♦ 2008 Pinot Noir ♦

Vineyard: Branciforte Creek Vineyard
Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains
Wine: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 14.0%
Production: 124 cases




 

Branciforte Creek Vineyard is located on Jarvis Road in the Vine Hill area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just a mile away from our well-known Estate Vineyard on the same road. The vines were planted in 1988 in a site that originally had grapes since 1863. This vineyard has low yields of very flavorful fruit year after year.

This vineyard represents the best of “old school” Pinot Noir, before all of those cola-cherry focused “modern” clones became so popular. This vineyard is Pommard Clone, a clone that results in a more traditional, Burgundian take on the variety. You don’t just get lots of cherry/berry fruit – you get all kinds of intriguing back flavors and aromas. Things like dried leaves, damp earth, warming spices and fennel can be found in nuances layers behind and around the fruit.

The 2008 vintage was one of rather small berries and low crop levels due to a bad spring frost. This resulted in a wine with great concentration of flavor from the high skin to juice ratio in the fermentation. This wine really opens up with some time in a decanter or an open bottle, with new layers of complexity appearing as you enjoy the wine.


Silver Medal – San Francisco Chronicle 2010