This 2014 Reserve bottling is a blend of Pinot Noir from the Hallberg Vineyard in Russian River Valley, and the Benoist Ranch, Durell and Sun Chase vineyards from Sonoma Coast. The grapes from these vineyards provide structure and finegrained tannins, along with beautifully concentrated fruit flavors.
Gentle fruit handling is paramount to great Pinot Noir production. Cap management and cold soaking are also key parts of the equation. Cold soaking before fermentation allows for the extraction of more color and flavor from this relatively thin-skinned grape. We utilize both openand closed-top fermenters for our Pinot Noir, always focusing on careful movement of the cap. This regime results in the best extraction of color, flavor and tannins from the skin. Each lot is assessed and individual barrels are tasted, those barrels that show the greatest intensity are kept aside for the Reserve bottling. After 17 months of barrel aging in 100% French oak (39% new), the final selection is made and the blend is assembled. Bottled unfined, this wine receives an additional seven months of bottle age before its release.
The 2014 Reserve Pinot Noir offers beautiful aromas of black cherry, raspberry, tobacco box and baking spice. The vivid floral and black tea aromas offer complexity and lead to a dense yet elegant palate with layers of juicy fruit flavors as well as savory notes of smoked meats and cardamom spice. The wine is seamless and well-balanced with good structure, fine tannins and a long, expressive finish.