2021 HERITAGE Pinot Noir

Our newly released HERITAGE Estate Pinot Noir is the result of painstaking farming of one of our first Heritage clones, Mount Eden, planted in the vineyard back in 2007. The clonal selection stems from its namesake vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, owned by our good friends, Jeff and Ellie Patterson. It was planted in 1943 by Martin Ray with cuttings taken from Paul Masson’s La Cresta vineyard planted in 1895–1896, which was itself planted from cuttings said to be straight from Burgundy. The selection is prized for its small berries and aromatic intensity.

Mount Eden tends to develop over a much longer time period than other clones, requiring even more patience than that which we already exercise as vignerons. Similar to the Pommard clone in FUGIO, its small clusters and lignified stems made it an ideal candidate for cane pruning and whole cluster fermentation, which adds both spice and tannins to the wine. For the past five years, we have been carefully monitoring its progress and finally decided to elevate it to Penny Label status in the 2019 vintage. To make sure we were right, we bottled the wine unlabeled and tasted it periodically over another year to confirm its quality and significance. We were not disappointed, as the wine has steadily improved with age.

Deep ruby red in color, this Pinot is filled with aromatics of tart cherry, cranberry, tobacco, and sandalwood. While the body is rich with pomegranate, mushroom and dark chocolate, the wine has a soft mouthfeel and a savory juiciness that enhances the wine in its entirety to completion.

VINIFICATION NOTES:
-Pied de Cuve Pick date- 9/4
-Full Pick Date- 9/9
-Brix 22.3
-Acidity 5.4 g/L
-PH 3.80
-Destemmed pied de cuve, 100% whole clusters added later, fermented in concrete open top tanks, aged in 15% new 228 L. barriques