VINEYARD Gap’s Crown, Koplen, Keefer Ranch, Garys’
ORIENTATION North/South and East/West
TRELLISING Cane Pruned, Uni-lateral cordon, Bi-lateral cordon
SOIL Goulding Cobble Loam, Glacial Alluvial, Goldridge, and Josephine Loam
HARVEST September 29 – October 12, 2011
FERMENTATION 1-ton bins / Four 5-ton stainless steel, wood open top tanks / Cold soak for 5 days on average / Ferment for 9 days on average / 100% de-stemmed
OAK 75% new French oak / 16 months
ALCOHOL 14.8%
pH 3.51
TA 6.2 g/L
AROMA
Raspberry, Bing cherry and vanilla cola aromatics lead the nose and are harmonized with a refined spiciness.
PALATE
Delicate and balanced, with opulent plum and juicy raspberry fruit converging to complete a seamless flavor experience. Structured tannins are on the forefront leading to a sustained and unctuous finish.
Although the 4-Barrel is our smallest lot, it requires the most attention to detail. As an example, a 5% blending change is very subtle, but it can have a big impact when we’re dealing with four barrels of wine. One change results in a 25% shift in the blend, making the puzzle very difficult to complete. These four special barrels are identified from 70 different lots of Pinot Noir. We select 20 of our most special barrels we think would be the best components to blend, narrowing the set down to the final four. We make this wine with no vineyard or appellation restrictions. The goal with this wine is to produce a Pinot Noir that is ultimately balanced, but more than anything, delicious to drink.
With soaring aromas and pure, exquisite flavors, these are incredible wines from a not-to-be-missed vintage.
– Julien Howsepian
