This Pinot Noir is from a vineyard above Nicasio in Marin County, the closest to Bolinas of all the vineyards Sean Thackrey harvests from, and one of the cooler and windier Pinot Noir growing sites in the world. This means the fruit is never baked, fatal to the quality of Pinot in warmer locations; but the vineyard being above the fog line, there's no lack of sun, thus no problem with ripeness. Furthermore, during flowering the wind produces millerandage, or "hens & chicks" in English, meaning in essence a terrible fruit set, with only a minority of fully formed berries in each cluster, the remainder being tiny "shot" berries, so named for their resemblance to buckshot. This means a naturally very high proportion of skins to juice, in turn meaning a Pinot Noir naturally intense in color and flavor. Everything was done to accentuate these (excellent) natural characteristics, and the result is reliably delicious; a Pinot Noir of exceptional authenticity, depth, and complexity; at home; it's hard to keep the corkscrew away from the bottle.