92 points, Wine Spectator
92 points, Wine Enthusiast
Our flagship black-labeled Reserve from the 2016 vintage continues our string of successes with Pinot Noir here in the historic Santa Clara Valley appellation.
Flavorful notes of cherry cola & dark chocolate, with vanilla and fresh coffee cake on the finish. Try with a bacon wrapped steak.
We gently destemmed the whole berries (60% Dijon clone 777, 40% 667) into small fermentors, cold soaked for three days, allowed a robust native fermentation, then inoculated with RC212 yeast. Hand punch downs occurred three times daily. The wine was pressed off the skins when the residual sugar was below 20 g/l and fermentation was completed in barrel. The cooperage used was primarily from Vallaurine, 50% being new, tight-grained wood, with the balance in one year-old and neutral barrels; barrel maturation proceeded for 18 months. The wine was bottled and hand-waxed in March of 2018. Only 185 cases and a few magnums were produced. Our 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir was allowed a over a year of bottle age prior to release.
Clones: Dijon 777 60%, Dijon 667 40%
Appellation: Santa Clara Valley
Vineyard: Sarah's Estate Dwarf Oak
Grower: Tim Slater
Harvest Date: September 2016
Alcohol: 13.3
Cooperage: French Oak, 50% New, 18 months
Bottling Date: March 2018
Production: 185 + 11 magnums
