Twomey Cellars by Silver Oak Russian River Pinot Noir 2008

Our 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was sourced from our West Pin Vineyard and Crinella Vineyard. both vineyards are sustainably farmed.

The 2008 growing season started cool and dry, carrying over the drought effects from 2007. The dry weather continued into April when a number of frosts followed by a warm, breezy bloom period combined to create a small and intense crop of berries. Summer weather was mild and temperatures rarely exceeded 90°F. Fog was notably absent for most of the summer. August brought perfect warm weather which pushed ripeness along giving us ideal flavor development and a very early harvest. Lower crop levels, greater light intensity due to smaller berry size and reduced fog combined to create an exceptional vintage of Russian River Valley fruit.

The fruit was harvested during the cool early mornings and then rigorously sorted and destemmed. Whole clusters were added to open-top fermenters. The must underwent a seven-day cold soak to gently extract the grapes' delicate flavors and color. Each clone from each vineyard was fermented separately to allow the greatest expression of each site. The cap was punched down every six hours to further extract color and aroma at the height of fermentation. After 14-21 days on skins, the free run juice was drained and the wine was gently pressed off the skins. The wine was aged for 13 months sur lies in 100% French Burgundy barrels, 50% new.