2010 Pinot Noir

 Of all varietals, it's widely accepted that differences in terroir are best showcased in the delicate pinot noir grape.  If cab is the king of wines, pinot is the sexy, fickle queen.  Her thin skin absorbs the essence of her surroundings, making her slightly transparent but elusive, hiding nothing and showing what she chooses when she chooses to show it.

Our two 2010 pinots - one from Corralitos and one from Bonny Doon -  couldn't be more different from one-another, though they were made largely the same hands-on way in very small lots, with exceptional care taken to handle them as little as possible.  The grapes are hand-harvested by friends and family, and meticulously sorted in the vineyard before processing.  Hand punch-downs during a 7-day cold maceration and slow fermentation gently extract the goodness from the delicate fruit without over-extracting hard tannins.  Native yeast from the vineyard is allowed to begin the fermentation, adding complexity and further enhancing the sense of terroir that differentiates one vineyard from the next.  Different fermentors see different yeast strains during fermentation, adding nuanced flavors when blended later.  Post fermentation, a wide-range of the finest French, Hungarian and American barrels are used with varying toast levels to further accentuate the aroma and flavor layers that peel off in the glass.