Growing Conditions

Winter 2015 was the warmest on record, resulting in early budbreak. Cooler, wetter weather in spring months slowed development, however, leading to a challenging, extended bloom period. The resulting uneven fruit set translated to a small crop and smaller berries with very concentrated flavors. Weather throughout the summer growing season was consistently warm, bringing on a very early harvest.

Our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a blend of two heritage selections, Pommard and
Swan from Bucher Vineyard and Pommard and 828 Dijon Pinot Noir clones from Platt
Vineyard.

Harvest

August 5th (Bucher Pommard & Swan South), August 11th (Bucher Swan North), and
September 2nd (Platt)

Bottling

This wine was lightly fined with egg whites and bottled without filtration.

Winemaking

As traditionally practiced in Burgundy, we used an anaerobic approach to preserving the freshness and fruit characteristics of our Pinot Noir. It was tank fermented with native-yeast and native malolactic fermentation in barrel.

Aging

Aged sur lies with monthly bâtonnage and spent thirteen months in 95% new French barrels (François Frères & Taransaud) that were conditioned through Chardonnay fermentation.