Technical info
Alcohol
14.1%
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Blend
100% Pinot Noir
Appellation
Carneros AVA
Oak treatment
6 months in 100% French oak (25% new)
Winemaking
We chose a single block of classic Dijon clone 115 from Grace Benoist Ranch to craft this vintage of Pinot Noir. The cooler maritime influences from San Pablo Bay create ideal
growing conditions for finicky Pinot Noir, which has found a real home in the carefully tended vineyards within Grace Benoist. The wine was aged in French oak barrels (25% new) for six months before final blending.
Vintage
One of the longest growing seasons in over a decade, the weather throughout 2023 was consistently mild, extending fruit hang-time and yielding above-average crops. Ample winter and spring rains set the stage for a reinvigorated vineyard, granting us healthy, saturated soils and full reservoirs. Bud break arrived nearly a month after what is typically expected, which led to a delayed set and protracted flowering, all of which, ultimately, contributed to a delayed harvest. A mild summer allowed the grapes to mature slowly and evenly, retaining their natural acidity and producing truly balanced wines.
Vineyards
Grace Benoist Ranch is tucked away in the far northwest corner of the Los Carneros appellation. Unlike most Carneros vineyards, which are largely uplifted bay bottoms with clay soil composition, the soils on Grace Benoist Ranch are volcanic in origin. This site’s well-draining, rocky upland soil and location close to the Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay make it an ideal place to grow Burgundian varieties. Vineyard blocks are individually managed to conform to various soil types and the changing contours of the topography. Individual vineyards within Grace Benoist Ranch average only eight acres in size, and spacing is dense to ensure low per vine yields of fully concentrated fruit. The vineyard is California Certified Sustainable with wildlife corridors, raptor roosts and owl boxes abundant throughout the ranch.
