91points
2019 Estate Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes
Plum, dark cherry, cocoa, brown sugar, lovely spice notes, great structure and finish
Wine Score
91
This is nicely rendered—compact and energetic, without being too dense or overly fruity—offering juicy red currant and raspberry notes mixed with black tea and savory hints, with everything knitting nicely through the finish. Drink now through 2026. 3,900 cases made.
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
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
The 2019 growing season will be remembered as a “Goldilocks” vintage. Not too cold, not too hot . . . but just right. Late rains in May had growers biting their nails as these storms can cause damage to vines that are flowering, leading to reduced crop. However, sunshine won that battle and the rains disappeared giving way to a long, consistent growing season throughout the summer. No major heat events appeared during harvest time allowing for beautiful ripening at an even pace. Juuuust right.
Vinification
All grapes are hand harvested at night, preserving berry integrity and low temperatures for cold soak. After a 5–7 day cold soak in both open and closed top tanks, only native yeast is used to ferment our Pinot Noir. The wine is drawn off at the end of fermentation 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 with the most intriguing racked together in late Spring to assemble the finest expression of Carneros. Wine is then returned to barrel to allow the blend to marry before the August bottling.
Tech Sheet
