HARVESTED: August 17th-September 26th, 2017
VINEYARD LOCATION: Portola Valley, Saratoga, La Honda on either clay or sandy loam soils.
BOTTLED: February 2018, 500 cases
COMPOSITION: 100% Pinot Noir (Dijon clones 114, 115, 117, 666, 667, 777)
ALCOHOL: 13.7%
WINEMAKER: Colin McNany
NAME: ‘SEQUENCE’ of vineyards along Skyline, and part of SIlicon Valley’s vines/science heritage.
VINTAGE NOTES
The winter rains brought a joyful end to a 5 year drought, with coastal areas of the mountains receiving as
much as 100 inches. The wet winter brought incredible growth and healthy vigor to the vines. The
vineyard crews had to balance the workload between canopy management, floor management and weed
control. Bud break came in mid-March and bloom followed in late May. Harvest came mid-August,
spurred by a heatwave in the triple digits lasting several days. Harvest was quickly sent into overdrive
with grapes flying into the winery by the truckload. All told, the quality looks and tastes amazing.
WINEMAKING NOTES
We harvest our Pinot Noir sequentially with co-fermentation in mind, filling open top tanks and T-bins with
vineyards matching in fruit profiles. This year we experimented with some whole cluster fermentation
(roughly 20% of the fruit), providing extra structure and tannin to the final cuvee. The rest of the vineyards
were destemmed whole berry and hand sorted on the shaker table. All fruit is cold soaked prior to
fermentation to deepen color, followed by either inoculation of commercial yeast strains or native yeasts.
The ferments are punched down by hand 3 times a day with peak fermentation temps hitting roughly 90
degrees F. The wine is left on skins for a total of 15-20 days. We press on taste, separating free run and
basket pressed wine into designated French and Hungarian barrels, of which 50% are new. The wine
undergoes 100% native malolactic and is barrel-aged for 14 months. Unfined and unfiltered, always.
TASTING NOTES
Elegant aromatics of strawberries, wild raspberries, and coastal mountain flora find their way into the
wine. A fun, juicy palate slakes one’s thirst, but the wine’s fine grain tannin sparks it yet again, sending
one back to the glass for more. A long finish and evolving aromatics keeps things interesting. With this
wine you get the best of Pinot Noir; the drinkability you expect and the complexity you can only hope for.
CELLARING
Recommend aging potential of 3-5 years.