Nose
Pretty, dense aromas of rose petal, dark cherries, cocoa, anise and cardamom.
Palate
Sweet cherry and plum entry with a zesty mid palate reminiscent of baking spices, leading into an opulent, elegant, lingering finish.
Growing Conditions
Carneros is known for its loam and clay soils and a mixture of flat land and rolling hillsides, which has the reliable marine fog that rolls in every evening and burns off mid-morning. A warm dry spring brought early budbreak, with ideal sunny conditions during flowering and fruit set. The warm consistent growing season pushed a larger than average crop to uniform ripeness efficiently
Harvest
With little pressure due to weather, we were able to spread our harvest over a 30 day period. After night harvesting, the Pinot Noir fruit arrives at Saintsbury within the hour of its pick.
Winemaking
The clusters are sorted and into small open-top fermentation for gentle punch down.
Aging
8 months in 15% new French Oak barrels.