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Eden Rift - Estate Pinot Noir 2018
Tasting notes
The Estate Pinot Noir is elegant and vibrant in nature. It is extremely focused showing both red-tone and black-tone fruits. As it opens, it reveals notes of spiced cranberry, wild blackberry, black cherry, as well as pomegranate, violets, black teas and chalk-like, mineral notes. It shows medium weight with great depth as well as round yet youthful, chalky tannin structure. The wine offers a great finish and will continue to evolve over the next decade or longer.
Estate
Under Vine Since 1849 – Eden Rift is the oldest continuously producing estate vineyard in California. Located just 20 miles from the Monterey Bay, the 120-acre estate rests on the San Andreas Faultline and is part of the Cienega Valley AVA. Early vintners saw potential in the limestone and dolomite-rich soil, planting Pinot Noir on the estate in 1860. Post prohibition, the focus on Pinot Noir & Chardonnay was lost until 2016 when Christian Pillsbury acquired the estate. Christian assembled a team of young industry professionals starting with winemaker Cory Waller to once again create some of California’s most vivid energetic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The extreme terraces and diverse terroir in a single contiguous valley make California’s oldest estate vineyard one of its most exciting new projects.
Vinification
Originating from neighboring estate blocks C, D & E, three clones of Pinot Noir were hand-harvested over multiple dates in September. Gently crushed, with approximately 33% of clusters remaining whole, the must was transferred to open-top tanks and bins. Fermented on native yeast the juice had, on average, fourteen-days of skin contact. During the extraction period the caps were punched down by hand 2-3 times a day. Once pressed, the wine was racked to French oak barrels from assorted coopers. Ultimately, the wine was barrel aged for eleven months before being bottled on August 24.
