2018 FEL Wines Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 750 ml

We drove the two hours from San Francisco up Highway 101 to meet all-star winemaker and Hanzell Vineyards alum Ryan Hodgins in the sleepy town of Philo. From there, we hopped in Hodgins’ SUV and headed to the “deep end” of Anderson Valley. Hodgins wanted to give us a birds-eye-view of what made the elegant and expansive 93-point FEL Pinot Noir so special. What we saw made it clear why Robert Parker hailed owner Cliff Lede and Hodgins’ “commitment to world-class quality.” 

The “concentrated” and “nervy” 2018 Pinot Noir offers a perfect cross-section of the Valley—the sum of its greatest vineyards. Furthermore, it’s the first vintage crafted in FEL’s brand new, state-of-the-art winery, which is immediately evident in the focus and freshness of this deep-fruited Pinot Noir. At $32 on bottles, it’s available at the best price in the nation any way you slice it. We can’t recommend this highly enough. 

We stepped out of Hodgins’ Toyota Highlander at Wendling Vineyard, the westernmost vineyard in all of Anderson Valley, which sits just four miles from the Pacific. From a hilltop ridge above the vines we could see the entire valley spread out before us. 

Wendling is the first source of FEL’s stunning 2018. On its own, it has yielded numerous 95+-point $60+ single-vineyard Pinot Noirs. As Hodgins told us, “Wendling adds incredible savoriness to the 2018. It’s full of tobacco, cedar, and spice.” 

Next, he pointed down Valley to a grove of ancient redwoods. “That’s Hendy Woods state park. Right next to it is Savoy, our estate vineyard.” Needless to say, we were familiar. Rated in the top five Pinot Noir vineyards in all of Anderson Valley by Wine Enthusiast, Savoy’s iconic fruit has been bottled by the likes of Littorai, Radio-Coteau, Adrian Fog, and of course FEL (often for as much as $70). “Savoy drives the bus,” Hodgins explained. “It contributes the fine-grained tannic structure along with a mix of blue and red fruits—black cherry and raspberry—with a hint of pennyroyal, which grows wild around the vineyard.” 

The last sites Hodgins pointed out were at the far end of the Valley, near Booneville: Ferrington Vineyard (also named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 5 list) and Donnelly Creek. “Ferrington and Donnelly Creek are in the warmest part of Anderson Valley,” Hodgins told us. “They add classic California ripeness and purity to the 2018—it’s the final dimension.” 

Before heading back to Philo we took one last look at the Valley before us, connecting the dots between the vineyards, putting it all together. “We like to call our Anderson Valley Pinot Noir a '10,000-foot view of the Valley,'” Hodgins told us. It made perfect sense. 

Expansive yet perfectly balanced, rich, and complex while elegant and focused, the 2018 FEL Pinot Noir offers a dazzling end-to-end snapshot of Anderson Valley. At $32 on bottles, there is no better price in the country and no better way to take in the view.