Pinot Noir
Gunsalus Vineyard, 2013

Winemaker's Notes

We have known Glenn and Pam Gunsalus for decades and worked with their Pinot Noir for a bit over one decade. Located in a little pocket of the Green Valley area, this 10 acre vineyard is right across a creek from the (somewhat famous) Keefer Vineyard, yet it enjoys a rather different expression of the area. They have good air drainage and significant afternoon warmth late in the season making it a very unique spot in an area which is normally reported as a cold place all the time. Nothing is that simple, unfortunately.

For a good handful of years I have kept a barrel of wine from this vineyard just for Glenn and Pam, bottling it for their personal use and to reflect upon their hard work and thoughtful choices they regularly make. I have seen how these wines have developed, how beautiful their site is and how their work unfolds in the bottle. Normally an important part of our blended wines, I have been compelled to bottle a small portion of this for ourselves to also celebrate the Gunsalus’ heartfelt, stalwart efforts in their vineyard. This really is a testament to their work on this site and I am proud to share it.

Maraschino cherry and dried red cherry on the nose, there are also nuances of the Kefferesque tomato skin savory note which surfaces on other wines in the locale that are not in the hyper-ripe style. I suspect that in blind tasting comparison, this site may eclipse their more famous neighbor.

Per our style, the fruit vs non-fruit elements are balanced well: red fruits and plum, rose petal are on one side…rose hips in the middle…fresh loam, ripe tomato skin on the other. From past bottlings we have done just for Glenn and Pam, we expect these elements to converge to center over the next few years.