VINEYARD Gap’s Crown, Koplen, Garys’, Kanzler
CLONES 667, 115, Pommard/115, Pisoni
ORIENTATION North/South
TRELLISING Cane pruned, bi-lateral cordon, uni-lateral cordon
SOIL Goulding Cobble Loam and Raynor Clay, Alluvial, Glacial Alluvial, Goldridge
FERMENTATION 1-ton bins / 4-5-ton stainless steel tanks / 5-day cold soak / 9-day ferment / 100% de-stemmed
OAK 50% new French oak / 16 months
ALCOHOL 14.8%
pH 3.53
TA 5.60 g/L
BOTTLING DATE January 25, 2011
AROMA
Vibrant berry, dark cherry and vanilla dominate the nose with a slight touch of spice.
PALATE
Intense and seamless. Layers of blackberry and sweet plum converge on the palate to deliver a thrill ride of intense flavors. A dusting of sweet chocolate and warm spice leads to a silky, mouth coating and lengthy 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
