2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir
Vineyards
The grapes for this wine were grown in vineyards located in the southern portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Dotting the western foothills of Mount Madonna, these vineyards benefit from both the nearby Monterey Bay's cooling influence and the warm sunshine which rains down upon their southwest-facing slopes. A low Region 1, the grapes grown here display vivid, varietal notes while maintaining a backbone necessary for great structure and ageability. To further optimize maturity in the grapes, the vineyards utilize a number of sunlight-to-vine-enhancing techniques including leaf-pulling, shoot thinning, quadrilateral cordons, vertical- shoot-positioning, and fruit-thinning.
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In the Winery
The grapes were hand harvested in early October of 2005. Yields were low, averaging 2.5 tons per acre. Arriving at the winery, we destemmed the grapes and fermented them in small lots in open top fermentors. Over the next two weeks, the grapes were macerated using the traditional punch down method. The whole-berry fermentation combined with the cooler temperatures maintained in small lot fermentation allow us to produce a Pinot that is infused with abundant fruit while harboring the richness that is a hallmark of mountain-grown Pinot Noir. Following the wine's initial fermentation, we barreled the wine in French oak. The wine was bottled in late-May of 2007.
