"The 2023 Freestone-Occidental wine shares the same winemaking techniques as our vineyard designated pinot noirs. Crystalline, bright, mouthwatering, and a bit salty with a saline mineral finish, the 2023 Freestone-Occidental evokes juicy red berries and a near perfect balance of finesse and energy – of bright, primary red fruits and saline elements. It conveys outstanding precision and lift in the mouth and finishes vibrant and long with beautifully sculpted tannins. Its modest alcohol (13%) makes this wine a perfect complement to any meal. It is delicious now and will develop nicely in bottle." —winemaker

"This is another knockout Pomarium Pinot Noir. With every passing year, Pomarium becomes a more refined and complex cuvée and increasingly my personal favorite Pinot from our vineyard. It is the most muscular wine with aromas straddling red and black fruits (think plum skin) with a little more tannin in the finish from whole cluster fermentation and the contribution of the Calera clonal selection of Pinot Noir. It cannot be categorized as brawny, however, with fetching high-toned floral notes and a new leather aroma that speaks to its youthfulness. This is also a wine to pay attention to as you drink the bottle as it evolves over the course of a meal. Deeper notes emerge, the wine softens, the brashness mellows. This profile does not require a hefty dish to pair harmoniously due to refreshing acidity, soft tannins, and moderate alcohol. All of our Pinot Noirs pair well with proteins ranging from fish to heavier red meats; one of their strengths, in my mind. I encourage you to buy enough Pomarium to taste over a stretch of time. It will evolve and remain interesting for as long as you desire to hold it." —winemaker

"A bright, magenta color with pinkish red edges shows intensity, youthfulness and concentration. Aroma sequences immediately leap from the glass with freshness and vigor. There are red berries, freshly cut straw, rhubard and elegantly perfumed red flowers. A blood orange zest inermixes with herbes de provence, cranberries, and tigh-grained French barrique. The structure of the wine is medium-plus at first, but as the wine unfolds in the mid-palate it begins to tighten and constrict. Acid levels are earnest in this wine, but there is a broad density that seems to take a combative stance to its brightness as the finish expands into chalky minerality, tangerine spice and an underlayment of crushed river rock. An argument can be made that this is the most impressive bottling that Jean-Nicolas Méo has achieved yet." —winemaker