WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
Brilliant red in color, this Pinot Noir has great clarity. Clove, nutmeg and bayleaf absolutely leap from the glass. This wine is just loaded with an array of spices. The complex nose leads to bold flavors of red fruits, the most notable being strawberry. Hints of toasty oak and vanilla round out the flavor palate. Full of freshness, the 2014 Pinot Noir finishes with silky, lingering tannin.
HARVEST:
In spite of all the interesting challenges nature handed us in 2014, it will go down in the record books as another year where amazing quality and quantity seemed like an easy task. The year started out with the drought at the top of our minds, but a very welcomed rain storm during bud break set the vines up for great success in the growing season with perfectly timed moisture. The summer had warm, even days which helped along perfectly developing berries. Harvest began in late August, only to have an earthquake rock our worlds half way through picking Sauvignon blanc. The winery was spared any damage, but our Carneros vineyard now has a rather large crack right through the middle. We carried on, like all farmers do, through an even paced harvest that has resulted in amazing color, flavor and textures in the wines that bring us great joy.
FERMENTATION: Open top fermenters with three punch downs daily
AGING: 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new
ACID: 5.1 g/L
pH: 3.7
ALCOHOL: 14.1%