2012 Pinot Noir

It’s changed a lot and has notes of cherry cola, white pepper and strong acid that’s still showing brightly two years after the vintage. This was our first vintage sourced entirely from vineyards owned by our friends and family and where we were involved in the entire process from grape to bottle.

Sourced from my family’s Hillcrest vineyard and our friends at Tanuda Ridge, the two sites seem like they were made for each other. Hillcrest sits atop a south western facing hill and gets a lot of sunlight and warm temperatures for the area. Exhibiting more ripe fruit flavors and floral notes on the nose, Hillcrest is usually the more showy crowd pleaser. Tanuda Ridge, on the other hand, while being less than a mile from Hillcrest could hardly be more different. Sitting lower down it gets colder air and the average temperatures throughout the season are much lower. The grapes themselves are smaller with thicker skins and give dark, brooding flavors with lots of minerality and complexity on the nose. It provides the backbone and depth in our 2012 Sonoma Coast.

Together these two vineyards created a Pinot Noir that has the best of both worlds: fruitiness and accessibility combined with depth and complexity that will please both the wine novice and the afficionado. We kept the percentage of new oak, meaning the amount of new oak barrels we used for aging vs. used ones, to a minimum to allow the fruit to show through and exhibit these fantastic sites and how well they work together. We think they’re about to hit their peak within the next 6 months, so if you’ve bought some bottles and have hidden them away to enjoy at a later date, think about popping one of them at around Thanksgiving 2014. It’ll go great with turkey, but I have to say my favorite pairing is lamb.

And if you drank yours already (and who could blame you) don’t worry! There’s still more! Head on over to the shop and pick up a bottle or two before they’re gone!