2020 Foss Vineyard Pinot Noir

HOLD
DRINK
2023-2030 OPTIMAL DRINKING WINDOW
Russian River Valley 2020 Foss Vineyard
RELEASE PRICE $75 Past Release

Winemakers Notes

At first nosing, the wine offers up a brooding aroma of berry fruits mixed with wood spice and cedar notes. With aeration, the wine reveals notes of caraway […]

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Technical Notes

TA 0.56g/100mL
pH 3.56
Alc. 13.80%
Sugar residual sugars...
Barrel Description 62% new, 38% 1 yr.
Barrel Aged 16 months
Technical Notes PDF

Winemakers Notes

At first nosing, the wine offers up a brooding aroma of berry fruits mixed with wood spice and cedar notes. With aeration, the wine reveals notes of caraway seed and dried tangerine peel. The palate is loamy and rich, with an unctuous and enveloping mouthfeel. The alluring finish delivers just a hint of cocoa dust and chocolate. Because the vineyard is located in a slightly warmer microclimate, the resulting wine has a delicate acidity that adds appeal to the roundness of the 2020 Foss Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Harvest Notes

The 2020 growing season started out very dry with 60% of average rainfall. Dry winters usually bring early bud break, but the nights were colder than average and bud break was delayed. Early spring rains recharged the soil profile, but periods of extreme cold caused many frost events throughout the Russian River Valley. In some areas, frost was an issue and had the effect of lowering the crop. Bloom weather was overall very good, but was interspersed with a few cool periods with scattered showers which created a “hens and chicks” cluster morphology. Late spring yielded ample sunshine and moderate temperatures, and the plants responded very well with excellent canopy growth. Slightly looser clusters and excellent viticultural timing set the stage for good exposure of fruit for color and tannin development. The consequent wines for 2020 have deep color and very refined tannin owing to the early season sunshine. The season ended up approximately 12% warmer than average, and did not have any heat spikes until August. Shoots and stems were well lignified, and seeds were brown—these are all indicators of maturity. The warmer parts of the Russian River Valley were near harvest already so the decision to start picking was made. Harvest started in haste on August 12, ahead of an extreme heat wave. On the night of August 16, the weather changed and there was a rare dry lightning storm that sparked a fire on a hillside in remote west Sonoma County. This fire would later be named the Walbridge Fire. In the Russian River Valley, it took a number of days for smoke to settle along with that were concerns of smoke taint. Based on test results for smoke taint on the grapes, several vineyards were not picked due to the threat of tainted wine. These vineyards were mostly on the Coast. For the vineyards that were picked, either before the fire or before the smoke settled, the result was concentrated wines with a darker, more brooding complexion. The polish of the tannin, coupled with excellent concentration, should allow for a wide drinking window.

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Reviews & Scores

90 Points

Wine & Spirits

Green herb scents last through this fresh, sour cherry–scented red. It’s refreshing even if it is weighty, with red-cherry sweetness perking up the end. For ribs. —J.G.

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