2020 Pinot Noir

Gramm Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Tasting Notes

The flavors are plummy and fruit driven with a touch of vanilla lending it a delightful French vanilla ice cream like finish (without all the sweetness). It's a focused wine with the balanced acidity that is so important to Pinot Noir given its lower tannins. Structurally complete, medium bodied, and hangs in there from first taste to last.

Winemaking Notes

We 100% destemmed this harvest but kept the berries mostly whole. We fermented with a selection of several yeasts to help achieve the profile we were looking for. During fermentation the wine received gentle pumpovers daily to promote body and color without astringency, and we kept the fermentation cool to retain the fresh flavors. The whole berry fermentation accentuated the red fruit profile of this wine. After fermentation, we pressed the wine lightly off the skins and seeds and put it down to barrel to age. As it aged, we stirred the lees back in once per month (a practice known as battonage in France) to promote a creamy mouthfeel, then gently racked the wine before bottling.

Aging

Aged in 80% new French Allier barrels, and 20% neutral barrels, for 6 months.

Food Pairing

Lamb croquettes or pork medallions are a great pairing with this wine. However, this is not a steak wine, our Cabernet is for that! More flavorful lean meats are good choices for pairing here. For vegetarian pairings we recommend experimenting with earthier vegetable dishes using mushrooms, eggplant, lentils, and root vegetables. Butternut squash soup is a great choice with a medium bodied red wine like this. Enjoy this wine upon release at the Tasting Room with Lisa’s truffle lyonnaise. 

Wine Specs
100% Pinot Noir clone 777
13.8% alcohol
120 cases produced