Pinot Noir
Platt Vineyard, 2021

Winemaker's Notes

I was lucky to be brought into the initial planting of this fine site a quarter century ago.  Much effort in assessing temperatures, soil changes and knowledge about rootstock-soil interactions was applied to the development of this vineyard.  I feel lucky to have been a small part of this quantum leap in viticultural understanding and execution.

The 2021 vintage was quite spectacular in many ways.  It was rather drought-affected and the concentration of the wines in all sites I work with is quite evident.  For this site, it really played into the strengths of this expression of Pinot Noir.  When you look at the structure and concentration of the grape material and juxtapose it with our lengthy time in barrel on lees which returns much of this grape material the yeast removes when alive, it makes so much sense.  It’s like a full-circle of plant material.

If color had an aroma, ‘light purple’ is what this wine smells like.  Fresh and dried flowers and fruits, savory and slightly herbal elements show as well as a tiny note of freshly caught salmon flesh float along in succession in a beguiling way.  Texturally, also beguiling as something so substantial in the middle palate  finishes so delicately.

Sadly, this is our last vintage of a great 15 year run of working with this site.

Antonio Galloni writes: The 2021 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard is one of the most compelling wines I have ever tasted from Fred Scherrer. Aromatic, deep and beguiling, the 2021 has so much to offer. Dried herbs, cinnamon, leather, incense, tobacco and wild cherry all build in the glass. The 2021 is distinguished in this range by its intensely savory, coastal character. It’s the last Platt Pinot from Fred Scherrer, and one of his finest from this site. 96 points.