Vintage

Preceded by a few years of drought conditions, the early Spring rains of the 2017 were a welcome sight.  After budbreak, Mother Nature settled into her usual pattern of warm days and cool Russian River Valley nights. Towards the end of Summer, we saw some heat spikes and heavy winds which eventually culminated into the first of many horrific fire seasons. Fortunately, we harvested this vineyard on September 4, 2017, and my wines were completely unaffected as far as smoke and outages at the winery.

Winemaking

This is a small vineyard, we were able to harvest in one night and bring the fruit into the winery during the cool morning hours. The clusters were fermented in 2 one-ton bins, gently pressed into tank to settle, and then transferred to a combination of neutral (75%) and new French oak barrels for a period of 20 months. Bottle ageing benefits the complexities of this unfined and unfiltered Pinot Noir.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes

The 2017 Perri Jaye Pinot Noir is vivid garnet in color. Bright fruit flavors of wild strawberry and pomegranate are highlighted by notes of Earl Grey, vanilla and cardamom spice. A lovely mouthfeel is rounded off with graceful ripe tannins and a hint of bright acidity on the finish.

Technical Information

Vineyards:  100% Castaldi Vineyards, Russian River Valley
Alcohol: 14.6%
PH: 3.84
TA: .56g/100ml
Cases Produced: 98
Suggested Retail: $45