2020 Vintage Notes from our Winemaker
The 2020 Vintage started out promising but ended up being severely affected due to the Salinas and Carmel Valley fires that began in kid August and extended into harvest season ruining the possibility of making any still Pinot Noir wines from our Albatross Ridge estate vineyard. Fortunately we were able to make a limited amount of Pinot Noir sourced from the most northern vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands that were north of the fires and unaffected.
2020 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
The 2020 SLH Pinot Noir is a combination of fruit from the northernmost Santa Lucia Highlands. This Pinot Noir was aged in 30% new French oak for twelve months creating a rich and vibrant balance of dark cherry and ripe raspberry fruit flavors alongside vanilla and cacao combined with aromas of sweet red fruits, clove, and roasted hazelnuts.
Harvest Date: September 8th
Yield: 2 Tons Per Acre harvested by hand, night harvest.
Clone: 777,115, Pommard and multiple other unique Pinot Noir clones in field blend.
Ph: 3.55
Brix at Harvest: 22-23.8 Brix
Alcohol: 13%
Vinification: 30% Whole Cluster fermented in small open top tanks for two weeks. 100% Full native malolactic fermentation
Yeast: Native yeast and isolated Pinot Noir yeasts from Burgundy Aged 12 months in 30% new French oak barrels.
Unfined and Unfiltered
