Growing Conditions
2014 was another in a series of excellent vintages in Anderson Valley. A warm, dry spring initiated early budbreak and segued into a consistently mild summer characterized by cool, foggy mornings, warm afternoons and cool evenings. These conditions produced grapes with an ideal balance of ripe fruit flavors and bright, refreshing acidity.
Winemaking
Our 2014 Apple Barn Pinot Noir blends three of the wine world’s most renowned pinot noir clones: the French Dijon clone 115 (46% of the blend) and the Swan (32%) and Pommard (22%) selections from California (although they originated in France’s Burgundy region). Clone 115 contributes perfumed aromas and dark color to the blend while the Swan’s tiny berries result in deeply concentrated flavors. The Pommard selection adds structured tannins and a lovely spice note. Each of the lots we harvested in 2014 was cold-soaked and fermented separately to maximize its unique character, with native yeast from the vineyard initiating the fermentation, which was completed using a cultured yeast strain. Gentle daily punchdowns of the skins during fermentation extracted optimal color, flavor and tannin. The component lots aged six months in French Burgundian oak barrels (42% new) tailored to their respective character before being blended. The blended wine spent another four months in barrel prior to bottling in July, 2015.
Aging
10 months in French oak barrels, 42% new
