2016 The Pianist

Pinot Noir

RUSSIAN RIVERsonoma county

ALLOCATION LIST: $46.80
RETAIL: $52.00

—  SOLD OUT —

ALLOCATION LIST ONLY BOTTLING

Tasting Notes

For 2016, in lieu of a barrel selection for her Pianist project, ideal conditions at Stiling Vineyard inspired Hanna to create a lower alcohol, carbonically macerated Pinot – a first for EK! You can head straight to Wikipedia for the full explanation of the process (or call Hanna) but essentially whole grape clusters are sealed in a container and flushed with C02 for the initial stages of fermentation.

Why do this? If all goes well, the just-harvested freshness of the grape is preserved while enhancing the aromas with spectacular results. Aged in used (neutral) barrels and puncheon, the 2016 Pianist captures the pure, uncluttered essence of the pinot grape.

Perfume? Explosive. Palate? Gentle and succulent. Finish? Sneakily persistent and ethereal. You’ll really want to take your time savoring this one. Don’t let the delicate color and low alcohol fool you…there’s a lot going on here and you may find yourself swept away entirely by the aromas.

This vintage The Pianist features a very special label honoring Wine Country’s rise from the ashes of the devastating 2017 fires that so dramatically affected our EK team.

DRINKING WINDOWS

Prime drinking: Late 2018 through 2022
Graceful ageability:2023+

VINEYARDS

100% Stiling Vineyard

CLONES

100% Swan

STATS

pH: 3.6 |  TA: 5.6 g/L  |  Alcohol: 12.9%
Bottling: January 17, 2018  |  Release: Spring 2018
Cases Produced: 69

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