In some ways, nothing has changed about this wine in this vintage from prior efforts. It is still our only single-clone Pinot, and the only Pinot we make with no measure of “Pommard” clone in it. It is still from a single place, and still made entirely of “Martini” clone. It remains, despite heavy “bleeding” at harvest, a light wine in terms of color- it’s almost translucent. And yet, unlike other years, it actually has darker color and a slightly darker flavor profile than usual- not “black” by any means- but certainly the darker side of red.

This was an interesting wine to make. After our usual cold soak, it began fermenting, but at the slowest rate of any wine all year- and it actually finished much later than other wines we picked after it. Yet it felt like it knew what it wanted to be, and every time I’d start to wonder if it would ever finish fermenting, I’d taste it and remind myself there was no need to be in a hurry. It was a wonderful lesson in patience.

Perhaps understandably so, the 2014 has a sense of patience about it- a quiet confidence if you will; with no need to try to overwhelm you with power- it’s really more seductive than that. The acids are bountiful, and it’s mouth- wateringly fresh. While ripe strawberries and dark cherry notes abound, there is a wonderful core of ripe red raspberries that gives it a deeper layer. It has nice weight in the palate- to which the acid is a wonderful counterpoint. This wine will pair with a wide range of seafood, and lighter meats (chicken, pork, some cuts of beef)extremely well. We recommend decanting it if you drink it soon, but it can be enjoyed now until 2022 without difficulty.