Winemaker's Notes
The first of our 2006 Pinot Noirs to be released, it is the most forward and initially showy. This vintage surprised many of us with sometimes excessive yields and botrytis pressure which, necessitated strict sorting before the destemmer. Fortunately, I had the talented eyes and quick hands of Claudio Marcantonio, a Brazilian musician who had been an oral surgeon earlier in life. This guy possessed something like X-ray vision (or the nose of a truffle pig) that was fine tuned to spot even a small bit of botrytis in the center of a cluster rolling down our wooden sorting table. He kept everyone on their toes, and set the bar very high for some good-natured competition at the sorting table, all to the wine’s benefit. I also declassified a number of barrels from a couple of the highest cropped lots out of our entire program, unbridling the potential of everything else with a ‘Scherrer’ label on it. This wine is a perfect example of this selection process and sets the stage for the upcoming releases of Pinot Noir.
Nice, red fruits, slightly savory and mouth-watering, this wine follows in the footsteps of the 2005 bottling nicely yet with a more apparent roundness and appealing texture.
Judi Scherrer –
California Grapevine – October 2008
Medium-light brickish ruby; attractive, spicy, fragrant, raspberry and cherry fruit aroma with hint of cola and clove; medium-full body; forward, rich, supple, red berry and cherry fruit flavors with a hint of green tea and a velvety mouthfeel; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Enjoyable to drink now. Highly recommended. 89 Points. Nick Ponomareff