2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
- Vintage: 2008
- Appellation: Sonoma Coast
- Release Date: May 1, 2010
- Alcohol: 14.3%
- Composition: 100% Pinot Noir
Our 2008 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir was sourced from McDougall Ranch, Putnam Vineyards, Gap’s Crown and Rodgers Creek. These vineyards are sustainably farmed.
Winemaker's Notes
The complex nature of this wine is indicated by its dark ruby color with blueberry hued edges. The aromatic profile is of dark forest undergrowth with black truffle essence, Bing cherry and blackberry bramble notes. The wine comes alive on the palate with dark boysenberry and blueberry notes filling out to a rich and finely grained mid palate with a fresh mineral acidity. The fresh black forest berry fruits are gently supported with subtle oak notes to carry the wine to a long, complex finish.
Vintage Description
The 2008 growing season started cool and dry, carrying over the drought effects from 2007. The dry weather continued into April when a number of frosts followed by a warm, breezy bloom combined to create a small and intense crop of berries. Summer weather was mild and temperatures rarely exceeded 90˚F. The notable lack of fog enabled the grapes to develop intense color and tannin quickly. The smaller crop size combined with warm late summer temperatures pushed harvest dates earlier than expected. With this vintage we were able to strike a fine balance between aromatic and flavor development on the one hand and retention of fresh acidities and firm tannins on the other.
Winemaking
The fruit was harvested during the cool early mornings then immediately sorted and destemmed. Whole clusters were added to open-top fermenters. The must underwent a seven-day cold soak to gently extract the grapes’ delicate flavors and color. Each clone from each vineyard was fermented separately to allow the greatest expression of each site. The cap was punched down every six hours to further extract color and aroma. Following fermentation the free run juice was drained and the wine was gently pressed off the skins. The wine was aged for 13 months sur lies in 100% French Burgundy barrels, 40% new.
