Cherry Pie Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir 2009

This Cherry Pie is rich and fat while not over extracted. It is one of our richest in red fruits, black plums, hints of wet earth and pebbles. Naturally black cherry abounds in one of our most aromatic and layered Cherry Pies to date, clearly this wine will be very hard to resist and pairs well with a very large range of foods. “Basically it is kick ass” says Winemaker Jayson Woodbridge.

Viticulture at Stanly Ranch in Carneros began in the 1880’s but fell off during prohibition. Stanly Ranch was first planted to Pinot Noir in the 1940s, when a clonal trial proved the ranch’s well-drained clay-loam soils and rolling hills ideal for growing the finicky varietal. The clones and blocks have been significantly refined over the years, and Stanly Ranch is now one of the most sought-after growers of Pinot Noir in California. The Carneros AVA straddles the southern parts of Napa and Sonoma Counties. It is the coolest wine region in Napa, with fog rolling in from San Pablo Bay at night, then peeling back late in the day to expose the grapes to the sun. Stanly Ranch is on the Napa side of Carneros and has myriad microclimate throughout its rolling hills, making for significant differences in terroir in each block of the vineyard. The Bay has a significant influence, the lower areas being the first to be covered with fog and the last to emerge while the hills remain in the sun the longest and see it earliest in the morning. Our 2009 Cherry Pie single vineyard Pinot Noir is from the Home Hill of Stanly Ranch.

The fruit was handpicked prior to the fall rains at full ripeness. We carefully choose the blocks and ferment in micro-lots to isolate the individual flavors and aromas. This wine was mainly fermented in 500 liter French Oak Puncheons with hand punch downs. A portion was aged in stainless and the balance (majority) was aged in the same puncheons the wine was fermented in that very year. This wine has never been racked or filtered, and rested on gross lees the entire aging period.