2021 Pinot Noir, Gap's CrownSonoma Coast
Boasting the vineyard’s famed “cherry pie in a glass” signature, our 2021 Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir lives up to expectations with a wine that is generous, mouthfilling and textural. It opens with cherry, sweet vanilla and toast notes that gain hints of baking spice with air. On the palate berry compote and brioche are cradled by soft tannins that linger and add complexity to the rather lengthy finish.
Vineyard: One of our higher altitude sites, Gap’s Crown Vineyard is tucked on the south western-facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain, at between 300 and 900ft elevation. Here, a naturally occurring fog pocket combines with a daily influx of coastal winds from the nearby Petaluma Gap and a nighttime thermal inversion to create the ideal conditions for low yields and long hangtime. We source from the vineyard’s original block, planted to Clone 777, which produces extremely small clusters of deeply concentrated fruit exhibiting the site’s signature “cherry pie” character.
Winemaking: Grapes for our 2021 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir were harvested in the early morning and transported immediately to the winery, where they were de-stemmed into small open top tanks for three days of cold soak at approximately 45F. After the must warmed and started fermentation, it was inoculated with a low rate of Romanee-Conti yeast, and punched down three – five times daily. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed to 40% new French oak for a total of 18 months in barrel. The wine was bottled unfined.