Our
goal with Pinot Noir is to make the wine in the vineyards;
toughing each vine 12 – 15 times from pruning to harvest –
picking on the right day & gently handling the wine,
capturing the juicy, richness while preserving and
highlighting the balance, multi-layered complexity and
sensual side of Pinot.
The grapes for this 2004 Pinot Noir were picked in small
lots between September 20th and October 16th.
This fruit comes from our own vineyards. These are
southeastern exposure hillside vineyards on Vine Hill in the
center of the Russian River Valley. Founder & winemaker Guy
Davis planted these vines at his home in 1996. It is planted
to 4 clones – 777, 667, 115 and Pommard. In this 2004
vintage the yield was just under 2 tons per acre.
The grapes were fermented in six small temperature
controlled fermenters, each clone kept separate. All
determinations from bud break to blending are made according
to smell and taste by grower/winemaker Guy Davis.
The fermenters were all punched down several times each day
during their
3 – 4 week fermentation. The lots all had a small portion of
whole clusters. Some fermenters were pressed just prior to
dryness & barreled early to complete fermentation in barrel;
some were pressed at dryness and some underwent extended
maceration for an additional 7 – 10 days. Each lot was
managed individually according to its specific texture
profile. None of the lots were ever pumped – the wine is
moved only by gravity or by pushing the wine with argon gas.
All lots were aged in 100% French Oak., approximately 40% of
which is new. Various coopers are used but only wood from 2
forests – Allier and Troncais are purchased from those
coopers. Those forests grow in the cooler regions of France
& have a tighter grain , leading to more subtle oak
character. All the barrel staves are air dried a minimum of
30 months. This 2004 vintage spent a total of 11 months in
barrel. The final pH of the wine is 3.72 and the alcohol is
14.05%. |
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| AWARDS |
| 2006 |
| Los Angeles County Fair - Double Gold,
BOC* |
| North of the Gate Wine Competition -
Double Gold, BOC* |
| Sonoma County Harvest Fair -
Double Gold,
BOC* |
| Riverside International Wine Competition -
Gold |
| San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition -
Gold |
| Critics Challenge - Critics Award |
| Beverage Testing Institute - 86pts.,
Silver |
| New World International Wine Competition -
Silver |
| California State Fair Wine Competition -
Silver |
| Orange County (CA) County Fair Wine
Competition - Silver |
| San Francisco International Wine
Competition - Bronze |
| Starwine International Wine Competition -
Bronze |
|
| *BOC = Best of Class |
|
