Nose
beautifully ripe dark cherry, black raspberry, blueberry and plum compote aromas accented by a fragrant sandalwood spice tone.
Palate
Remarkably deep, dense and concentrated on the palate, the wine’s lush black cherry, red berry and black plum flavors are framed by silky-smooth tannins, leading to a long, sumptuous finish.
Growing Conditions
In 2013, a warm, dry winter and early spring resulted in early budbreak, consistent flowering of the vines, and an excellent fruit set. Summer growing conditions were ideal, with moderately warm days and cool nights fostering steady, even ripening. These conditions allowed us to craft a range of superior varietal wines boasting enviable intensity, structure and balance.
Winemaking
Our 2013 Apple Barn Pinot Noir is a blend of six superior clones of the variety: the famed Swan (42% of the blend) and Pommard (14%) selections, which have long been grown in California, and the superb French Dijon clones 115 (15%), 777 (11%), 375 (11%) and 667 (7%). Each clonal lot was harvested, cold-soaked and fermented separately to maximize its unique character, with gentle daily punchdowns during fermentation extracting optimal color, flavor and tannin from the skins. Fermentation was instigated spontaneously by native yeasts from the vineyard. Given the diversity of yeast strains and species in a vineyard, the population of which varies by variety, site and region, native yeast fermentation fosters greater wine complexity, although we subsequently add cultured yeast to keep the fermentation on track. After six months in French Burgundian oak barrels (34% new) tailored to their respective fruit profiles, the six lots were blended, and the blend spent another four months in barrel prior to bottling in August, 2014.
Aging
10 months in French oak barrels, 34% new
