2007 Thorn Ridge Ranch Pinot Noir

Neither typical Russian River nor typical Sonoma Coast, the vibrant acidity, deep, dark berry profile and savory earthy character of this Pinot Noir make it a tasty crowd pleaser.

Farmed by Ted Klopp with sustainable practices, this vineyard is located high in the Sebastopol Hills, in an area which had previously been designated Sonoma Coast, but is now part of the expanded Russian River Valley appellation. The character of the fruit is neither typical Russian River nor typical Sonoma Coast. The deep dark berry profile is the result of the steep east facing aspect high above the fog line and the goldridge soils. The clones are Pommard, Swan, and 777 and are from the upper and lower parts of the ranch.

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
Color: Deep ruby Aroma: Blackberry, black cherry, smoky dried herbs, exotic spices Flavor: This is a luscious wine with ripe blackberry and cherry flavors. Secondary fruit components include black raspberries, an almost saline/sea breeze hint along with California bay leaves. The wine has a rich, round mid-palate with balanced tannins. The finish is velvety and long, with a beautiful earthiness redolent with black tea and dried rose petals. This wine should continue to improve with careful cellaring until at least 2015.

Vineyard Notes
The 2007 has received a great deal of hype and much of it is justified. An unusually mild and even growing season allowed vineyards to mature beautifully in 2007. Modest winter rainfall and a dry and mild spring led to bud break and flowering about two weeks earlier than normal in our vineyard. The drought conditions led to controlled canopy growth and smaller berries.

Winemaker Notes
The fruit was destemmed and cold soaked for 4 days in open-top 5-ton stainless steel tanks. A spontaneous fermentation with natural yeast occurred. The wine was pressed off when dry and aged in a combination of new, one year and two year old French barrels: about 50% was new. A native malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel. The wine was blended to tank in February 2007 with its fine lees, and then returned barrel, to finish the 17 month elevage. The wines were kept on their lees, even after blending, and stirred weekly between October 2007 and February 2008 and then monthly until January 2009. The wines were filtered by crossflow and bottled on February 12, 2009.

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