The 2007 growing season began early and was longer and cooler than usual giving winemakers (like me) the luxury of picking at optimal ripeness. I have been working with this old vine block planted back in 1971 since my first batch of pinot was made in 2000. This year, although the fruit still looked and tasted beautifully, they decided it was time to literally put the vines to rest. So if you liked the previous vintages of this “old vine Stanly” you better not miss this opportunity to drink the last remaining bottles. (And you thought Screaming Eagle was allocated!)
In the middle of the crisp, cold night on September 8th I rode on the tractor with the crew picking almost 5 tons of the precious pinot. It came in at about 24.8 brix , was sorted directly into the destemmer and then dumped into my open top stainless tank. After the usual 5 day cold soak, the yeasts began chomping away at the sugars- beautiful wild fermentation once again! The stomping and punching down (that gives me my exercise 2-3 times a day) lasted about 19 days until the wine went dry. It was then barreled down into about 30% new French oak and laid to rest until bottling 11 months later.
Imagine standing in a red raspberry patch drinking a vanilla, clove, rose bud tea- that’s the nose. The palate has more of the red fruit flavors bursting through with a body that is supple and full and loaded with juiciness.
