Tasting Notes
The dark ruby red color of the wine is congruous with the blackberry, black cherry and blueberry aromas in the glass. Supple tannins envelope concentrated flavors of raspberry puree, star anise and rich cacao shavings, which have incredible persistence on the palate. This is a classic vintage of Paige’s Ridge.
Winemaking Notes
The block was hand-picked and firm, cool clusters were delivered to the winery before sunrise. The fruit was hand-sorted, with 10% 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 50% 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
8Clones
Dijon 667
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, June 2021
The 2019 Pinot Noir Paige’s Ridge was made with 667 clone fruit and aged in 50% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple, it opens with delicate floral perfume—dried violets and lavender—with a plush, inviting core of spicy red berry preserves. The palate is seamless and packed with an array of red fruits and sparks of spice, stone and flowers. It finishes very long. It's a stunning Pinot Noir for its pure, intense flavors and lifted, ethereal structure and will show best after another 2-3 years' maturation.