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Tasting Notes

On the nose, one will find black cherry, cola, cedar and cardamom followed by smoky French oak and plum compote. Full bodied with a gorgeous mouth feel, layers of cherry cola, vanilla, black plum and oak spiciness roll across the palate. Enjoy with poultry, or pasta. Drinkability: 2007-2017.

Winemaking Notes

De-stemmed Pinot Noir grapes were cold macerated for 72 hours in open-top tanks before fermentation on native yeasts. The must was punched down three times daily during 14 days of fermentation, then pressed and racked to the tank. The press fraction was not used for this wine to assure the highest quality possible. After settling out in the tank for 24 hours, the wine was inoculated for malolactic fermentation (MLF) and barreled down in 45% new French Oak (Francois Freres, Sirugue, and Damy.) Following traditional Burgundian techniques that advocate minimal handling, the wine was neither filtered nor fined with only one racking before bottling on December 12, 2007.

Vineyard Notes

The "Hyde Vineyard" located in the Carneros district of the Napa Valley owned by Larry Hyde. This property is known throughout Napa Valley as producing some of the richest Pinot Noir in the area.

Harvest Report

After a year that kept grape growers on their toes, vintners and winemakers breathed a sigh of relief as the 2006 harvest closed. Flooding kicked off the New Year in Napa Valley, which made for great TV footage, but did little damage to the dormant vines, as cover crops stabilized soils in the vineyards. In mid July, a record-setting heat wave lasted about ten days, but with the crop a few weeks behind, damage was almost nil. According to Pierre Birebent, the overall quality of 2006 looks outstanding and should be an excellent vintage.