Nose
vibrantly fresh Bing cherry, raspberry and strawberry aromas complemented by hints of rose petal and floral spice.
Palate
Bright and lively on the palate, with lip-smacking berry and red and black cherry flavors, the wine offers delightful citrus, mineral and light spice tones on its long, crisp finish.
Growing Conditions
Following on the heels of the outstanding 2012 and 2013 growing seasons, 2014 was another superb vintage. A warm, dry spring initiated early budbreak, and consistently mild summer weather yielded pristine, perfectly ripened grapes with tremendous flavor concentration and varietal intensity.
Winemaking
The pinot noir grapes for our 2014 Vin de Porche were hand-picked and night-harvested for freshness, then lightly pressed as whole clusters to extract just a blush of color. Our syrah fruit was also hand-picked and night-harvested, but went through the saigneé process, in which free run juice is bled from the grape must (skins and pulp) before the skins can impart too much color, a careful determination made by our winemaker Julianne Laks. While the saigneé lot fermented in stainless steel tanks, the pinot noir juice was fermented in a combination of stainless tanks, stainless steel barrels and neutral French oak barrels. This diversity of fermentation techniques and vessels helped preserve Vin de Porche’s bright, fruity aromas and crisp, vibrant flavors. Three months’ aging in 70% neutral French barrels and 30% stainless steel barrels enriched and rounded out the wine, which was bottled early for freshness in January, 2015.
Aging
3 months in 70% oak, 30% stainless steel
