2018 Soberanes Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Soberanes Vineyard is located in the heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands, California. There, the Salinas Valley’s morning fog and wind allow for slow ripening—a requirement for producing intense, yet elegant pinot noir. The warm afternoons, thanks to direct southern exposures to the sun, give the fruit mature tannins and a dark profile. At the same time, because the soil is comprised of sandy loam and rocky decomposed granite, it allows for excellent drainage.

A beautiful, long growing season yielded grapes with great acidity and intensity. The fruit was harvested by hand before dawn and destemmed and cold soaked for five to seven days with one pump-over a day during cold soak. We then warmed the tank to 70 degrees to kickoff fermentation, with the wine receiving two punch-downs daily until we reached 1 Brix, when we reduced the punch-downs to once daily until dryness, then the wine was barreled down to start secondary fermentation.

This deep and luxurious pinot noir offers expansive and huge aromas of plum, cherry cola, blood orange and fresh wild herbs, with hints of cloves. On the palate, bright acidity adds purity and length to the vibrant cherry flavors, with a great texture and broad, velvety tannins carrying the wine to a lingering fruit and spice finish.