Technical Details

Composition:
100% Pinot Noir

Vineyard Sources:
100% Bien Nacido Vineyard

Production: 77 cases
Alcohol by volume: 13.6%
pH: 3.48
Titratable acidity: 0.57 g/100ml
Cellaring potential: Four to seven years
Bottle price: $45

This is the 19th vintage of Pinot Noir we've produced from the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard. Our grapes have always come from the same 1.6 acre section of Block N.

Over the years Block N has become a very desirable section. I've certainly been very pleased with the award winning Pinots I’ve produced from this block.

2011 was not kind to grape growers in our area in terms of crop yields. On September 20th we harvested only 1.4 tons of fruit from our 1.6 acre section, about half of normal, with a moderate sugar level of 23.4 Brix. The grapes were 100% destemmed and crushed into a small open top fermenter. After an eight day fermentation, the wine was pressed off, settled and transferred to French oak barrels to begin aging. Due to the intense nature of this vintage, I gave the wine an additional four months of barrel aging before bottling in January 2013.

The wine has a medium dark ruby color and the aromas are a complex array of cranberries, dried cherries, forest floor, sage and root beer. On the palate it is medium bodied with taut, extracted flavors of cherries and cranberries. The oak vanillin is very well integrated with the wine’s spicy elements. The light tannins and high acidity give the wine a long, clean finish. It has the characteristics of a whole cluster fermented wine, despite being entirely destemmed.

Serve this wine with veal, pork and poultry dishes.