Winemaker Notes
What makes this wine so unique is the variety of clones used; over the years it wasn’t always easy to find a specific clone, so Bernhard would take cuttings from friends in Burgundy, not knowing the exact clone. There’s a clear step up in the form of texture from the village wine to the old vines, but we love that the structure doesn’t dominate the wine, it merely supports it. The Pinot Noirs are always destemmed and isn’t afraid to work with a lot of oxygen, resulting in a wine that is quite generous with it’s elegant fruit.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
