DESCRIPTION 2013 Kanzler Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is an exuberant wine with surprising and satisfying complexity and depth. Initially, the wine features fresh, vibrant wild strawberry and red cherry fruit on the tongue and subtle hints of orange peel, lavender and stony minerality on the nose. More time in the glass and on the palate reveals a bold but polished wine featuring blueberry, boysenberry and dark cherry fruit enhanced by lively acidity, with spicy clove and anise notes and a velvety mouth feel. Fine grained, tannins from well-integrated French oak frame the berry fruits with hints of pomegranate, cola and black tea and foster a long and lingering finish. An amazingly complex and structured wine.

TASTING NOTES 2013 Kanzler Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a wine truly reflective of Pinot Noir from the Sebastopol Hills region of the Sonoma Coast appellation. Drink now to enjoy, a fresh, fruit forward wine with abundant fresh berry flavors that is also complex and refined; characteristics typically found in older wines. We encourage decanting the wine as that encourages the wine’s multifaceted layers to emerge. Winemaker Alex Kanzler says: “Decant it or just give the wine time to breathe in the glass, and it becomes darker, more concentrated and compelling from the nose to the finish.”

VINTAGE NOTES Coming off the quality and bounty of 2012, Kanzler Vineyards entered the 2013 growing season with considerable anxiety as the drought entrenched its grip on the state. We weren’t sure how the vines would react to a second consecutive warm and dry winter and spring. However, late March rains and a relatively benign frost season got the growing season off to a good start. Summer was warm but Mother Nature was kind and didn’t visit us with any of the intense hot spells we typically experience at least once or twice a year. Basically, it was a succession of warm sunny days and an almost ideal growing season. The biggest challenge was managing crop load to keep the vines in balance and ensure maximum quality. Harvest began earlier than in 2012 as temperatures remained warm and grapes reached maturity faster due to the early bud break. Harvest yielded fruit with mature flavors at moderate sugars allowing us to craft balanced wines with a minimum of intervention.

WINEMAKING NOTES Kanzler fruit is hand-picked and hand-sorted before being placed in individual one-ton fermentation bins. About 15% by weight of the fruit is fermented with whole clusters. The bins undergo a 3-5 day cold soak followed by a natural warm-up at which point individual bins are selected for spontaneous fermentation or inoculation with commercial yeast strains. During fermentation the cap is punched down 2-3 times per day and never pumped over. Once fermentation is near completion, the wines are gently basket-pressed. The press and free-run wine are kept separate and barrels are selected to best complement each lot. Kanzler Vineyards uses 100% French Oak, 33% of which is new. In prior vintages, the wine would receive 14 months of oak aging on lees, followed by blending and then a return to barrel for another 2.5 months of aging. In 2013 the wine was blended and racked to tank after 14 months and left in tank for 1.5 months until bottling. We believe the extended time to integrate in stainless steel will produce a polished, fresher and more vibrant wine.