2017 Sanchietti Vineyard Pinot Noir
Rich and inviting, this wine’s aromas open with black cherry, cassis, dried tarragon and dark chocolate. Notes of blackberry and plum weave on the palate and meld with hints of fennel and something evocative of salty ocean spray. The wine is deep, dense and full-bodied. This inaugural single vineyard bottling represents this brilliant site with distinction and grace.
The 2017 growing season began in March with cool temperatures and sustained rainfall,
a welcome development after five years of drought. As the rains cleared, sunny and warm conditions prevailed. Flowering began as usual in May, but foggy and windy days caused incomplete pollination, creating small berries with fewer seeds and reduced crop yields. The upside is that small berries provide great flavor concentration and color. A very warm, beautiful summer advanced the growing season by almost two weeks, accelerating our picking to get the grapes into the winery at ideal ripeness. We started harvest August 18th for our sparkling wine and concluded on September 27th, making 2017 the fastest harvest since 2008. Fortunately, our strong farming relationships allowed for perfectly ripe fruit with excellent chemistry. When the fires broke out in Napa and Sonoma on October 8th, we had (along with 90% of Sonoma vineyards) picked all our grapes. 2017 is proving to be a fine year, producing wines of depth, finesse, focused vineyard character and delicious flavors and aromas.
Located west of Sebastopol on the Bodega Highway, the Sanchietti Vineyard was planted in 2009 to clones chosen by James Hall along with rootstock and trellising by vineyard owner and viticulturist Mark Sanchietti. Originally an apple orchard, this exquisite 12-acre property features some of the finest Goldridge sandy loam soils that we have ever tested. It is planted on an east-facing slope, in a location where the fog tends to dissipate earlier, ensuring lovely morning sunshine. 2017 marks the inaugural vintage of this wine, which is a combination of two blocks; Two Brothers and Two Dryers and is crafted from Pinot Noir clones 667 and Calera.
100% Burgundian French oak barrels (40% new; 60% 1-2-year old)
Bottled without filtration to preserve the wine’s aromas and flavors and enhance aging potential
- Type:
- Red
- Varietal:
- Pinot Noir
- Region:
- California
- Appellation:
- Sonoma Coast
- Vintage:
- 2017
- Blend:
- 100% Pinot Noir
- Alcohol:
- 14.2
- Fermentation:
- Multi-yeast fermentations (native yeast, followed by cultured yeast); 10% whole cluster added; 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel