Winemaker Notes
Since our entire 2017 production was a barrel and a half we decided to not use any new oak which allowed the site and the purity of the fruit to take center stage. The fruit was fully destemmed and was on skins for 15 days. Aromatically the wine is slower to evolve than in past vintages but when it does it really steps on the gas. You are greeted with hints of pomegranate, bing cherry, burnt orange peel and smoke. The wine is rich and dark fruited without tasting heavy as the higher acidity in this years version helps keep it a bit more spry than the 2016.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.