BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES:
100% Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from estate vineyards: Freestone, Ferguson and Quarter Moon.

HARVEST DATES: September 28th – October 19th 2006.

WINEMAKING DATA:

CLONES / SELECTIONS: Freestone field selection is a mixture of several Dijon clones and several heirloom selections.

AGING REGIME: 12 months in 40% new and 60% two to three year-old French oak barrels.

COOPERS: Francois Frères, Remond, Rousseau, Saury, Sirugue.

2006 was an excellent year for Freestone grapes. The long growing season allowed for slow development of flavors and tannin, contributing to the wine’s complexity and structure. The high quality of fruit provided many opportunities for innovative winemaking techniques such as maximizing whole berries and incorporating a small number of whole clusters into some of the fermentations, adding an underlying spicy component that is native to the terroir of this cool region. The complex nose offers harmonious aromas of black and red currants, sour cherries, black tea and nuances of Asian spices. The wine enters with lush, sweet and concentrated flavors of wild strawberry, plum and blackberry liqueur. The backbone of acid, minerality and supple tannins fill the mouth and carry through with a long, persistent finish and a surprisingly spicy snap.

THE GROWING SEASON
The cool, late ripening growing season of 2006 finished persuasively with near perfect maturity levels. This came as a huge relief as the Sonoma Coast receiving over nine feet of rain! The wet soil conditions slowed initial vine growth but had less impact on fruit set, which occurred in early June. Following a brief heat spell at the end of July - our first real and much needed heat of the season - veraison began; further crop reduction in the form of green harvesting helped mitigate the late start and long-range weather concerns. This maneuver proved critical as August and September temperatures were significantly below normal.

Although slight rainfall occurred on the 4th and 5th of October, It was with great relief that warm, dry and windy conditions materialized for the balance of the month, bringing the fruit to favorable maturity. The long, cool growing season provided higher acid content, thicker skins, more fragrance and flavor, and exceptional varietal transparency.