2007 Precious Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir
Winemaker's Notes
Always a complex wine with aromas of wild berries, cherry, rose water, Asian spice, jasmine blossoms and crème brûlée. In your mouth the ripe, red berry flavors explode with a nice balance of acidity, mushrooms and mineral. The ripe, somewhat youthful tasting tannins are complemented by the concentration of fruit and long, succulent finish. An extremely pretty and feminine wine with great aging potential.
—Winemaker Bob Cabral
Scores & Reviews
| Points | Publication | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 94+ | Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar | May-June 2009 |
| 98 | Wine Enthusiast | February 2010 |
The Vineyard
Precious Mountain located in the Sonoma Coast appellation, sits atop the second mountain ridge in from the Pacific Coast, near Fort Ross. This is a very small vineyard planted on steep slopes at an altitude of 1,750 feet. At this altitude coastal breezes, not fog, are responsible for Precious Mountain's cool evenings and moderate daytime temperatures. The vineyard is dry farmed to produce intense flavors.
Harvest 2007
The 2007 vintage has produced wines of extremely high quality, wines that are each brilliant expressions of their sites. The growing season was distinguished by its evenness with a cool finish. Bud break was at the usual time around the first part of March. A few frost days that Spring were of little concern as the vines grew at an orderly pace. Berry set was somewhat interrupted with light winds causing a small amount of shatter and unpollenated berries. The summer months were characterized by warm, sunny, near-perfect weather with very few heat spikes during the fruit ripening stage of the vine growth cycle. This resulted in very uniform ripening and optimal development of intense varietal flavors, aromas and expression. Moderately warm mid-August weather accelerated ripening and culminated in a Labor Day weekend of near perfect sunshine that launched a methodical and even paced harvest of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ready for picking. By late September, fog returned and the cool weather prevailed, temporarily stalling harvest, slowing the accumulation of sugar, and allowing phenolics and flavors to continue to develop in pace with the sugars. The break from the heat permitted the rest of the fruit to be picked at a gentle pace, at peak flavor and optimal maturity. Small berries delivered wines dark in color with exceptional concentration of flavors, aromas and ripe tannins. The wines of 2007 convey their unique characters in a manner more vivid, precise and evocative than we have come to anticipate. In a decade of exceptional vintages, this one really stands above all others.
Technical Notes
| Barrel Description: | 63% new, 37% 1-year-old |
|---|---|
| Barrel Aged: | 16 months |
| pH: | 3.41 |
| TA: | 0.64g/100ml |
| Alc.: | 14.4% |
| Release Date: | Fall 2009 |
| Release Price: | $90 |