This is the 26th release of our Mendocino Pinot Noir, with this being a
reserve wine from Anderson Valley. Mendocino County’s cool climate
produces a very elegant and rich style of Pinot Noir with balanced acidity,
dark color, full tannins and very fruity flavors. Our style is much more
French Burgundy than California.
The grapes for this wine come from a truly unique vineyard located within
Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. 100% of the blend is from the
Valley Foothills vineyard, grown by our friend Casey Hartlip
This wine is dark purple garnet in color and Burgundian in style; with
rich, full and attractive aromas/flavors of ripe black cherries, plum, toasty
oak and hints of earth. Soft tannins, balanced acidity and a rich, velvety
mouth-feel produce a luscious wine that is enjoyable now and will develop
more complexity with additional aging in the bottle.
Food Pairing:
Delicious companions with this wine are Coq
a vin, veal Saltimbocca, or duck with dried
cherries
Background
This is the 26th release of our Mendocino Pinot Noir, with this being a
reserve wine from Anderson Valley. Mendocino County’s cool climate
produces a very elegant and rich style of Pinot Noir with balanced acidity,
dark color, full tannins and very fruity flavors. Our style is much more
French Burgundy than California.
Vineyards
The grapes for this wine come from a truly unique vineyard located within
Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. 100% of the blend is from the
Valley Foothills vineyard, grown by our friend Casey Hartlip.
Winemaking
All of the fruit was hand-harvested at 25 degrees brix. After crushing,
approximately 20 percent of the grapes were added whole-cluster to cold
soak for 4 days before fermentation. The must was punched down twice
daily for an average of two weeks to gently extract color, flavor and tannins.
After a gentle pressing, the wines were racked into 25% new French oak
barrels where they finished malolactic fermentation with their indigenous
malolactic bacteria. The wines were aged on their secondary lees for 32
months then egg white fined and bottled.
Winemaker Comments
This wine is dark purple garnet in color and Burgundian in style; with
rich, full and attractive aromas/flavors of ripe black cherries, plum, toasty
oak and hints of earth. Soft tannins, balanced acidity and a rich, velvety
mouth-feel produce a luscious wine that is enjoyable now and will develop
more complexity with additional aging in the bottle.
Winemaking Data
Harvest
Date: September 24th
Fermentation & Aging
Fermentation: 4 days of cold soak,
punched down or pumped over twice
a day for 14 days in stainless open
top fermentors
Aging: 32 months in French and
Burgundy barrels (25% new)
Wine
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 14.6%
Total Acidity: 6.9 g/L
pH: 3.62
Residual Sugar: 0.6 g/L
Food Pairing:
Delicious companions with this wine are Coq
a vin, veal Saltimbocca, or duck with dried
cherries.
