2018 Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir, Petaluma Gap 1.5L

The Pinot Noir harvested from the Sonoma Stage Vineyard are Calera and Swan clones. Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45 ̊F for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma, and flavor extraction. After inoculation with a select yeast, the grape must (juice, skins, and seeds) fermented at 82 ̊F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. This small lot was aged in French oak barrels (35% new) for 14 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2018 vintage was a near perfect growing season! Bud break began in late March to early April, leading to a Spring that was mild and dry. Flowering proved to be long and gave way to a healthy set of uniform grape clusters. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading to a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. Throughout the vineyard growing season, there were no heat spikes and the temperatures were steady and even-keel.