Joseph Swan Pinot Noir

This wine was produced from a multiplicity of clones of pinot noir. Each block of each vineyard was harvested and fermented separately. Fifteen to twenty percent of each lot was left as whole clusters with the balance de-stemmed into open top fermenters. As fermentation began on it’s own by wild yeast, the cap was punched by hand three times per day during the peak fermentation to extract color and flavor and to control fermentation temperature. After an average of 21 days on the skins, the wine was pressed off, settled briefly and then racked to French Burgundy barrels, around 31.5% new, for 10 months of aging before selection, blending, and bottling. Each barrel of each lot was individually tasted and numerous blending trials were conducted before the final blend was decided upon. Only then did the wine receive its’ first racking as it was assembled for bottling, unfined and unfiltered. The production in 2017 was just over 225 cases. 13.1%ABVThe primary goal in bottling this wine is to produce a pinot noir that speaks of the terroir of the Russian River Valley as a whole and best reflects the character of the vintage. The one constant with this wine each year is that it consists of a blend of each of our vineyard designates and nothing else. Our intent is to craft a wine that marries all of the best elements of the vineyards and the vintage. A little lighter in color than the fairly dark and lush 2016, it also has a bit higher acidity. All of the usual C3 elements are present however, including a potpourri of red fruits, flowers and a bit of forest floor. The term “food wine” has been so overused that it has lost most of its meaning but this wine actually fits the bill which why it has been a constant on restaurant lists far and wide.