2006 Ramal Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dijon Clones

92 points - The Wine News
88 points - Connoisseur's Guide to CA Wine
4 Stars - Restaurant Wine

Grape Source

The focus of the Buena Vista Estate Vineyard Series is our remarkable 564-acre Estate vineyard in the heart of Carneros. Set along a south-facing hillside overlooking the San Francisco Bay, this breathtaking property has more than 100 blocks delineated by geology and topography.

Vintage

Budbreak began in early March, followed by a cool wet spring. With water in the soil came vigorous vine growth early in the season requiring diligent canopy management. The summer was good for vine growth with one short hot spell, and warm days. Most of August and September were slightly cooler than normal giving very nice ripening conditions and a slight delay in the start of our harvest of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carneros. October continued cooler than normal and allowed Syrah and Merlot to mature slowly.

Winemaking

The grapes were hand harvested September 19, 2006, hand sorted and de-stemmed.  Each lot was cold soaked for five days to maximize color and flavor extraction.  Fermentation took place in five ton open-top fermenters punched down three times a day to broaden the texture and complexity of the wine.  After 14 days on skins, the wine was aged in Francois Freres, Demptos and Remond French oak barrels (40% new) for 9 months.

Tasting Notes

The 2006 Dijon Clones Pinot Noir is deep purple in color with aromas of blackberry, mocha, toast, damp earth, cardamom and roasted nuts.  It continues with a spicy entry and flavors of black cherry, cocoa, broad sweet tannins and cherry liqueur.  The wine lingers with a long rich finish balanced by great acid and fruit definition.  The Dijon clones exhibit more structure than the Swan Selection and lend to darker black fruit characteristics.  Bold enough to pair with a roasted rosemary rack of lamb along with new spring red potatoes.

Past Vintages

2004 EVS Pinot Noir - Dijon Clones / Ramal Vineyard