Founded in 2004, Anthill Farms is a project that started
after three cellar rats working at one of the pinnacles of West Coast Pinot
producers, Williams Selyem, took a road trip up to Oregon after the harvest of
2003 to visit wineries in the Willamette Valley. Along the long drive up, they had plenty of
time to talk and contemplate their futures in the wine industry. Encouraged by some of the small-producing
Oregon winemakers that they visited, the three drafted a plan to start making a
wine of their own, despite having little money in their pockets nor really
having a ton of technical winemaking experience. Little did they know that they would end up
creating one of California's newest cult Pinots and would be grouped within an
elite circle of the best Pinot producers on the West Coast.
Anthony Filiberti grew
up in Sonoma County and was lured to wine at an early age. He learned winemaking at Bergstrom Winery in
Newberg, Oregon, Hafner Vineyards in the Alexander Valley, and at Williams
Selyem. In addition to making Anthill Farms,
he is also now the winemaker for the famed Hirsch
Vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA.
David Low grew up in Kansas but got hooked on wine while attending
the University of California Berkeley. A
short stint as a computer programmer was followed by a change of heart that took
him to cellar jobs at both Williams Selyem and Papapietro Perry. Web
Marquez grew up on the East Coast and attended college in Virginia. Here he began working as an assistant winemaker
at Jefferson Vineyards before moving to Sonoma County where he joined Williams
Selyem. Currently he is the assistant winemaker at Belvedere Winery in
Healdsburg in addition to his commitment to Anthill Farms.
When asked about the inspiration
behind the name Web Marquez admits, "We didn't know whether the name was really
great or really dumb. It came about
because we're all winemakers and people would see us all scrambling around
trying to grab the same hose at once; they said it was like watching a bunch of
ants." The trio's goal is to craft Pinot
Noirs which express the personalities of the tiny individual vineyards they
source from and the characteristics of the vintage, but above all else, taste good! They farm many of the small plots where they
buy their grapes, and the results of this labor of love are remarkably
seductive wines reflective of cool climate, coastal vineyards.
With this Pinot, Anthill Farm
creates a food-friendly, more structured wine that beautifully expresses the
unique character of the Anderson Valley.
This valley shelters a surprisingly harmonious blend of the wild and the
civilized: in one vista, one can see sheep ranches, redwood groves, apple
orchards, and impenetrable oak scrub.
Fresh, crunchy red fruits along with dried rose and herbal hints of mint
and tea leaf are at the core of this wine surrounded by textured tannins and a
fresh and savory finish. Another
no-brainer for a Pinot of this stature at this price point.
