Spring Release Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2013

Winemaker’s Notes

If we take the deep fruitiness of 2012 and blend it with the cool fragrance of 2011, you have an approximation of how I regard our 2013 Pinot wines. It’s a vintage that tends to the elegant savory side of the variety in coastal Sonoma, with wonderful elevated aromatic complexity. Like any great wine our 2013 RRV Pinot takes time to open up in the glass. Complexity builds as air goes to work on the individual elements, gradually bringing the whole wine into focus. The wine progresses through multiple stages so that each time you return to the glass, there’s something new to discover. Initially bright, juicy and red-fruited, as the wine continues to open, darker notes emerge and blend with the varied vineyard-driven non-fruit components. The bottle’s final glass is opulent, layered and full-flavored yet always fresh and vibrant. I strongly suggest you decant the wine for an hour in its youth and estimate the wine is a good candidate for seven to ten years of improvement in bottle.

Classic coastal hi-toned Pinot aromas: Bing cherry, fresh strawberry jam, rose petal, complex grassy/herbal elements, anise and evergreen. Real beauty to the wine, subtle and tightly coiled. Expands, darkens and deepens in the glass – violet, black tea and black cherry. Volume builds with layers of flavor and texture. Crisp apple skin finish with lingering bergamot complexity.

Andy Smith Viticulturist, Winemaker & Partner