cropthreash


Handmade wines since 1983.

 

 

 

2007 PINOT NOIR SPECIAL BOTTLING

Presidio Vineyard, Santa Barbara County

 

A very unusual and satisfying pinot noir from the organic and biodynamic Presidio Vineyard. I have been making pinot noir here in Ojai for 19 years, and in all of those years I had never seen pinot noir fruit that looked like Presidio’s. The cluster size and berry size were shockingly small, each bunch so tiny and perfect. The wine made from these grapes was dramatic and quite extraordinary. Pinot Noir is a nuanced wine that depends on finesse, not overt power to wow you, yet this wine possesses a little of both. With grapes, if the growing conditions are right, there seems to be a correlation between flavor intensity and size of crop. It is as if the vine can imbue the grapes it produces a finite quantity of flavor. If there is a large crop, the flavor gets spread between all of the clusters, thus diluting the flavor. In this case the tiny crop (0.7 tons per acre) and tiny berries concentrated the flavors to an amazing degree. And yet the true miracle of this wine is that although it is rich, the aromas and flavors caress the palate in the most elegant way. 97 cases made.