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2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

We have been making Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley since 2006. This region is so different from the Napa Valley and therefore my winemaking approach reflects this. We de-stem the fruit and allow a 3 day cold soak to extract maximum color and skin tannin. We use 70% new oak to lift up the fruit and we do 2 - 3 gentle punch downs per day to keep the cap wet. The goal is to allow the more delicate flavors from this region dominate and we feel strongly that our wines reflect their individual growing regions. Because we don’t own this vineyard I don’t have as much control over the vines and I am often seeing the fruit for the first time when it arrives to the winery. This speaks volumes to the trust that I have with our consulting winemaker, Roland Herrera. I prefer this wine with any one of my favorite cheeses: Maytag Blue, Cougar Gold Cheddar or an aged Gouda. ~ Michael Baldacci

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