremendously juicy, mouthwatering acidity throughout.  — Wine Advocate