The core element of this Pinot Noir comes from the Anderson-Ross Vineyard, which is located on the Gravenstein Highway midway between the towns of Sebastopol and Forestville, and sits on a bench rising up from Atascadero Creek—a unique topography that’s often a bit cooler than the surrounding hillsides. This results in an elegant, sublime style of Russian River Pinot Noir. After a five-day cold soak, the fruit underwent fermentation with wild yeast in small, open-top fermenters and was gently punched down a few times each day. Free-run wine was drained directly to barrels and kept separate from the basket-press fraction. The wine aged in Boutes French oak barrels with a medium-toast to highlight the prominent flavor elements, then bottled without filtration. Highly aromatic, this vibrant wine shows red berries and rhubarb aromas overlaid on forest notes. The flavors echo the aromatic impressions with bramble and herbs ending on tart cherry flavors within an elegant mineral frame. Silky tannins with stylish acidity promise early drinking satisfaction along with interesting evolution over the next 2-4 years.