Nose
dark cherry, blueberry, black raspberry and plum aromas with hints of earth and spice.
Palate
Rich and mouthfilling on the palate, its concentrated black cherry, huckleberry and black plum flavors gain a zesty spice tone on the long, savory finish. Finely structured by round, supple tannins and balanced acidity
Growing Conditions
The 2012 vintage was one of California’s finest in recent memory. Consistently mild summer weather free of rain and significant heat spikes produced a healthy crop of ripe, concentrated fruit. These conditions allowed us to harvest our Apple Barn Vineyard pinot noir grapes at optimum maturity between September 20th and October 1st.
Winemaking
Our 2012 Apple Barn Pinot Noir is a blend of four superior clones of the variety: the famed Swan (40% of the blend) and Pommard selections, which have long been grown in California, and the superb French Dijon clones 777 and 115. Each clonal lot was harvested, cold-soaked and fermented separately to maximize its character. Gentle daily punchdowns during fermentation extracted optimal color, flavor and tannin from the skins. The four lots aged for six months in French Burgundian oak barrels (41% new) tailored to their respective fruit profiles before being blended in April, 2013. The blended wine spent another four months in barrel prior to bottling in August, 2013.
Aging
10 months in French oak, 41% new