Nose
The nose is typical of a pure Pinot Noir with floral notes of violets, daffodils and
white lilies.
Palate
The new French oak shows ever so slightly with hints of cedar wood, fresh walnuts
and dark chocolate intermixed with fruity aromas of black cherries, dried wild strawberries and
candied cranberries, with a touch of spice with cardamom, laurel and crème brulée. The finish
is well-balanced and elegant with seamless integration of the tannins. This is a wine that can be
enjoyed now, particularly if decanted, but also to be cellared for five to ten years.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for this Pinot Noir are coming from the Clos Madeleine block, located in the heart
of the cooler Petaluma gap area.
Harvest
All hand-picked by the crew early morning on September 22.
Bottling
We did not fine nor filter the wine prior to bottling in order to keep its purity and
full expression.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested, meticulously hand-sorted before and after de-stemming on our state-of-the-art
sorting tables by a crew of 14 people and cold-soaked for 6 days at 40°F, the fermentation of
the pure berries took place for two weeks in one of our specially designed and perfectly
temperature controlled stainless steel fermenter, with punch-down twice a day based on tasting.
After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine was barreled in 100 % new French oak barrels. We
had a weekly stirring regime during 2 months and the Malolactic fermentation took place in
barrels.
Aging
20 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Topping and racking the wine and regular tastings has been our duty until the bottling
in June 2011.
Appearance
A beautiful garnet color, with hues of blue indicating its young age.
Food Pairing
The traditional paring with Pinot Noir is often game, like venison or deer, but it is a versatile
wine and goes very well with a simple pork roast in a Le Creuset Dutch oven or a creamy
risotto with wild mushrooms.
