HARVESTED: August 28th-October 2nd, 2018
VINEYARD LOCATION: Portola Valley, Saratoga, La Honda on either clay or sandy loam soils.
BOTTLED: February 2020, 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
A cool spring pushed bud break to early April with flowering in June. A moderate summer, with temperatures lower than normal, allowed fruit to mature slowly and evenly. For the first time in many years there was no heat spike in September, again, allowing for extended hang time and phenolic ripeness. Overall, fruit came in later, with yields up, sugars down, and quality exceeding expectations – any winemaker’s dream!
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. We employed 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 25% are new. The wine undergoes 100% native malolactic and is barrel-aged for 14 months. Unfined and unfiltered, always.
TASTING NOTES
Brambly strawberries, Bing cherries, and coastal lavender and rosemary commingle in this broad-shouldered Pinot. A fun, juicy palate makes for a most drinkable wine, and with enough weight to to it to hunker down and enjoy over a long meal. Fine tannins, a long finish and evolving aromatics makes for a fun ride.
CELLARING
Recommend aging potential of 3-5 years.