Winemaker's Notes
One of the wonderful things about Sonoma County, CA is the geological and climatic diversity. ‘High Slopes’ originates at an area where the Russian River Valley has an unusually high coastal influence. It posses generosity, concentration and solid, energetic structural integrity. As a result, it should age and develop gracefully for decades.
Joan and Lew Platt planted these vines for us to work with on their property overlooking the town of Bodega. A very cool site with intelligently selected plant material that is well farmed is a Pinot Noir maker’s dream. Red, black and blue fruit character with great structure, minerality and complexity are the result.
From the cooler area of the Russian River Valley, the Gunsalus Vineyard Pinot Noir exhibits the characteristic flavors of Green Valley wine grapes — bright red fruits with a soft earthiness and elegance. The wine was made from a single clone — Dijon 777 — grown on a hillside block in Goldridge/West Sebastopol loam soils, and bottled without fining of filtration.
