2021 is an outstanding vintage with the growing season benefitting from almost no frosts in March and April with mild, windless days during flowering and no heat spikes during ripening. Cluster weights and berry sizes were understandably down due to the ongoing drought, with the benefit being concentrated flavors and color.
Sourced exclusively from our Vines and Roses Estate on Olivet Road in the central Russian River Valley, the rows that make up this wine are planted to the Calera and Eden pinot clones.
At night on September 14, 2020 the grapes were picked and whole cluster pressed immediately upon arrival, with the juice cold settled in tank overnight and racked off heavy solids to neutral oak barrels for five months. The barrels were left to ferment with indigenous yeast and underwent weekly stirring until a month before bottling to build texture, mouthfeel and complexity.
Winemaker Daniel Fitzgerald says, “A luminous pink in the glass, the nose opens with notes of strawberry ice cream, lychee and melon. The palate is bright and silky with more red berry flavors, a little cucumber and a touch of candied ginger spice on the finish. This vintage is a standout."