Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2003

"This Julia's Pinot Noir has a sweet black cherry and strawberry nose with hints of leather and spice. Velvety texture coats the palate and the finish lingers with notes of cherry and cinnamon spice."
- Fred Holloway, Winemaker

Julia's is hand-harvested from a 235-acre Pinot Noir vineyard in the coolest section of the, family-owned Cambria estate. As expected from the consistency of Cambria's fruit, this vintage speaks boldly of Santa Maria Valley's ideal climate and vineyard conditions for growing Pinot Noir. Formed from alluvial deposits of the Sisquoc River, Cambria's soil is gravelly and exceptionally well draining—restricting vine vigor to promote the growth of Pinot Noir with concentrated and intense flavors. The maritime influences that funnel in from the Pacific Ocean, cloak the Santa Maria Valley in mild temperatures, extending the vineyard's growing season to provide ample time to balance the fruit's acid profile and develop optimal varietal character.

In the vineyard, development of mature flavors lays the foundation for flavor and quality and sets the stage for winemaking. This year, Mother Nature provided us with excellent conditions for the development of distinct, rich Pinot Noir. The vineyard management team was innately aware of the quality throughout the season and carefully managed the growth of this superb crop through meticulous management techniques. Leaf thinning allowed more sunlight on the clusters for full, even ripening. Irrigation was minimized to restrict vine vigor and focus the vine's energy on the development of concentrated flavors. Any underdeveloped fruit was taken off the vines at verasion to promote the growth of densely flavored clusters. The resulting Pinot Noir crop was superb quality.

Individual lots of Pinot Noir were hand-harvested into small, open-top fermenting bins. A cold pre-soak and frequent punch-downs maximized the extraction of flavor and color from the skins. After fermentation, the Pinot Noir was racked into medium-plus toasted French oak, for ten months, to balance the velvety tannins and round out the mid-palate.