Lavishly textured and bursting with flavor, the 2018 Sascha Marie gives our Stiling Vineyard bottling stiff competition for title of Boldest EK Pinot yet again. Absolutely stuffed with ripe black fruit, it finds balance and harmony with its glorious robe of exotic spices and a core of fresh acidity. This is true Sonoma Coast Pinot after all and most of it sourced from Robert’s Road vineyard deep in the heart of the Petaluma Gap.
This vintage we employed a few new tweaks in the cellar to bring out the very best in this special fruit. First, we pressed off the skins earlier than usual to help preserve overall freshness and vibrancy. The juice was then barreled down into our favorite “Sascha Marie” new puncheons. These oversized monsters are surprisingly gentle on the fruit and have a far less “woody” impact, supporting, rather than obscuring the character of the vineyard. An older barrel of juice from Grand Vent vineyard joined the Robert’s Road for the final blend, adding a sexy hint of forest floor and leather.
Sascha Marie is built for the cellar and we predict a long life ahead for this wine under proper storage conditions. Precocious as always, it should knit together nicely by late summer 2020, so please have a wee bit of patience if you can!
DRINKING WINDOWS
Prime drinking: Late 2020 through 2028 Graceful ageability: 2029+
VINEYARDS
95% Roberts Road, 5% Grand Vent
CLONES
50% Swan, 45% 777, 2.5% Pommard, 2.5% 667
STATS
pH: 3.77 | TA: 6.1 | Alcohol: 14.6 Bottling: December 10, 2019 | Release: Spring 2020 Cases Produced: 4 Six Packs
Direct sales are allocated exclusively to EK Allocation List members at a 10% discount. Orders of 6+ bottles save an additional 50% off shipping. New releases ship twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. Join EK Allocation List
CUSTOMIZED ALLOCATIONS
You may customize your spring and fall allocations any way you like, from 0–12 bottles of each wine. (Small-lot and list-only wines will have lower limits.) To modify your allocations, click on MY ALLOCATION above. Join EK Allocation List
REORDERS
Wines often sell out at or close to release, so we encourage making the most of your spring and fall allocations. As long as wine remains, you are welcome to reorder online through our EK Special Order store. Or contact John Gillis at john@erickentwines.com or 415.244.9453.
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