This year’s Love is certainly a charming, beautiful Pinot Noir.  Sourced from gravely, steep south-facing slopes, located at the northern tip of the Russian River Valley, this seductive wine begins with a beautiful visual veil of dark garnet. The nose is a rising cacophony of ripe raspberry, cherry skin, cocoa dust and fine, savory cooking spice. The mouthfeel has a smooth and warm start with flavors of Japanese plum, raspberry and tart cherry—building to a crescendo of clove, toasted French oak and black tea tannin and fresh, youthful acidity. At this early stage in the wine’s life, just a few hours exposed to air allows this wine to open quite nicely and expose a softer structure and fuller, rounder body profile.

2019 was a near perfect vintage in RRV, with plenty of sunshine, lower yields as compared to 2018, and smaller berries and clusters. Harvest was September 11^th and the wine was made in small lot, open top vats with hand punchdowns consisting of 10% whole clusters. 100% native yeast and native secondary malolactic fermentations were employed and this wine was aged for 16 months in 40% new Francois Frères French oak barriques.  Bottled unfiltered and unfined, 294 cases produced.