Nose
The 2014 West Slope opens with a dark, brooding nose of coffee, baking spice, plum, and
black cherry.
Palate
On the palate lighter notes of perfectly ripe cherry and cranberry emerge to join
juicy blackberry flavors framed by a touch of toasty oak. Remarkably intense, yet with
rounded tannins, the finish goes on and on, eventually leaving a lasting impression of dark
chocolate and berries. Already layered, this wine will only continue to gain in complexity over
the next several years
Growing Conditions
West Slope comes from the middle portion of our west-sloping 4-90 vineyard block, a
5.5-acre site at the Donum Ranch. The Donum Selection has always been the mainstay
clone of our Donum Carneros Pinot Noir. Beginning in 2007, as the vines developed
further depth and complexity with age, this block seemed to cry out to be bottled as a
stand-alone, and the West Slope bottling was born. The West Slope truly represents the
culmination of our search for the top Pinot Noir terroirs in Carneros.
Harvest
The 2014 Vintage marked the third year of drought in California as a whole, although in the North Bay
we were fortunate to receive heavy storms in February and March which replenished the soils and ponds.
The season started early and stayed that way, with mild weather in the spring and warm (but not overly
hot) weather through the summer save for a few heat spikes early in June and July which were far
enough from harvest to cause few worries. A late heat spike in early October provided energy for the
last few blocks, and harvest wrapped up shortly thereafter.
The wines are softer than in 2013, and more accessible in their youth. The vintage evoked some
comparisons to 2004, another early year without too many overly hot days. The vintage’s evenness led
to wines that are well balanced with good acidity, so despite showing well young they should also age
well, as we have seen with the 2004s.
Bottling
BOTTLING DATE: January 22, 2016.
Winemaking
The West Slope block is usually one of the last to ripen each year, as the skins of the Donum selection
pinot noir take a long time to develop. Once they have softened up a little and shed their green tannins,
we hand-harvest the fruit and destem it completely. After a one week cold-soak, fermentation lasted
about two weeks, with multiple punchdowns and pumpovers daily in order to maximize extraction.
Upon completion of primary fermentation, the wine underwent extended maceration for another two
weeks. Secondary fermentation occurred in barrel, and then the finished wine aged on the lees for about
a year. The final blend was a selection of only the top barrels, and was assembled in January 2016.
Aging
66% new French oak (Francois
Frères, Gamba, Cadus, Atelier).
