2018 Elias Pinot Noir 750ml
Vineyards: Our Home Ranch block 3 Pinot Noir was planted to three clonal selections from Torres, Cambria, and Mondavi. The vines were planted 5’ x 9’ on 101-14 & 3309C rootstocks in 1992. In 2008 we planted an additional 12 acres of Pinot using selection massale, budwood propagated from the original block, along with a 20% intermix of Dijon clone 667.
Vintage 2018: Moderate temperatures (aside from a brief heat spike in June), adequate rainfall, and no frost pressure set the stage for even maturation of early season cultivars. The temperate late summer and early fall weather resulted in an elongated harvest. Our small crop of Estate Pinot Noir was hand harvested on September 14 at 25.1° Brix.
Winemaking: The 2018 Elias Pinot Noir was harvested at night. While still cold, the hand harvested Pinot clusters were carefully sorted then gently destemmed. The must was cold soaked for five to seven days with non-Saccharomyces yeast strains, then allowed to ferment. The Pinot was barrel aged for 16 months in 73% new French oak barrels, coopered by Remond, Fouailly and Marcel Cadet.
Tasting Notes: This delicately colored pinot is a tour de force of aromas: Tea rose, cranberry, lavender, elderberry, and Prosciutto de Parma all leap from the glass. Generous by mouth as well, it dazzles with an amplitude of flavors that include currant, cocoa dipped cherries, raspberry coulis, freshly tilled loam, and rhubarb pie. This cornucopia issues from a wine that is finely wrought, tannin free and dances deftly across the palate (Tasted 5-10-22).
Variety
100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard Location
Hanna Home Ranch
28% young block Pinot, 72% old block
Age of Vines
10-26 years
Root Stocks
101-14 & 3309C
Clone Selections
Dijon clone 667; Cambria, Torrez, Mondavi selections
Alcohol
14.8%
pH
3.7
TA
0.58 g/100 mL
Residual Sugar
0.2%
Avg. Brix at Harvest 25.1o
Harvest Dates
Sept 14, 2018
Fermentation
Non saccharomyces cold soak followed by non-inoc fermentation, 13 days skin contact
Malolactic fermentation
100%
Length/Type of Aging
16 months in 60-gallon oak barrels
Oak Types
73% new French oak from Remond, Fouailly and Marcel Cadet cooperages.
Bottling Date
March 24, 2020
Number of Cases
267
Vegan