2019 The Barrel Climber

Pinot Noir

SONOMA COASTsonoma county

SPECIAL: $54.00
RETAIL: $65.00

Tasting Notes

As with the other 2019 offerings, you can’t miss the sense of immediate, juicy, up-front fruit in the Barrel Climber Pinot this year. That’s the vintage talking as well as the vineyard. This time around we peeled off a single, special barrel of juice from the wind-buffeted Grand Vent vineyard in the Petaluma Gap and gave it a much-deserved turn in the spotlight.

A lone vineyard out in the far western Petaluma Gap, Grand Vent gives us denser, sappier fruit than the oft-favored Freestone vineyards we regularly feature with the Barrel Climber. 2019 steps up the concentration and length while still showcasing the laser focus and clarity we so love about cooler-climate Pinot. This one’s all about ripe boysenberry, pomegranate and Bing cherry, accented by orange peel and a whisper of sweet pipe tobacco on the finish. Oak is barely noticeable, and alcohol is very much in the background. All of this wine’s intensity comes naturally from the vineyard.

Sadly, the tiny yields in all our Sonoma Coast sources forced us to lower production in 2019, so only a paltry 22 cases of this wine were produced.

DRINKING WINDOWS

Prime drinking: Late 2021 through 2029
Graceful ageability: 2030+

VINEYARDS

89% Grand Vent | 9% Stiling | 2% Cleary Ranch

CLONES

45% Pommard | 44% 667 | 9% Swan | 2% 115

STATS

pH: 3.6 |  TA: 5.6 | Alcohol: 14.1%
Bottling: December 4th, 2020 | Release: Fall 2021
Cases Produced: 22

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