2012 OGV Estate Blanc de Noir
In Stock
The success of the first Inman Family sparkling wine from our Olivet Grange Vineyard (OGV) estate in 2009, a Brut Rosé Nature, led us to produce not only a Brut Rosé in 2012, but also a Blanc de Noir. Single vineyard, single vintage sparkling wines are unusual in California. Our goal was to make a grower Champagne-style wine from our organically farmed estate vineyard. This small lot of elegant, food friendly méthode champenoise is 100% Pinot Noir.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2012
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Vineyard Designation
OGV Estate
Acid
9.6 g/L
pH
2.8
Bottling Date
26 October 2015
Residual Sugar
0.036 g/L
Alcohol %
12
Wine Enthusiast
91
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
The wine has a very fine bead, almost no color--just the palest hay-colored tint--and wonderful aromas of caramelized apple crumble on the nose. On the palate, green apple moves towards lemon meringue pie and then finishes with seashells and a chalky minerality: a clean, crisp palate impression. The acidity is very bright and creates a pleasing structure for this linear, focused wine.
Winemaker Notes
The 2012 OGV Estate was picked twice for sparkling: first for the Blanc de Noir, and then a week later for the Brut Rosé. Whole clusters were put in a bladder press and the free run juice was captured for the cuvée. Two press fractions, or tailles, were then taken, and all three portions were fermented separately. The same happened with the pick one week later, but when the base wines had finished fermenting, the four tailles fractions were used in creating the two distinct blends before the wine went en tirage. After nearly three years of bottle aging on yeast, 266 cases were disgorged October 26th, 2015. No dosage was added.
Production
266 Cases
Product Reviews
Frederic Koeppel
(Jan 7, 2016 at 1:25 PM)
The Inman Family Wines Blanc de Noirs 2012, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, is the winery’s first blanc de noirs, following its Brut Rose into production. Made from Inman’s OGV Estate Vineyard, the all-pinot noir wine aged almost three years en tirage and was finished with no dosage — added sugar — so it qualifies for the Bone-Dry category. The color is palest straw, and the bubbles are fervently dynamic in their upward, spiraling surge. First come notes of baked apple, roasted lemon and lemongrass, with undertones of lightly buttered cinnamon toast, pastry, spiced pear and damp chalk. On the palate, slashing acidity cuts a swath on the palate, while a crystalline limestone element adds a bracing quality of seashell and salt marsh to the finish. Taut, nervy and dramatic, this blanc de noirs feels deep, ethereal and elevating. Drink now through 2019 to ’22. Winemaker was Kathleen Inman. Excellent. Frederic Koeppel - http://biggerthanyourhead.net/2016/01/04/the-11th-day-of-christmas-with-champagne-and-sparkling-wine/
Jeanne O’Brien Coffey
(Jan 7, 2016 at 1:42 PM)
Meditate on endless tiny bubbles while enjoying an exceptionally long finish in this single vineyard sparkler made from 100% Pinot Noir from Kathleen Inman’s Olivet Grange Estate Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Disgorged on October 26th, just in time for the holidays, only 266 cases of this elegant tipple were produced. The tart, refreshing palate, with hints of green apple and hibiscus, is delicate, with some minerality and very food friendly. Oh, and it would look lovely with an engagement ring at the bottom of the glass. Jeanne O’Brien Coffey - http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeanneobriencoffey/2015/12/29/five-celebratory-sparklers-from-parties-to-proposals/
Meg Maker
(Jan 7, 2016 at 1:47 PM)
Another mono-parcelle wine, this one all Pinot Noir grown at the estate’s Olivet Grange Vineyard. Fruit was whole-cluster pressed, with the free run juice and first two tailles vinified separately. Harvest for the winery’s rosé Brut Nature was completed a week later, and selected top cuts of both wines were used in the final cuvée. This blend was then put en tirage and rested on lees for three years. It was disgorged in October 2015 and capped with zero dosage. (Phew!) The result is the palest straw-gold color, with a scent of biscuit and almond and citrus. Its fine, quiet perlage yields green apple acidity and a finishing flare of lemon and stone. It has the spine to age. It is also the shining exemplar of “attenuated and elegant,” so let’s stop here. Meg Maker - http://www.makerstable.com/2015/12/sparkling-wines-for-now-elegant.html
Planet Grape Wine Review
(May 20, 2016 at 12:37 PM)
PG 91 pts. This rare single vineyard single varietal sparkling wine is bone dry, and tangy with notes of lemon, peach, pine and ginger. Organic.
Food & Wine Magazine 2017 Wine Guide
(Apr 3, 2017 at 11:53 AM)
INMAN FAMILY WINES Founded in 2000 by Kathleen Inman, who does everything from crafting the wine to driving the forklift to answering the phone, this small Russian River winery reflects not just Inman’s winemaking skill, but also her personal values. Those values emphatically include environmental sensitivity, which extends beyond the organic farming of the home Olivet Grange Vineyard into her thinking about every aspect of the operation. Inman’s Pinot Noirs directly reflect her outlook as well. She picks earlier than her neighbors to preserve brightness and acidity, and makes these graceful wines very naturally, typically with yeasts from the grape skins. One hidden secret is her superb, tiny-production Blanc de Noir sparkling wine. Inman Family Blanc de Noir / 2012 / Russian River Valley / $$$$ Made in a brut nature style (i.e., no added sugar), this all–Pinot Noir sparkler is bone-dry and scintillating, with apple, citrus and baking spice complexity. Not to be missed by foodies.
Wine Enthusiast
(Apr 12, 2017 at 10:53 AM)
WE 91 pts - This is made from 100% Pinot Noir and spent three years on the yeast, made in a traditional style. It satisfies in aromas of hazelnut liqueur, mushroom and almond, offering a light, bright and elegant experience. Bright acidity keeps it fresh in the glass, while a tartness of green apple and cherry play against its intense minerality. - Virginie Boone
Sunset Magazine
(Apr 19, 2017 at 12:03 PM)
Dry and racy; green apple and mixed berries over limestone. - Sara Schneider
Forbes Magazine
(May 4, 2018 at 3:17 PM)
Winemaker Kathleen Inman is well-known for subtle Pinot Noir with high acid that pairs well with food, but she also makes a couple of sexy sparkling wines – a brut rosé and blanc de noir. This is a rare single vineyard, single vintage sparkling wine from California and it is magnificent. Many California producers tend toward higher levels of sweetness. Not Inman. After experimenting with several dosage levels using various base wines before disgorging, she settled on the no-dosage control. “It seems appropriate for my winemaking style,” she says. “My goal is always to make all of the Inman wines as naturally as possible without additions."
All the grapes are coming from the organically farmed Olivet Grange Vineyard, allowing for the truest expression of terroir in a crisp, bone-dry wine that pairs beautifully with food. Bright notes of green apple and lemon are balanced with nutty, toasty undertones. Inman also just disgorged a new 2014 blanc de noir just in time for the holiday season, called Whole Buncha Bubbles.
100% Pinot Noir
.036 g/L of sugar
3 years on the lees
266 cases produced
- Amber Gibson,The Best North American Champagne Alternatives, Forbes Magzine