2022 Pinot Noir, Gap's Crown Sonoma Coast
Our 2022 Gaps Crown Pinot Noir boasts the site’s signature dark cherry pie aromas intertwined with hints of lavender, violets and cocoa powder. Mouthfilling and deeply textured, the palate abounds with rich cherry compote, sweet plum and baking spice flavors, supported by polished tannins and crisp acidity that add sweet oak notes and a lovely grip to the notably long finish.
Vineyard: One of our higher altitude sites, Gap’s Crown Vineyard is tucked on the southwestern facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain, between 300 and 900ft elevation. Here, a naturally occurring fog pocket combines with both 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 115 which produces extremely small clusters of deeply concentrated fruit exhibiting the site’s signature “cherry pie” character. A slightly warmer year with more temperature swings than in years past gave us thicker skin and more intense flavors, resulting in notable depth and intensity along with impressive tannic structure.
Winemaking: Grapes for our 2022 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 50% new French oak for a total of 17 months in barrel. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Tech Info:
Suggested Price: $75/bottle
Case Production: 222 cases
Harvested: September 9, 2022
Brix at Harvest: 24.3
Clone: 115
Aging: 17mos, 50% new French oak
Bottled: May 8, 2024
Alc: 14.4
TA: 6.1
pH: 3.42