Nose
The aroma is laced with blueberry and
cherry notes.
Palate
On the palate the flavors of ripe plum mingle
with accents of black tea, smoke, and exotic spices. The wine is
supple but chewy, velvety and structured. It is the richest
Pinot Noir I've ever made.
Growing Conditions
The cool summer weather in the Carneros
promoted excellent flavor development in our
Pinot Noir. Very warm weather in September
pushed the flavors to intense perfection just
prior to picking.
Harvest
Hand-harvested grapes.
Bottling
Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled April 2001.
Winemaking
♦ Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors
♦ Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 10 days to completion
♦ Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels
Aging
Aged 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Coopers: Remond,
Francois Freres, and Seguin Moreau
Appearance
The wine has a beautiful deep
red/black color.