Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Very light, clear ruby in the glass. The nose lifts with florals and red fruit—violet, lavender, raspberry, red currant—threaded by cola, Douglas fir, and a snap of orange zest. Light-bodied yet focused on the palate, with bright, mouthwatering acidity and fine, linear tannins. Juicy red berries lead into rose petal, cherry cola, and black cherry; peach skin and red grapefruit add bite and freshness. A line of cracked peppercorns builds through the mid-palate, carrying into a long, precise finish where citrus peel and a faint conifer note echo back.
Vineyard Notes
From Block 8—a 0.27-acre parcel planted in 1992 to Pommard + Dijon 115 (grafted), trained at high-density 4×4 on a south slope around 727 ft. Soils are Peavine/Willakenzie marine sediments with red-clay seams. The tight spacing drives vine competition and smaller berries (higher skin-to-juice), yielding a tauter frame, fine linear tannins, and longer finish. Red-clay lenses moderate stress and extend ripening, holding acidity and adding a spiced, mineral register. The clone mix marries Pommard’s cherry/cola depth with 115’s floral and red-citrus lift—showing in the glass as raspberry, red currant, violet/orange-zest aromatics and a pepper-threaded mid-palate true to this block’s microterroir.
Production Notes
Harvested Oct 21, 2022 at 22.3° Brix (TA 5.4 g/L, pH 3.53). Fermented with ~75% whole clusters in open-top tanks; no intentional cold soak; very low cellar temperatures extended primary to ~50–55 days. Cap management was gentle—pigeage with one daily pumpover and occasional délestage. Complete malolactic in barrel. Élevage 18 months in French oak (25% new, balance neutral). Bottled May 9, 2024 with sterile filtration; ~75 cases produced. Finished wine: 14.05% alc, pH 3.58, TA 6.2 g/L.
Winemaker Notes
Block 8 is our high-density planting (4×4; Pommard + 115), and the goal is to let that precision read without cellar fingerprints. In 2022 the winery stayed cool, so we ran the same single-block playbook as Heritage: a high proportion of whole clusters (~75%) with no intentional cold soak, then a gentle cap program—pigeage with one daily pumpover and occasional délestage—to build aromatic lift and a fine, linear tannin lattice rather than weight. Ferment nutrition and timing were adjusted tank by tank to keep kinetics steady at low temperatures. Élevage was 18 months in French oak with a modest new-oak frame (~25%) selected for tight grain and light/medium toast, the balance neutral, to support the block’s spice and mineral line without adding sweetness. Malolactic completed in barrel over winter; we bottled for clarity and stability. The result is a focused, high-definition expression of Block 8—taut, long, and true to its site.
Food Pairing Notes
Serve at 60–62°F in a Pinot bowl; a 20–30 minute decant lifts the florals. Pair with seared duck breast with cherry–black pepper jus; cedar-plank wild salmon with orange zest and toasted hazelnuts; porcini risotto with rosemary and Parmesan; herb-crusted lamb chops with thyme and lemon; or pepper-crusted ahi tuna with a grapefruit–fennel salad. For cheese, try Tomme de Savoie, aged Gruyère, or clothbound cheddar.
Other Notes
Single-block Pinot from Block 8—our high-density 4×4 planting of Pommard and 115—crafted to showcase precision and length. The red-clay seams within our marine sediments add spice and a firmer, linear tannin, yielding a focused expression that rewards slow sipping now and steady evolution in bottle.
