Freddy R. Troya

9.2

10 NINTHS — Vertex Pinot Noir 2023
Sta. Rita Hills, California. USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A more elevated and refined expression from 10 Ninths, 100% Pinot Noir showcasing greater precision, delicacy, and polish. This wine leans clearly into elegance and restraint, aligning beautifully with a terroir-driven, finesse-focused Pinot profile.

Aromas & Flavors
Subtle red fruits, red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, layered with delicate floral tones, gentle spice, and a whisper of mineral tension. Everything feels finely etched rather than bold or overt.

Mouthfeel
Silky, lifted, and impeccably balanced. The palate glides with finesse, showing purity of fruit, clean structure, and a graceful, lingering finish that emphasizes clarity over power.

Food Pairings
Duck breast, herb-roasted poultry, tuna crudo, porcini dishes, truffle pasta, or alpine cheeses.

Verdict
A beautifully composed, terroir-driven Pinot Noir that prioritizes elegance, nuance, and transparency. This sits squarely in my preferred stylistic lane, refined, precise, and intellectually satisfying.

Did You Know?
Only 140 cases were produced, making this an ultra-limited bottling and a true micro-production expression within the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.

🍷 Personal Pick
I have particular appreciation for small-batch wineries producing exceptional wines. This one earns my admiration for its precision, restraint, and quiet confidence. — a month ago

romo

9.1

Textbook chenin, full satisfying mid-palate. Would have enjoyed this earlier in the sequence. — 3 years ago

Michelle

9.5

Enjoying a glass of wine with my soon to be husband while playing Sequence while snacking on a charcuterie board! 🍷 Xo — 4 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Flight 4 , wine 2. This was quite a difficult wine to read at first , again quite closed , mineral and tobacco edged . Dark fruits. On the palate rounder than expected , good richness and balance , dark cherry , blackberry fruit . Good rounded tannin and ok length . Quite obviously Bordeaux in the context of this tasting , though I had this as the Lynch Bages 1982 when it was actually the Brane Cantenac 1986 …..I give up ! 90

This was an interesting , though challenging tasting , all served blind in flights of 2 wines , 3 flights of 1 Napa and 1 Bordeaux and 1 of 2 Bordeaux; served in a random sequence . The fact that at least a couple of wines were not pristine didn’t help , though if you will taste 8 , 40 year old wines that is probably par for the course . I found it relatively easy to spot whether what was in the glass was Napa or Bordeaux but didn’t actually get a single wine completely correct ! Probably overall the winner of the tasting was Napa (won the 3 rounds 2-1) as they had more suave polished , rounded personalities. Many put the wines the wrong way round , imagining that Napa was Bordeaux etc. The 1982s in general showed poorly too much funk and brett on the Lynch and Talbot but the Duhart showed surprisingly well . The 86s both showed pretty well and equalled the Dominus (even though I didn’t think we had a pristine bottle) . The Montelena was enjoyable , though was the first to oxidise whilst the Inglenook was the biggest positive surprise , still drinking surprisingly well at 47 . — a year ago

Nikki Hamburger

9.2

Drank with mom and Kim.
Played sequence! — 4 years ago

Kenneth Doll

9.4

Lived up to the hype. Really expressive with flavors arriving in sequence like an orchestra of fruits. Subtle enough not to overwhelm though. Shame the owner was unavailable to partake, but they had a good reason. — 5 years ago

with Tracy

Ellen Clifford

9.1

It had classic Chenin telltales—hints of honey on citrus and apples with ripping acidity. Literally, the only physical note I made was simply, “I love Chenin.” — 2 years ago

Adam Kincaid

9.1

Dark ruby color with an earthy spice aroma sequence: clove, thyme, black tea. Good red fruit flavors of pomegranate, cherry, and strawberry. Leans more fruit than earth. Good strong tannins but not overpowering. Medium acidity. Really refreshing. — 2 years ago

with Jillian

Ely Cohn

9.2

Pings your nostrils with sequence of subtle vibrations at hummingbird frequency. Lime, orange blossom, burnt match. Then a slow slip into my absolute favorite honeyed dimension. I love when honey shows up - it's one of my favorite notes in wine. Here it changes the direction from steely stern face to a textured viscous warm smirk. — 4 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.1

Underwhelmed. Such great promise after smelling well integrated oak with crisp red fruit aroma, which foreshadowed great promise....not so. Not a bad wine but rather single note, nothing evolved while carefully sipping it. Lingering, lasting finish for sure. But that felt like watching a pretty boring fire work show with more of the same in rapid sequence during the grand finally. — 6 years ago

with Tammy