Fall Release Bressay Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir
2020

Winemaker’s Notes

This is our most exciting inaugural release in many years. In fact, I struggle to remember when I was this excited to grow, craft, and bottle a new wine. The two small adjacent vine parcels where this wine is grown, located on the mid-slope of our Bressay Estate, total only 2.2 acres, so this will always be a limited selection. The vines sit immediately above our “Finn” block, so there’s serious pedigree and promise here. The soils contain very little clay, so this wine is lively, dynamic, and focused, with fragrance and subtlety at its core. We vinified the wine with one-third intact whole clusters in the fermentation tank—an ancient and classical method that prolongs the fermentation, adding finely-detailed aromatic lift alongside a softness of texture and lilting echoing flavor. The wine is already expressive but can age for ten to twelve years without issue. At age seven from vintage (2027) might be its brightest point.

A kaleidoscopic wine of nuance, detail, and energy. The aromas are fragrant, dynamic, and lilting: fresh wildflowers, rosemary sprigs, and rose petal, raspberry, black cherry, and cassis fruits—full of delicate intensity and inner power. The wine’s flavors are vivid, generous, and giving, with crunchy red fruits then soft summer berries. Medium-bodied and concentrated, the wine expands with a broad layered texture and finishes with lingering spicy intensity. Serve at 60F.

Andy Smith