Poco a Poco Russian River Pinot Noir 2018
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Growing grapes and making wine is poco a poco, little by little. When a block of vines takes an extra few years to grow up the stake, it’s poco a poco. When each cluster of grapes is sorted by hand, it’s poco a poco. When the wine in barrel takes a month or two longer to finish fermentation, it’s poco a poco. We live in a time when most things can be made, ordered, and consumed in a matter of days. The beauty of winegrowing is that we must live poco a poco.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.