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2008 Pinot Noir - SOLD OUT

Wine Specs

Vintage

2008

Varietal

Pinot Noir

Appellation

Sonoma Coast

Harvest Date

September 5-24, 2008

Acid

.53g/100ml

3.71

Aging

9 months in 100% French; 35% new

Bottling Date

June 30, 2009

Alcohol %

14.2

Wine Enthusiast

Nearly opaque, this concentrated Pinot Noir entices with complex aromas of black currants and boysenberries with hints of sassafras, cola and dusty cedar notes. Rich, elegant layers of dark plum, ripe black fruit, delicate tea and softly spiced vanilla flavors are balanced by the finely structured, supple tannins and the Fort Ross Vineyard signature minerality that evolves through the lingering finish.

92 Points - WINE ENTHUSIAST - October 2011 Issue
Elaborately ripe, this polished Pinot explodes with fresh flavors of raspberries and cherries that taste pie-baked, with the smoky, sweet, toasty crust. It’s just delicious, and also obviously fruity-sweet, with a jammy attractiveness. What it lacks in subtlety it more than makes up for in richness. Drink now. —S.H.

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes

Vineyard Notes

From our mountain vineyard on the “True Sonoma Coast”, Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery produces limited quantities of single vineyard, Estate grown, cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinotage. With spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean less than one mile away, the vineyard is divided into 30 separate blocks, one-half to two acres in size, that rapidly fall from 1700 down to 1200 feet above sea level. Owners, Lester and Linda Schwartz and their small crew began preparing the 50 acre vineyard in 1994. It took them 4 years of preparation before they could begin planting the first vines in 1998.

Winemaker Notes

The grapes for this Pinot Noir were handpicked during the cool hours of the night in 5 gallon buckets. After hand sorting, the fruit was destemmed and cold soaked for several days and fermented in a combination of 5 and 10 ton tanks. The caps were punched down 1 or 2 times per day, depending on the stage of the fermentation. The wines were then barreled in a combination of 35% new and 65% used French oak. Throughout the 10 months of barrel aging, the clones and different vineyard blocks were kept separate to maintain their distinct flavor profiles and structural components as blending elements.

Other Notes

2008 was a Biblical year in the industry - with frost, unseasonal heat and then unusual cold. This was the year when our proximity to the ocean and our steep slopes proved to be our salvation – rather than a farming challenge. The damaging frost that destroyed so much of the 2008 harvest in the low lying vineyards did not affect the Fort Ross Vineyard - as the heavy, freezing air rolled over our steep slopes – and kept on rolling away from the vineyard. Our proximity to the ocean also moderated the impact of the freeze and later the extreme heat that forced many vineyards to pick earlier than they had planned. We could then take advantage of the unusually cool weather during harvest and pick when the flavors were at their fullest.

2008 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Tech Sheet