This is a delightful blend of select barrels from our three 2010 Pinot Noir vineyards: 55% Corona Creek (Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast,) 25% Lauterbach Hill (Russian River Valley) and 20% Beresini (Carneros.) The Sonoma Coast provides a classic earthy backbone, the Russian River adds its typical finesse and the Carneros contributes dark red fruit and structure. This wine is a perfect example of a unified whole being better and more balanced that the sum of its parts. Gestalt.
How did we decide on this unusual blend? After a long day tasting through the individual barrels and lots we combined the leftovers of each of the three vineyards into one glass and were delighted by the well-balanced and interesting rounded qualities it displayed. Single-vineyard designation is the holy grail of Pinot. It can allow for the expression of true terroir. It commands more attention, more seriousness…not to mention a higher price. However, not every vintage or every lot is destined to be bottled Single-vineyard. And, crazy as it was to blend our prized vineyards together, after a little tweaking of the blend ratios, it worked. We went for better, more rounded flavors, and, ultimately, what we think is a better wine. Call us crazy. Call it Unhinged. We may have been a little ‘unhinged’ for blending across AVAs and it’s just what you need when you feel a little unhinged at the end of your day. It is easy and delightful to drink and, as an added bonus, it’s easy to open.
The fruit was hand-harvested at the crack of dawn then hand-sorted and de-stemmed in the winery. The must was cold-soaked for four days then left to warm up and ferment with native yeasts for fourteen days total 'on skins'. Three gentle punch downs were performed per day. The wine was gravity drained to 100% French oak barrels (mostly neutral) from François Frères, with a single racking just prior to blending and bottling. This wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. ALC. 14.1, PH 3.76, TA 5.73 RS 0.6 200 cases produced
