Cherry Pie Huckleberry Snodgrass Pinot Noir 2007

The nose of this wine hits you immediately with Dark morello cherries, black licorice and pipe tobacco. Then a second whiff reveals aromas of overripe blackberries, sweet chanterelles plus a hint of candied orange peel and tiny flowers fade in the distance. Very dense yet balanced in the mouth with fine tannins and a rich creamy texture; this wine seems somehow sexy yet forbidden, veiled yet exposed with flavors of Ceylon tea, bergamot, dark fruits and a perfectly integrated hint of toasty oak woven in like a gold thread in an ancient tapestry.

Huckleberry Snodgrass is on a western facing hillside in the Sonoma Coast Appellation. Over 800’ in elevation, the vineyard takes advantage of the steep hillside to promote natural airflow and soil drainage within the vineyard. Planted to high-density spacing, the blocks at Huckleberry Snodgrass were laid out take advantage of rocky hillside terrain and promote even ripening and sunlight exposure on grape clusters during the latter months of fruit ripening. The vineyard soils are comprised mostly of cobbley loam with some course clay loam in some areas, both of which make for fast draining soils, which are perfect for Pinot Noir.

Huckleberry Snodgrass sits in a pocket in the hills, which acts as a natural fog trap for the vineyard. The coastal fog that gets trapped in this pocket takes longer to burn off each morning as harvest approaches. This lingering fog stretches out the ripening period, developing intense aromatics and maintaining good acidity while slowing ripening its dense fruit flavors.