Nose
Huge aromas of
blackberry, espresso, and black cherry.
Palate
Intense and full-bodied on the palate, the
blackberry flavors lean almost toward pie
filling, and there is cassis, yet bright acidity
yields cherry and cranberry flavors as well.
Firm tannin holds everything together, and
rich fruit flavors go on and on through the
finish.
Growing Conditions
The 2012 vintage marks the fourth release of our Russian River Valley Reserve Pinot Noir. Our
source is a 16-acre vineyard located in the heart of the Russian River Valley that was planned
and planted by Anne Moller-Racke in the mid-1990's. For the first time in 2012, our Pommard
block yielded fruit strong enough to make the Reserve bottling, making the 2012 the first
Russian River Reserve to feature a blend of clones. The original building block of the Russian
River Reserve, Dijon 667 continues to make up the majority of the blend. As always the
Russian Reserve Pinot Noir may well be the richest, most full-bodied Pinot Noir in our lineup.
Harvest
The season unfolded event-free, with normal budbreak, and good winter rains to fill the soil profile,
giving us the resources for a promising season. Strong and even shoot growth is one of the benchmarks
for a good season. Flowering occurred late in May, which is very normal, indicating we would pick in late
September. Temperatures at flowering were mild, leading to a healthy fruit set. Most of the summer
months continued with mild weather, allowing for less stress on the vines and causing a slightly larger
berry size than normal, which is one of the reasons 2012 was so bountiful.
The season continued quite perfectly for us growers, with no untimely weather occurrences; overall it
was a mild to cooler season. September saw a few days of heat, which helped to push harvest into gear.
And happily, harvest continued over the course of weeks, allowing us to focus on each of our vineyards,
and blocks, picking them at peak maturity. After the stress of 2011 this was a wonderful gift. All our fruit
was harvested before the first Fall rains visited the valley in mid-October.
Bottling
Blended and bottled in February, 2014.
Winemaking
Both the 667 and the Pommard blocks were hand-harvested at the end of September, fully destemmed,
and cold-soaked in tank for about 8 days. During fermentation the cap was punched-down up to four
times per day, with occasional pumpovers to provide oxygen to the fermentation. After the fermentation
was completed we decided to do a little bit of extended maceration, keeping the wine on the skins for
another week or so, before barreling down to a mix of new and used French oak.
Aging
Malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel over about two months, with completion coming just before
the holidays. At that point the wine was left to age undisturbed on the lees for approximately a year.
Appearance
The 2012 Russian River Reserve is bright
ruby in color.
