Winemaker Notes
The 2008 growing season started cool and dry, carrying over the drought effects from 2007. The dry weather continued into April when a number of frosts followed by a warm, breezy bloom combined to create a small and intense crop of berries. Summer weather was mild and temperatures rarely exceeded 90°F. The notable lack of fog enabled the grapes to develop intense color and tannin quickly. The smaller crop size combined with warm late summer temperatures pushed harvest dates earlier than expected. With this vintage we were able to strike a fine balance between aromatic and flavor development on the one hand and retention of fresh acidities and firm tannins on the other.
The fruit was harvested during the cool early mornings then immediately sorted and destemmed. Whole clusters were added to open-top fermenters. The must underwent a seven-day cold soak to gently extract the grapes' delicate flavors and color. Each clone from each vineyard was fermented separately to allow the greatest expression of each site. The cap was punched down every six hours to further extract color and aroma. Following fermentation the free run juice was drained and the wine was gently pressed off the skins. The wine was aged for 13 months sur lies in 100% French Burgundy barrels, 40% new.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A very fine Pinot Noir that shows deep, impressively ripe flavors of raspberry and cherry tart, red currant, licorice and Asian spices, with a rich coating of smoky oak. It’s entirely dry, and has a brisk scour of acidity. Seems best now and for the next few years.
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.