“Supple yet powerful, this wine can match the delicacy of poached salmon and the bite of mustard or radish… Warm and inviting aromas of raspberry, toast and almonds, on the palate, intense raspberry, rich and smooth.
“My 2008 Russian River Pinot Noir derives from two vineyards, Gunsalus and Benedetti, both within the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley. I like Green Valley pinots for the warm earthiness and bright raspberry fruit, as well as the layers of flavor that pinot does so well. Most of the fruit came from the Gunsalus vineyard, located on a west facing slope just west of Graton. The vineyard benefits from the work of Pam and Glen Gunsalus, whose passion for grape growing expresses itself in meticulous attention to detail and conscientious application to the daily work of the vines. Their attention to leaf-removal, color thinning and shoot positioning result in very uniform ripening. In musical terms the violin section is very well-tuned! This uniformity of ripening gives intensity to the fruit that you are sure to enjoy in the glass.
“The Benedetti vineyard, overlooks the ‘Petaluma Gap’ a channel that experiences cool air flow from the coast—the cool temperatures make for small berries, intense color and great acidity, all of which complement the luscious fruit from the earlier harvested Gunsalus lot. Overall the ratio is about 5:1 of Gunsalus to Benedetti.”
– David Noyes, Winemaker