Due to a light harvest of our 2022 Pinot Noir, we weren’t able to produce enough of our popular
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, and what we could make sold out in just seven weeks! Our 2021
Arroyo Seco Pinot, priced at $25.00, also quickly sold out. Recognizing how important it is to offer a quality Pinot at a reasonable price, we decided to source additional 2023 Pinot Noir to meet that demand. With Anderson Valley fruit going for $5,000 a ton or more, we opted to look inland for more affordable options.
A blend of Potter Valley and Anderson Valley grapes, destemmed, fermented and aged in French oak barrels for a bargain price. This wine will sell out quickly!
We punch-down our fermenting Pinot Noir to keep the tannins supple. We wear thin gloves so that we can mix and feel the fermenting must to avoid any hot spots.
Given our success with Chardonnay from Potter Valley, where warmer days and cool nights help preserve acidity, we explored several vineyards and ultimately chose to work with Todd Family Farms. They had a block of Pinot Noir clone ENTAV115 on a good rootstock—101-14—that we felt would be a great fit. The grapes were harvested on September 24, then destemmed and fermented in bins with our usual twice-daily hand punchdowns, just as we do with our estate-grown Pinot Noir. The wine was aged for ten months in French oak barrels and blended with a smaller lot of Anderson Valley Pinot before bottling.
Gold medal winner. 91 points.