Tech Notes
Yield: 2.0 tons per acre
Harvest: August 19th-30th
Numbers @ Harvest: 23.8° Brix, 3.4 pH, 7.0 grams acidity
Barrel Regimen: French Burgundy 50% new, 50% 1 year
Bottling: October 2014, no fining or filtration
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasting Notes
Release Date: Fall 2016
2013 was the beginning of what has now been a four year run of early harvests. The drought conditions were very evident and we began picking the fruit on August 19th. At the time we thought this was a huge anomaly but now, in the fall of 2016, it seems like the new norm.
The vintage signature is intensity with a huge spicy nose which is slightly stemmy from our new/old method of whole cluster fermentation. We had abandoned this method for twenty-four years but began using it again with the 2007 vintage. Whole cluster fermentations are a major topic among the artisan Pinot Noir world. What it gives is a level of complexity in both the aromas and flavors. It can, however, detract if misused, so it must be a careful, practiced art.
Lovely spicy, intense aromas that are unmistakable Pinot Noir—deep complex, raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry—combine with oak and an earth-born nuance. Flavors are deep across the palate, echoing the complexity of the aromas. Given the style of the 2013, it should give optimum drinking pleasure early on yet, given our history, it is destined for a multi-decade future.
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