"This vintage of Los Carneros Pinot Noir is unmistakably true to variety with an aromatically inviting bouquet and striking complexity. Bright red fruit characteristics of pomegranate, bing cherry, cranberry and raspberry are seamlessly woven together with floral tones of violet and rose, balanced with subtle earthy notes of forest herbs, cinnamon and cardamom. The wine’s mouthfeel is generous and well rounded yet focused and fresh with a mouthwatering brightness and a firm back bone you expect to see in a well crafted Pinot Noir. Food pairing possibilities are limitless, or pour and serve on its own to savor its subtleties and evolution in the glass."
Based in the Los Carneros and Stags Leap districts of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Robert Sinskey has grown his 100% organic and Biodynamic certified winegrowing operation to over 200 acres of premium vineyards over the past twenty-five years.
After a prolonged drought, nine inches of rain fell in December 2015 through January 2016. Then, February was unseasonably warm with less than ½ inch of rain in Carneros, resulting in an early bud break with a beautiful set and relatively low cluster counts. The warm patterns continued and harvest proceeded at a brisk rate with all white varieties and pinot noir harvested by September 10th.
The quality of the Pinot Noir fruit was exceptional. The warm conditions warranted much of the fruit to be night-picked, which ensured cool grapes and a slow ramp up to peak fermentation temperatures. Most of the fermentations were native with only a few lots inoculated with non-aromatic yeast to control the effects of “feral” yeast imparting foreign aromas.
The wines were aged for a year in French oak barrels, of which about 30% were new.
