Although a solid effort, I find less to get excited about in the 2010 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard, which comes across as austere and unyielding, especially next to the Presidio. Firm tannins frame hints of dark red fruit, smoke, tar and incense. Dragonette used 17% whole clusters on the Fiddlestix, and my impression is that the wine still needs time to integrate. Today, the Fiddlestix comes across as a bit burly and foursquare, yet there is something fascinating about it as well. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018.
Dragonette is one of the most fascinating wineries in the Central Coast. The best wines are truly world class, and I don’t use those words lightly. At the same time, Dragonette suffers from the syndrome of trying to do an awful lot – maybe too much. At last count, Dragonette makes six Syrahs, eight Pinot Noirs, three Sauvignon Blancs, two Grenaches, a Mourvedre and a few other niche bottlings, all from vineyards in Santa Barbara County, the Santa Rita Hills and Paso Robles. That is a huge number of different wines from equally diverse appellations for what is essentially a small operation. It seems obvious, at least to me, that the overall level of quality and consistency would be much higher if Dragonette focused on their strengths.