2021 Pinot Noir, Jasper FreestoneSonoma Coast
2021 marks my third vintage making wine from this young Sonoma Coast vineyard and my first producing a bottling for Saxon Brown. The vineyard is among the most exciting I’ve worked with and our inaugural 2021 Jasper Freestone Pinot Noir is my most personal interpretation of the site. The wine’s depth and complexity is immediately apparent by its captivating aromatics that unfurl in waves of Bing cherry, boysenberry, raspberry, and pomegranate nuanced by hints of floral, clove, and sweet pipe tobacco. The palate is supple and generous with a weightiness that belies the vineyard’s youth, offering a core of lush fruit, buoyed by bright acidity that persists through the very long, spice-tinged finish.
Vineyard: This is our first bottling from an exciting new vineyard that I’ve had the good fortune to be involved with from the ground up. Named for its original owner and one of California’s most consequential early settlers, Jasper O’Farrell, the Jasper Freestone Vineyard was planted in 2015 by my winemaking clients Tom and Rebecca Birdsall, owners of Black Kite Cellars. The small 8-acre plot is part of a sprawling 200-acre coastal ranch located just outside the town of Freestone. The windswept site, tucked at the base of west-facing hills, and planted to coveted Goldrich soils is just four miles from the ocean, making it “true” Sonoma Coast – and as fine a site as you will find for growing cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 2021, the site’s naturally long hangtime and even ripening was amplified by the long, moderate growing season, resulting in profoundly expressive Pinot Noir.
Winemaking: In keeping with our site-specific focus, we employ similar winemaking techniques for each of our Pinots, so that the individual character of the vineyard is what truly distinguishes each bottling. Grapes for our 2021 Jasper Freestone 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 Burgundian yeast and punched down three – five times daily. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was pressed to 50% new French oak for a total of 18 months in barrel. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Tech:
Case Production: 118 cases
Harvested: September 29, 2021
Brix at Harvest: 23.9
Clone: Calera, Pommard, 828
Aging: 17mos, 50% new French oak
Bottled: March 10, 2023
Alc: 14.1
TA: 6.4
pH: 3.39