2015 Ayiana Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 750 ml

The 2015 Ayiana Pinot Noir boasts traits we expect to see in $60 bottles: Winemaker trained at cult Burgundy winery Domaine Dujac, hillside vineyard planted to Rochioli and Pommard Pinot clones, a perfectly store library selection… the list goes on.

It’s a boutique wine made in a tiny 199-case quantity, it sailed through our tasting panel, and we knew we had to offer it to our members. 

Ayiana proprietor Catherine Blagden has packed many careers into one lifetime. After college she worked in modeling, journalism, and high tech. Then came personal training and nutrition, which led to an MA in Health Psychology from Stanford. Eventually food and wine became her path, when she pursued an MS in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

UC Davis—plus talent—always opens doors. Catherine soon partnered with Sonoma County Pinot Noir legend Greg La Follette (Flowers + 13 other wineries) as a consulting winemaker, launching several small labels for other people. In 2003, after working a harvest in South Africa, she landed a plum assignment working at Burgundy powerhouse Domaine Dujac. She launched Blagden wines in 2006, but kept things small, selling direct and only to a few choice California restaurants.

Ayiana is a tribute to Catherine’s late mother, Cynthia Grace. Ayiana means “eternal blossom” and was created to honor her. It’s a special cuvée from a dry and warm Sonoma Pinot vintage that gives this good concentration. Eight years in bottle have graced it with a gorgeous bouquet of red and black cherries, black plum, and cherry cola notes. Violets and a kiss of fennel and black tea linger in the periphery, while the palate shows excellent energy and integrated, finely-polished tannins.