Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley, 2000

$ 120.00

While grown primarily in the sandy Goldridge soil, which tends to produce Pinot Noir with flavors of red fruits and orange peel, this wine also illustrates some of the deep, brooding black cherry character generally found in the region’s clay soils. It was bottled without fining or filtration, and should age gracefully for a handful of years.

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Winemaker's Notes

While to many of you, I seemed to be apologetic for the 1999 Pinot Noirs at this time last year, they have developed well beyond my own expectations. They have also enjoyed the highest critical praise any of our wines have ever gotten (kind of scary). From the experimental clonal lots that yielded the 1999 ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Little Sister’, I was able to take what I learned, refine it, and apply it. I was able to pick and choose from the clones trusting my sense of what the raw material would bring to the blend. Rather than vinifying them separately, most of the clones were blended in the fermenter, becoming a unit from birth (or rather, from conception). Overall, this 2000 RRV reminds me of the 1999 ‘Big Brother’ with some of the pretty tones of the 1999 ‘Little Sister.’ (You’ll be happy to know I didn’t even think of calling it Hermaphrodite’…till now.) There is just enough grip and guts to make this a serious wine that will benefit from some bottle age. Bottled in early February, it should probably be showing really well by Fathers’ day this year and showing off by the fall and winter holidays. Fun to drink in the shorter term, I do expect this wine to develop well for 4 to 8 years, depending on your storage.