91points
2018 Estate Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes
Plum, dark cherry, cocoa, brown sugar, lovely spice notes, great structure and finish
Wine Score
91
Deep ruby color, black cherry nose, dense, rich and earthy with some tannins, long and clean.
Anthony Dias Blue, Blue Lifestyle
Description
Bouchaine’s 100-acre estate vineyard lies on the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district, overlooking the San Francisco bay with the financial district in the distance. Fog, wind, and the cold night time temperatures of this unique geographical area lend a distinctive regional identity to our Pinot Noir.
Growing Season
2018 delivered a late but incredible harvest. Beautiful weather during bloom allowed for a bounty of exceptional fruit. A cool, foggy summer with no heat events ensured slow even ripening, vibrant acidity and superb flavor development.
Vinification
All fruit is hand harvested at night, preserving berry integrity. After a 5–7 day cold soak, fruit is fermented with native yeast in both open and closed top tanks. The wine is then drawn off and the must placed into a basket press for gentle pressing. All wines complete malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. The vineyard blocks are kept separate for evaluation and the best blocks are racked together in late Spring to assemble the finest expression of Carneros. The wine is returned to barrel to allow the blend to marry before the August bottling.
Tech Sheet
