You Are Here:
Vineyard Sources
Widely recognized as a difficult grape to grow, this native of the Burgundy region of France achieves greatness in only a handful of places worldwide. The nearly perfect climate combined with an amazing complexity of soil types, result in wines that reflect individual vineyards but share a common thread as well. John and Jim Pedroncelli have worked with the Frank Johnson Vineyard for over 20 years as a source for Pinot Noir. His vineyard straddles two appellations, Dry Creek and Russian River Valley(RRV). In this vintage, we used only the fruit from the Russian River side of the Johnson Vineyard and added two new growers, Mullenhoff and Hover Vineyards. The RRV climate is influenced by the regular intrusion of cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the west. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season while retaining their all-important natural acidity. This is a Pinot Noir that reflects the distinctive traits of the cooler climate area.
Winemaking
Harvest conditions were good for the vintage. The fruit was destemmed and whole berry fermented. The juice and skins were cold soaked before yeast inoculation. Fermentation took ten days in a small stainless steel tank. Pumpovers were performed three times per day for maximum color extraction. The round, full and polished texture of this wine comes not only from the high quality fruit but also judicious use of oak-the wine was aged for 12 months in small French oak barrels. Limited Production.
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
An elegant, medium bodied Pinot Noir. Aromas are bright, highlighted by strawberries and raspberries with clove and toast accents. In the mouth this wine is rich and velvety with juicy cherry and berry flavors. The finish is nicely balanced with moderate tannin.
Technical Information
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Barrel Aging: 12 months, French Oak barrels
Alcohol: 13.8%
pH: 3.54
Total acidity: .59g/100ml
Bottled: December 2006
Widely recognized as a difficult grape to grow, this native of the Burgundy region of France achieves greatness in only a handful of places worldwide. The nearly perfect climate combined with an amazing complexity of soil types, result in wines that reflect individual vineyards but share a common thread as well. John and Jim Pedroncelli have worked with the Frank Johnson Vineyard for over 20 years as a source for Pinot Noir. His vineyard straddles two appellations, Dry Creek and Russian River Valley(RRV). In this vintage, we used only the fruit from the Russian River side of the Johnson Vineyard and added two new growers, Mullenhoff and Hover Vineyards. The RRV climate is influenced by the regular intrusion of cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the west. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season while retaining their all-important natural acidity. This is a Pinot Noir that reflects the distinctive traits of the cooler climate area.
Winemaking
Harvest conditions were good for the vintage. The fruit was destemmed and whole berry fermented. The juice and skins were cold soaked before yeast inoculation. Fermentation took ten days in a small stainless steel tank. Pumpovers were performed three times per day for maximum color extraction. The round, full and polished texture of this wine comes not only from the high quality fruit but also judicious use of oak-the wine was aged for 12 months in small French oak barrels. Limited Production.
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
An elegant, medium bodied Pinot Noir. Aromas are bright, highlighted by strawberries and raspberries with clove and toast accents. In the mouth this wine is rich and velvety with juicy cherry and berry flavors. The finish is nicely balanced with moderate tannin.
Technical Information
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Barrel Aging: 12 months, French Oak barrels
Alcohol: 13.8%
pH: 3.54
Total acidity: .59g/100ml
Bottled: December 2006