Tasting Notes

True to the vintage with intense aromatic notes of ripe pear, rose petals, tropical flowers and warm honeycomb. This wine is a complex interplay of rich and warm contrasting with bright and fresh showing vanilla wafer, white cake, nougat along with lemon peel and asian pear. In the mouth, a long, slow, malolactic fermentation, lees stirring and barrel aging in small french oak barrels brings a rich and complex mouthfeel balanced with classic Russian River Valley acids to carry through to a warm, creamy finish.

Vineyard Notes

Our fruit continues to come from one of the cooler locations at Dutton Ranch’s Mill’s Station Vineyard. We pick from two blocks, one planted to a long forgotten clone and a more modern fruit forward clone 76 producing lovely layers of earthy and pure fruit. The dark yellowish superfine, sandy loam of the Gold Ridge soils and ancient vines make this site a pleasure to work with every year.

Vintage Notes

As the driest year to date on record in California history, 2014 is a stunner. While dry, temperatures were relatively mild, not breaking 100°F the entire season. Both are excellent conditions for ripening and concentration of flavors. The easy going weather gifted us by lengthening the ‘just right’ window of physiological maturity and peak flavors. No panic picks in 2014!