Tasting Notes
Raspberry, pomegranate, rose and violet seduce the nose. The silky tannins are rich and creamy, yet incredibly focused, as they play beautifully with the juiciness of the wine. Mineral, chalky notes of powdered cacao linger on the finish. The 2019 Mother Rock is a glorious expression of the Dijon 777 and Mount Eden clones.
Winemaking Notes
Each block was hand-picked and firm, cool clusters were delivered to the winery before sunrise. The fruit was hand-sorted, with 8% reserved for whole-cluster fermentation. The remainder of the fruit was destemmed before transferring to tank, where five to seven days of cold maceration preceded more than two weeks of native yeast fermentation.The free run wine was transferred to 67% new French oak barrels for 15 months of aging.
Vintage Notes
2019 began with several months of heavy rainfall. Pinot Noir shoots emerged 10 days later than normal but growth advanced quickly during a warm April, and energy was plentiful in the soil after late rains in May. Flowering was also 10 days later than normal but aligned wonderfully with a change in the weather, as rain clouds gave way to clear skies in June. The summer of 2019 was full of sunshine, yet temperatures were moderate to cool. The average high temperature through July and August was 81oF, perfect for gradual ripening. In drier and warmer vintages, we are more proactive with mowing cover crop, leaf and lateral removal and irrigating the driest blocks, but in 2019 we were able to be patient with the vines. We allowed them to naturally adjust to the energy in the soil and waited until the vines reached their optimal point before moving in with canopy work to help the transition from vegetative growth to fruit maturation. By the time veraison began in early August, the vines were tracking only five days later than normal. 42 days later, we picked our first Pinot Noir on September 16th, and concluded harvest on October 5th.
Blocks
3, 11Clones
Dijon 777, Mount Eden
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, June 2021
The 2019 Pinot Noir Mother Rock comes from Mt. Eden and 777 clone fruit. It has a medium ruby-purple color and takes time to unfold to form scents of graphite and dashi, with plush, ripe red and blackberry fruit and notes of dried lavender and star anise. The palate is spectacular, satiny in texture and fanning out to dark, spicy flavors with a fresh burst of acidity and a very long, layered finish. It deserves another 2-3 years in bottle.
