2019 Estate Pinot Noir

TASTING NOTES
A graceful vintage: medium light in color; aromatically shy, somewhat closed in its youth, but slowly shows fresh strawberry, Bing cherries, leather and an earthy undertone. Flavors are beautifully woven together—red fruit, dried raspberries in particular, root-beer and a lift of baking spice. Tannins are integrated and silky. A wine of great balance and harmonious flow.

HISTORY
Poseidon Vineyard, located at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River, was 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
The 2019 growing season got off to a wet and cool start, but a moderate summer allowed for normal vine development and a slightly above-average sized crop. As the summer progressed, the vines made up for some of their late start. A comfortable fall allowed for longer hang time, good fruit maturity and excellent flavor development. The harvest started with a leisurely pace and quickened at the start of October. As a precaution against wildfires, our cellar was in the power company’s blackout zone, throwing the crew for a loop. But our outage was short, and proved harmless to the ongoing fermentations—it was one of the few sources of anxiety in an otherwise textbook season.

WINEMAKING
Our Estate Pinot is a blend of three vineyard blocks with two clones: Martini and Dijon 115. We keep fermentation temperatures low to retain the fruit’s liveliness. As soon as fermentation is complete, the wine is gently pressed 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