2015 Poseidon Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir

TASTING NOTES
The wine smells youthful, with light red cherries, rhubarb and rose petals, and even a hint of maraschino cherry. The first sip reveals a soft, gentle wine with a feminine approach. There is a touch of hay around the core of vibrant red cherries, complemented by the juice of blood oranges. The wine fishes warmly, with hints of vanilla/cinnamon spice and soft tannin.

HISTORY
Poseidon Vineyard, located at the confluence of the Carneros Creek and the Napa River, was originally planted in 1973 by the Molnar Family to the Burgundian varietals: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The maritime environment of the Carneros grape growing season delivers cool, foggy mornings followed by warm days that slowly nurture ripening.

VINTAGE
2015 was the earliest vintage on record across the state. Four consecutive years of drought led to significant stress on the vines. Luckily, our mature vineyards with deep roots not only survived, but thrived, through the heat of a late summer. Earlier on in spring, however, we had a cool period during bloom which hampered set in many areas. Our Pinot Noir was mainly affected, with cluster counts reduced and tiny berry size, with some clusters growing only a couple of inches long. All this was great for quality but brutal on the yields and pocketbook. Our Chardonnay held strong with only slight reductions in crop. Quality was still high in our wines, despite the heat and we made excellent, ripe renditions of our estate wines.

WINEMAKING
Though painstaking, we harvested the three blocks of the hillside (top, skirt, bottom) separately, picking across the three Dijon clones: 115, 667, and 777. We kept the fermentation temperatures low to retain the fruit’s liveliness. As soon as the fermentations were complete, the wines were pressed gently into 100% Kádár Tokaj oak, adding a signature spiciness to the blend that complements the fruit character. Racked only once before bottling, the result is a very pure, fruit-filled expression of Pinot Noir.

Alex Beloz, Winemaker